A Basic Guide To Tendai Shikan
A Basic Guide To Tendai Shikan
TENDAI SHIKAN
By Seishin Clark, Tendai UK, April 2014
INTRODUCTION
My name is Seishin, and I am a Buddhist Priest in the
Japanese Tendai school of Buddhism. There have been many
great scholarly works on Tendai meditation over the years,
however, there are very few basic introductions to Tendai
meditation, as this is usually done orally from teacher to
student. Presented in this small book is, I hope, a user
friendly guide to Tendai meditation. Rather than
instructional, this booklet should be taken as a guide to be
used in conjunction with a knowledgeable teacher.
This booklet, like me, is not perfect and will contain
mistakes, typographical and grammar errors. I am not a
scholar, not a master, and I do not consider myself to be a
‘sensei’. Although the subject is Tendai Shikan and is based
on the T’ian T’ai meditation texts by Chih-i, it is also my own
understanding and interpretation. Any error is my own and
should not be seen as a reflection of my teachers or the
subject matter. However, I hope it benefits those who read
it.
1
T’IAN T’AI MEDITATION TEXTS
The majority of meditation practices in Japanese Tendai
come from the Chinese T’ian t’ai (also Tiantai/Tientai)
meditation texts compiled by the founder of Chinese T’ian
T’ai, Ven. Zhiyi (also Chih-i). These meditations are all based
on their Indian predecessors, thus Tendai meditation is still
very much based on the early meditation practices of India.
2
These are then placed into three catagories;
3
The Indeterminate is for those of middle capacities
and abilities, those who have made great strides of progress
and insight, but still fall back on the gradual sequential
teachings from time to time. It is indeterminate because it is
neither gradual nor sudden, but somewhere in between.
SHIKAN 止観
Whether Sudden or Gradual, meditation in Tendai Buddhism
is usually referred to as ‘Shikan’, the etymology and reason
will be described a little later. To confuse things, ‘shikan’ is
sometimes referred to as ‘zazen’ 座禅, which means ‘seated
meditation’, as sitting is the most common form of
meditation. It should be noted that traditionally, Tendai
categorises 4 types of Samadhi known as the ‘shishu-zanmai’
四種三昧(Four Samadhi), these are;
4
1. Constantly Sitting (Jōzazanmai 常坐三昧)
2. Constantly Walking (Jogyo Zanmai 常行三昧)
3. Walking and Sitting (Hangyō hanza zanmai 半行半坐
三昧)
4. Neither Walking nor Sitting (Hikō hiza zanmai 非行非
坐三昧)
SHI
‘Shi’ 止 is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word
‘chih’, which can mean ’to calm’ or ‘to stop’, and is used as a
translation of the Sanskrit word ‘Śamatha’ which can mean
‘to rest’, ‘to calm’ or ‘to pacify’. Śamatha is a form of
‘cultivation’ (bhāvanā) for calming the mind (citta) and its
'formations' (saṅkhāra), which is done by focusing the mind
5
on a specific task or phenomena, often described as ‘single
pointed concentration’. The most common form of Śamatha
is ānāpānasmṛti (Skt. Pali; Ānāpānasati/Jpn; 安那般那念
An'na pan'na nen) which means ‘Mindfulness of the breath’,
and is the main form of Śamatha in Tendai Buddhism,
features prominently in Chih-i’s meditation texts with his ‘Six
Gates to the Sublime’ being all about breathing.
KAN
‘Kan’ 観 is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word
‘Kuan’, which can mean ‘to see’ and is the Chinese
translation of the Sanskrit word Vipaśyanā, which can mean
‘insight’ or ‘clearly seeing’. By practicing Vipaśyanā one gains
‘insight’ into the true nature of reality, that is impermanent,
that is dukkha (unsatisfactory) and that is not-self. In Tendai
Śamatha is considered the prerequisite practice conducive
for Vipaśyanā, as with a calm mind we are better able to
penetrate the truth. This is why Tendai meditation is called
‘Shikan’ as our meditation is both Śamatha and Vipaśyanā in
one single practice, rather than two separate practices. This
is called ‘ichigyō zanmai’ 一行三昧 meaning ‘One round
Samadhi’, or ‘Samadhi of One Practice’ (Ekavyūha Samādhi).
6
meditation on the true nature of the Five Aggregates. (In this
text I will be drawing on the teachings of ‘The Six Gates to
the Sublime’ with its focus on the breath.)
7
Adjust food and sleep: The first thing to do is to adjust our
daily habits, sleep habits, lifestyle and food. Eating heavy
greasy food, or food that is too stimulating such as anything
with a high sugar content or too much caffeine. Over eating
or under eating also inhibits meditation and clouds the mind.
Too much sleep or not enough has the same effect.
Adjust body, mind and speech: Rinse your hands and your
mouth with fresh water. This act, although popular in Japan
is not uniquely Japanese and is incredibly symbolic. In
Buddhism we commit transgressions through our body, our
speech and our minds. By washing our hands and mouth we
are acknowledging that we have committed these
transgressions and the practice we are about to undertake is
in order for us to overcome them and become better people.
8
enlightenment) and to admit that we have made
transgressions in the past but desire to overcome them, to
become better people.
9
The second best posture is called Half Lotus (hanka fuza 半跏
趺坐) [image 1 above]. Similar to Full Lotus accept only one
foot is on the opposing thigh, the other is underneath the
opposing thigh. Again this forms a stable tripod formation,
but takes some pressure off the ankles and knees.
The third is known as the Burmese posture. In this
position, both legs rest on the floor, one slightly in front of
the other. This is good for beginners or those who can’t sit in
the above postures for periods of time.
Another option is to use a meditation stool. In this
posture, one sits in seiza (正座 kneeling posture) with the
stool tucked under their buttocks, taking pressure off the
knees and ankles. This and the Burmese posture are the best
for those who can’t sit in either of the Lotus postures, or for
those with hip, knee and/or ankle problems.
In Japan, they often sit in seiza without the use of a
bench, but for those not used to this, they may feel their feet
soon starts to hurt.
10
Another viable option is to sit on a firm chair
(koshikakeza), such as a kitchen chair (not a sofa). However it
is important to not use the back rest, unless you have a
medical condition, as you may end up slouching or being too
relaxed and sleepy. There are even modern meditation chairs
which help keep the spine upright, however, unless you have
a real medical reason to rely on such a chair, it is just plain
lazy to use one when you are able to sit without it!
It is even possible to meditate lying down, but this is
not recommended as you are likely to fall asleep. Whatever
position or what cushions one chooses to use it is important
to remember these key points;
11
1. Keep the hips elevated on a higher plane than your
knees. Elevating the hips rotates them slightly. This
rotation will help give your spine the natural smooth
“S” shape, rather than post-straight, and will take
pressure off your lower spine. If you are sat on the
floor, sit on enough cushions to elevate your hips. If
you are kneeling, you might want to put a cushion
between you buttocks and legs or even to have a
rolled up cushion between your legs for your behind
to rest on. If you are sat on a chair, move yourself
forward so you are not against the back rest and
keep both feet flat on the floor directly under your
knees. If you are lying down, bend your legs so they
12
are at roughly 45degrees with the soles of your feet
on the floor.
2. Find your centre of gravity.
Sway backwards and forwards, side to side. This will
help you find your centre of balance. You should feel
as if your whole upper body is being supported by
your hips. The muscles in your core and upper back
should be relaxed.
3. Keep your shoulders relaxed. Don’t pull them back
but don’t hunch forward. Find the equilibrium
between the two. Try rolling your shoulders and
shrugging them until you are comfortable. The
shoulders help open up your ribs, enabling you to
breathe deeply. When we breathe deeply more
oxygen is getting to our organs, limbs and most
importantly our brain. This will help with our mental
focus and with our circulation to help avoid our limbs
going numb.
4. Tuck you chin back but not down. This will align your
head with your spine and is such a slight movement
it is almost unnoticeable. Again, don’t overdo it.
5. Imagine your head is being pulled up by a string from
the crown of your head. This will help keep your
spine straight and aligned.
6. Place your hands on your lap in the dhyana mudra.
Use this as a guide; when the meditation is too
strong your thumbs will press together. When you
are too relaxed, your thumbs will fall apart.
13
7. Sit in a stable and comfortable posture
You should now feel stable and routed, not wobbly.
Your centre of gravity should now be just below your
navel.
8. Make sure your elbows are not pressed into your ribs
but there is a nice gap sufficient for breathing
properly.
9. Raise your chest ever so slightly, as if offering your
heart. This will open up your rib cage to help you
breathe deeper. And try to breathe from your
diaphragm rather than your rib cage.
10. Close your mouth but not tightly. Your teeth should
not touch. This will relax the muscles in your head.
Gently place your tongue on the soft pallet behind
your top front teeth. This will help keep your jaw
relaxed and helps reduce salivation.
11. You can choose to close your eyes or keep them
open. If you keep them open try to “gaze” at a spot
roughly two feet in-front of you on the floor. Don’t
focus on it and don’t look around the room.
12. Breathe in and out through the nose. If it’s not
possible, through the mouth is fine. The nose is
preferred because, if it’s a cold day, your nose will
warm the air making it easier for your body to draw
the oxygen out of the air. Breathing through the
mouth will also give you a dry throat making you
salivate or need to cough which might disturb both
you and those around you.
14
Aches & Pains – You will experience some discomfort during
meditation. When this happens, please move! Don’t think
that you have to sit completely still in order to meditate. Try
not to fidget, because you will disturb your own mind and
those around you, but if you need to move, make it count. If
your leg falls asleep, straighten it out, don’t sit and fidget
hoping the ache will go away. If your back hurts, bend back
and forth a bit to stretch it out. It is also fine, during the
meditation to stand up. Remember to keep your back
straight, your head up and your hands in dhyana mudra.
Once you feel the blood come back, sit back down. You might
feel the need to itch or scratch. This is your minds way of
keeping you entertained. There really is no physical need to
itch unless you have a medical condition. So if you feel the
need to itch, let it pass.
Most people will feel aches in their ankles, knees,
hips, lower back and upper back when they first start
meditating. There could be numerous reasons for this, but it
mostly has to do with a poor posture in day to day life, and to
tight limbs. It is important not to force yourself in to any
posture you feel uncomfortable in. To be able to sit for long
periods of time you will need to do some stretching. Pins and
needles are also very common due to sitting still or pressure
on the blood flow. Try to wiggle your toes from time to time
to keep the blood flowing. As time goes on, you will find you
are able to sit longer without pins and needles.
ENTERING
Now you are prepared for meditation in body, speech and
mind, draw your attention to your breath and enter Śamatha.
15
Susoku 数息: Counting breaths
This form of Śamatha is best advised for beginners. First take
three long breaths in and out through the nose (expelling the
turbid and inhaling the pure), then start counting the
breaths. You can count either the out-breath or in-breath.
Count up to 10 and then start again. An alternative to this is
to play a little game; every time a thought enters your mind
you start back at one. This is a good way of noticing how busy
our minds are, and also helps keep us focused on our breath.
16
ABIDING
Now enter Vipaśyanā.
(These six steps are outlined in Chih-i’s “Liù miào mén” (六妙
門 Jp. Roku myōmon) ‘The Six Gates to the Sublime’)
17
EXITING
Just as important as all the above is ‘exiting’ meditation.
Again, this is something often over looked and it shouldn’t
be. Exiting improperly will cause the mind to be cloudy and
disturbed, the body to by sluggish and can also cause physical
ailments such as headaches. Like waking from deep sleep, it
should be done slowly and gently.
SUMMARY
These steps of preparation, of regulating food, sleep, body,
breath, and mind, and entering, abiding and exiting
meditation are outlined in the T’ian T’ai meditation texts by
Chih-i. I’d recommend any serious, or even curious,
18
meditator to read these texts as my simple explanations do
not do them justice.
19