HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE A ZEN BEDROOM

Organizing a Zen bedroom for zazen (meditation), a bedroom you can use for zazen practice, is wonderful.

Zen Buddhism is a practice, a way of life. It is not a religion.

Please don't confuse it with accepting a creed or set of beliefs. The only faith required to begin practicing is the belief that the practice may prove beneficial.

Without that initial faith, nobody would practice zazen, which is the name of the practice of Zen Buddhism.

It's helpful to compare it to another practice.Suppose that you were considering doing strength training. You wouldn't ever do any strength training unless you believed that doing it would benefit you. (Once you discovered for yourself that it was beneficial, you would have no need for that faith because it would have been replaced by your own experience.) Furthermore, if you did it, you should make it part of your routine. How? You'd need to answer certain questions. Where do you go to do strength training? How do you learn how to practice correctly? Do you do it alone, with a training partner, or in a group? When do you train? What do you do when you train? How should your organize your other physical habits like eating and sleeping so that you maximize the benefits from strength training?

The purpose of zazen is to discipline (train, purify) the mind. Suppose that you believe that practicing zazen would benefit you. (It will!) How do you learn what to do? It's best to learn from an expert, either from a book, DVD, or, ideally, in person. Where do you train? Either elsewhere (such as at a zen center or a training partner's home) or at your own home. If you practice at home, you may or may not have someone to practice with you.

Should you train alone, with a partner, or in a group? Well, just as with beginning a strength training practice, it's difficult to begin and sustain a zazen practice alone. It's very helpful to have a good teacher, a good training partner, or both. Practicing in a group (a sangha) is beneficial, but you may or may not have access to one. Even if you regularly train in, for example, a meditation hall with others, having a place to practice at home every day is an excellent idea. Once you learn how to "sit" properly, what is critical is doing it daily--even if it's only for 15 or 20 minutes.

Having a Zen bedroom (or part of a bedroom) you can use for practice is wonderful. It's very helpful to develop a daily routine. Traditionally, it's best to sit either first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Try to sit at the same time every day. It's certainly easier physically to do that at home than to travel to practice at a Zen center or someone else's home.

Since the environment has an important impact on your mind, the place you select to practice should be clean and uncluttered.

Notice that Zen centers are always clean and uncluttered. Even if it is relatively small, that will help it to feel spacious.

You should always sit in the same place. It's best to sit in front of a blank wall that is painted in a neutral color(as opposed, say, to sitting in front of a wall that is covered with a wallpaper with a design). Sit on the floor and not, for example, on a bed, which is too soft.

The lighting should be soft, neither harshly bright nor too dark. Even though when practicing zazen one is sitting perfectly still, it generates a lot of heat; therefore, it is best if the room where you sit is slightly cooler than 70 degrees F.

It's critical to get your knees lower than your hips. It's best to use either a special meditation cushion ("zafu") or a meditation bench. This is the first (and only) piece of meditation equipment you may want to purchase. (If you don't have one, you may roll up and blanket and then fold it over; sit on top of the fold.) If you have one, use your bench or cushion on a meditation mat (although folding a blanket into about a 30 inch square will work fine if you don't have one). If you want a pillow to support your hands, you may use an ordinary bed pillow for that purpose. It's best if your mat and your hand support pillow are covered with dark (e.g., brown or black) cloth.

You should wear dark, loose fitting clothes such as cotten sweat clothes. (If you can afford one, owning a special meditation robe is helpful but not required.) It's helpful to wear the same clothes each time you practice. Establish a routine and stick to it; doing so will help you thrive.

The only other piece of equipment that you'll need is a timer. An inexpensive kitchen timer works fine. Just set it so far away from you that you don't hear it ticking while you are practicing, but not so far away that you won't hear it when it goes off. (Many relatively expensive, special digital timers for meditation are available on the Internet. They are nice, but having one is an unnecessary luxury.) It's possible these days to purchase CD's that provide practice periods of various lengths; consider this option instead of a timer if you have a CD player. The bells used to produce the beginning and ending sounds on such CD's have a lovely sound that is impossible to duplicate at home.

That's it! Of course, if it's quiet outside so that you can open a window and want to burn some incense, some people find that helpful. Eventually, you can obtain an altar if you want one. Similarly, if you want to sound a meditation bell three times before the beginning of a practice round, that's fine.

The key to it is to practice daily. Having a special room at home or a Zen bedroom is beneficial, especially after one has established a daily routine and is able to practice alone without any difficulty.

Zazen is a simple practice, but mastering it is not easy. By following these tips, you will make it as easy on yourself as possible.

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