AboutJoe McSorley Expertise I can answer questions dealing with Taoist philosophy and Zen and not the historicity and religion of Buddhism and its different schools. I studied under Dr. Richard DeMartino and Masao Abe of the Kyoto School of Zen.
Question Would you agree that breath-meditation is only a sort of 'base' that we can
use to reach enlightenment? That it only serves to help one learn to focus
their mind, to calm the monkey-mind, and that it does not itself give any sort
of insight that could give release?
Also, as a side question... is it okay if one meditates with a blindfold? You
see, I am a very visual persona, and even the slightest bit of movement will
completely destroy my concentration. Even then my eyes tend to wander,
looking around, even if I am staring at a wall. I know that the traditional thing
is to keep your eyes 1/4 open, but, for example, if I went to a zendo and
meditated with a blindfold, would anyone object?
Thank you,
Howard
Answer Dear Howard,
I am not quite sure of the use of the word ‘base’ here; I would rather use the word ‘tool’. Masao Abe said to me on many occasions that “meditation/zazen is not the only way but it is the best way”. That having been said I do know that both Abe Sensei and Dr.DeMartino both spoke of meditation as a tool that is only good if you have the correct understanding of why you are doing it. For many schools the meditation itself has become the focus and not the goal. The word Zen means meditation but it is odd that in some of the key stories of Zen, most notably Bodhidharma and Hui K’a, that Bodhi never tells Hui to meditate. Any practice done with the right understanding can lead to awakening. If the practice is not all the time, completely internalized in you and as you, then it is not correct practice.
As I have said before I am not a Roshi or meditation teacher. There are some schools that are very strict about how they meditate while others are not at all. Years ago there was a teacher in Japan, who when asked if an amputee could awaken because they could not sit the lotus, replied ‘No’. So you will get all kinds of answers to your question about the blindfold. My person opinion is that it just doesn’t matter at all. Any awakening that is contingent upon physical requirements is not true awakening. There is a story about Vivekananda who was once sitting in meditation with his eyes closed. His teacher, Ramakrishna, approached him and said, “what are you doing”? Vivekananda replied “I am trying to see God” and Ramakrishna replied, “Why don’t you try it with your eyes open”?
I hope this helps you. Take care,
Joe
