There are many misconceptions about Zen Meditation, such as daydreaming, focusing on breathing, relaxation, experiencing present sensations, feeling natural energy, etc., to cultivate awareness. This is fine, but it's not enough to cultivate the ability to control the mind. While you may be stay in focus when meditating, your mind may still follow the fluctuations of emotions once you return to everyday life. For instance, you may peacefully read in a library, but in a bustling market, filled with noise, you may find it hard to focus on reading.
Why do we meditate? It's because our minds loose, it lack focus and easily scatter. Scattered minds lead to excessive value judgments driven by emotions, resulting in various forms of suffering. The mind becomes scattered because we constantly focus on the dynamic interplay of cause and effect. Because it's dynamic, our minds passively generate various distinctions, leading to scatteredness. Therefore, the first step in Zen Meditation is "stopping," then comes "observation." Only with the ability to "stop" the mind can it become a "scout" under your command, observing everything from gross phenomena (the manifestations of things) to subtle phenomena (the abstract causes of things) and emotions, leaving nothing unnoticed.
Therefore, let's clarify the misunderstandings about Zen Meditation:
Zen Meditation is just sitting. This is incorrect. Zen Meditation involves the activity of the mind, not just the body.
The purpose of Zen Meditation is relaxation. This is incorrect. Zen Meditation aims to cultivate concentration, observe emotions, and purify them. These are high energy consumption training, not for relaxation.
Zen Meditation leads to a chaotic state. This is incorrect. Zen Meditation is not sleep or hypnosis; it's the cultivation of clear awareness.
Zen Meditation is a mystical practice. This is incorrect. Zen Meditation follows clear logic. It cultivates single-pointed focus, concentrating the mind on ONE still image. The object of observation is the present moment, providing a tangible experience without mysticism.
Zen Meditation makes one omnipotent. This is incorrect. While Zen Meditation offers many benefits, it's a mental activity for adjusting inner states, not for achieving superhuman abilities.
Zen Meditation is an escape from reality. This is incorrect. Zen Meditation helps us face reality, understand suffering, its causes, seek solutions, and attain liberation.
Zen Meditation requires only a short time. This is incorrect. A few weeks or months of meditation won't solve any problems. Zen Meditation is a lifelong practice, equivalent to the duration of our lives.
