Kristopher,
I'll only address the part of your post that you pose a question, even if it
might have been only rhetorical:
On zazen:
For me the only zazen is shikantaza ('just sit' in Japanese or is sometimes
called 'clear mind' or 'empty mind'). All other forms of meditation involving
koans, visualizations, reflection, watcher watching, silent mantras, etc...,
are either tools to bring you to shikantaza, or some other form of mediation -
but not zazen.
On 'halting':
[Bill!] This is usually first done by halting them [activities of the
discriminating mind].
[K] Yes, I'd agree that's the common way. AKA - Doing it the hard way. The long
way. For many that may be the only way that presents to them.
Still, I wonder if this even works, or if it only appears so (actually I don't
wonder, but this is a conversation.
Yes, from my own experience it does work. This 'halting' is IMO the purpose of
all Zen Buddhist teaching techniques including koan study, kinhin, chanting,
bowing, samu (chores)and following-the-breath. The 'halting' allows you to
glimpse Buddha Nature which has been present but in the background all along,
and is temporary and of short duration. The first instance it called 'kensho'
in Japanese and can be translated as 'initial ireakthrough. From that point on
the practice is to extend and deepen the periods of awareness of Buddha Nature
then does not require the 'halting' of all thought, but only the non-attachment
to thought. The way I usually describe it is before the initial breakthrough
the self's attachment to thoughts make them completely opaque concealing or at
least obscuring Buddha Nature. After the initial breakthrough the practice is
to continue to dilute attachments making thoughts more and more transparent and
no longer completely obscuring Buddha Nature.
[K] Many accounts sound more like utter failure/frustration with such efforts -
and that failure/collapse triggering recognition, Satori.
It is in face the feeling of 'utter failure/frustration' that koan study uses
as a leverage to halt the activities of the discriminating mind. The
'failure/collapse' then does 'trigger recognition' which I describe as
'revealing Buddha Nature'.
Japanese Zen Buddhist do use several terms to describe varying degrees of
awakening: 'kensho', 'satori' and 'great satori' but I don't find them very
helpful. There more of the 'Buddhist' overlay of zen that I do talk about once
in a while. They are not important distinctions to me.
...Bill!
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