An Introduction to Zen Meditation Practice

This is an incredibly complex system, impossible to explain in just a few words. I have many ideas and concepts to discuss. There's no helping it; I'll take it slowly and explain things in batches. It may take a long time to get as far as the First Dhyana, but without covering the earlier material, the later parts won't make sense.

May the merit of this post be dedicated to all who read or discuss it, that they may gain immeasurable worldly and transcendent wealth, bring their karmic endeavors to swift completion, and attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

Section One: The “Dhyana” in Meditation

Definition: Put simply, dhyana is a state in which the body and mind are intensely focused.

Further questions: How did dhyana arise? Why did people begin practicing it?

Because, over time, we experience all kinds of suffering. These are generally summarized as the Eight Sufferings, the most obvious of which is the suffering of clinging to the Five Aggregates. If you don't understand these terms, you can look up the meanings of the Eight Sufferings and the Five Aggregates.

The Five Aggregates are form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental phenomena. These correspond to the senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Through these five senses, we experience suffering: seeing a bright light that hurts our eyes, hearing a loud noise, tasting something unpleasant, smelling something foul, or suffering bodily injury, cold, heat, pain, and itching.