Vorbereitungen
This text is an excerpt from my book The Secret Book of Zen.
(Note: The images shown here were taken exclusively for this website © 2011 Jan Hendriksson, publication and duplication not allowed)
Preparations
If you want to practice Zen, you need the following basic tools:
- a meditation cushion (zafu)
- a cushioned mat (zabuton)
- a meditation clock
- 25 minutes per meditation session daily
- a quiet place where you can be undisturbed
- comfortable clothing
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First, you need a suitable meditation cushion called a zafu. And you need a mat, called a zabuton, on which you can comfortably place your knees.
The zafu is the most important. For Zen practice it has traditionally been filled with natural kapok fibers. The zafu has a diameter of about 14 inches and a seat height of 4 to 6 inches. The cover is usually made of firm cotton fabric. The zafu’s cover pattern includes two circular areas and a pleated side-panel with vertically stretching folds. There is an incredible number of different zafus with different fillings, seat heights and firmness. However, you can also use other meditation cushions. Your choice of cushion also depends on the sitting position you chose. The lower the seating position is, the thinner the cushion should be. For all seating positions, your knees should be lower than your hips. Finally, which cushion you feel most comfortable sitting on, and can sit best on, is a matter of taste. There are cushions of different types, heights, firmness and filling; find the right cushion for you. If you have physical problems, or are not as flexible, a meditation bench might be helpful for you.
The zabuton should be soft and comfortable. While sitting with most of your body on the meditation cushion, your knees, however, are positioned on the mat; it should be designed and constructed in such a way that you feel no disturbing pressure during the practice session. The mat should be at least 32 x 32 inches in length and width. The stuffing of the mat is usually composed of several layers of cotton fabric which should be of a firm consistency and fixed in place. If the mat is too thick and fluffy, your knees will be too high and your sitting posture will be unstable. Of course, the type and quality of the mat is once again a matter of taste. Initially, a simple blanket can also be used as a mat; you fold it together several times until it is the approximate size of a zabuton.
In addition, you need a meditation clock, sometimes also called a meditation timer. This timer should have a so-called countdown function. The countdown should end with a tone. Initially a simple digital kitchen alarm clock can be enough; however, the alarm sound of such kitchen alarm clocks is usually much too loud, and you are yanked out of meditation in an extremely unpleasant way. For this reason, choose instead a slightly better timer with a quiet sound. Some meditators use a timer with a flashing signal. However, only during the first exercises of this book will you have your eyes open, and later you will need a timer with sound, which will be indispensable. When you have gathered all these things, find a place in your house, apartment, or at another location where you can sit undisturbed for the duration of the meditation. Here all possible sources of distraction should be switched off: no phone, no cell phone. Close the door. The room should be tidy, because you will not be able to find the inner calm to meditate if you are surrounded by external disorder. Make this one spot your daily practice area. This means that you can ideally leave your zabuton, zafu and timer there until the next day.
Furthermore, it is important that you wear comfortable, non-constricting clothes during meditation. Such clothes could be roomy, comfortable jogging pants and a loose sweater. The right garment is the one in which you feel comfortable personally. The clothing should keep you warm, but not make you sweat.
