Question
Hello,
They say that when we meditate, we should let thoughts pass without attaching to them, so the mind is constantly moving.
But they also say we must be attentive to breathing, posture...
And being attentive means thinking...
So what should we do?
Thank you in advance.
Best regards.
Raphaël
Master Kosen’s answer
It is always difficult to express the true experience of zazen in words.
Words are symbols, therefore only half the truth, and moreover we must choose the right word. Thought and mind do not express precisely the same thing.
I say: "Let thoughts pass without attaching to them." We could say, without attaching the mind to them.
Then little by little, thought exhausts itself and the mind settles.
As for being attentive to posture: when we are truly alert, we have no time to think. This is silent, present thinking, the mind alert as though our life were in danger. Then it is the thinking of the entire body-mind.
Although body and mind must remain still during zazen, we can nevertheless use a few techniques to correct our posture or deepen our grounding through breathing.
Then we say: "Place all your attention on breathing."
Kosen