Dear Sensei Tony- How do you understand meditation? There seems to be many different approaches. This is Sally.

Hi Sally—You are correct. Like the word “mindfulness,” there can be many different interpretations. I will share my understanding here and how we teach it in the Order of the Dragonfly. And while I have written extensively on the subject (see https://www.asksenseitony.com/store), I will offer a brief description here.

First, let’s define our terms. The English word actually carries more of the meaning of deep reflection or “chewing something over,” which can be very different from how it’s used in Eastern schools. The Sanskrit words are samadhi and also jhana/dhyana, which is actually a specific form of samadhi. The word itself means “to bring together”—and what are we bringing together? In our Four Directions System of Mindfulness, we see it as the conscious connection of the Ego Self with the True Self.

We teach two basic versions that are handmaidens to what we call mindfulness. Both begin with learning to breathe deeply diaphragmatically by focusing on the center of your body about two inches below your navel (in Japanese, it is called the “Hara”) as you breathe in and out. You can start with a big breath and then let it flow naturally.

The first method is similar to jhana/dhyana in that we withdraw the mind from automatic responses to sense impressions (by this - please note that we include the brain as well as the body). We call it Observation Meditation (in Japanese, Mokuso), where we bear witness to all the physical sensations, thoughts, and feelings that arise without attachment or aversion. A simple example is to imagine your mind as a clear blue sky, and all those thoughts, feelings and sensations, as clouds drifting by. If you find yourself either  drawn in or developing aversion, simply return to watching the breath. This anchors you in the present. It is a wonderful way to reside in the awareness of our True Self while letting the Ego Self’s subconscious stuff rise up and fall away. In this manner, we learn not to react but to respond to life. It also helps us to “burn away” our binding conditioning. I should also mention that another way to do the breathing is to recite a mantra over and over, and when you get caught up in a sensorial impression, simply return to the mantra (our main one is known in Japanese as the Nembutsu). Either way works very well!

The second version is to bring the Ego Self into complete oneness with the True Self by doing nothing special—just being. We call this Abiding Meditation (in Japanese, Shikantaza), or abiding in the True Self. This practice can be done on its own or directly following the first method. The experience I have with this method is wherein the separation between myself and everything else eventually fades. My self-consciousness becomes one with universal consciousness. In this spaciousness, I do not have to do anything to justify my existence. I can be free to just be. It is wonderful!

The best way is to learn our unique approach is by contacting us so we can guide you personally (https://www.asksenseitony.com/contact-8 ). I hope this was helpful to you.