SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

a. What is Serene Rešection Meditation? 113j‡ryo, Òto think quietly,Ó i.e., to think after freeing the mindfrom all distractions: serene reflection. The practice of dhynaantedates Buddhism. The members of the highest of the fourhereditary castes in India, the Brahman caste, devoted themselvesto the practice of dhyna.Indian thinkers dwelt largely in forests in order to escapethe intense heat. They would seat themselves in a specificposture beneath a large tree and meditate, regarding such meditationnot merely as a religious task, but as a great pleasure.Such meditation came to be known as just-sitting meditation(zazen), the characteristic meditation of the Zen School. It washeld to be Òanraku no h‡mon,Ó i.e., Òthe comfortable way.Ó Zenis not a theory. Religious truth is to be experienced through thepractice of Zen, and this truth works in unity with practice. Onlyafter Zen (dhyna meditation) was adopted by Buddhists wereits methods and goals sharply defined. Serene reflection meditationis basic to Buddhism because the enlightenment of itsfounder, Gautama Buddha, was achieved through this practice.The BuddhaÕs meditation does not separate body and mind, nordoes it seek rebirth in heaven after death. It is the essentialmethod of gaining the ideal of perfecting the personality.Therefore, serene reflection meditation is considered the mostfundamental religious exercise in Buddhism. A movementarose within Chinese Buddhism attempting to unify all ofBuddhism through the practice of meditation. This movement is