Welcome.
This talk covers the practice and the rationale for keeping the eyes open during Soto Zen meditation practice.
Some folks have asked me about sitting with the eyes open,
Which is new to them and somewhat difficult.
I'll begin with the practical and then review the rationale behind eyes-open practice.
In Soto Zen Shikantaza,
Or Just Sitting,
We sit with the eyes open.
This serves several key purposes.
Eyes open basically prevents sleepiness by introducing light in and by maintaining visual engagement.
The nervous system stays alert and wards off drowsiness or slipping into daydreams,
Fantasies,
Or concerns.
Closing the eyes kind of sets up an internal picture screen,
Making it easier to get lost in thoughts and daydreams.
It sets a model for daily life.
Since we engage daily life with our eyes open,
Practice evokes the capacity to keep a neutral and clear state of mind while interacting with others.
In this way,
It helps in taking the practice off of the cushion and into daily life.
Here's how we practice with the eyes open.
Traditionally,
Monks sat facing a plain wall,
Leaving about three feet in front of them.
Since we're not monastics and not living,
For the most part,
With fellow practitioners,
Facing the center and away from the wall helps to foster connections.
Cast your eyes downward at about a 45 degree angle.
Gently soften the vision,
Free from focus on a specific object,
And keep the eyes about one-half to one-third open.
And this way we reduce stimulation,
But we don't shut it off.
You might notice that shutting the eyes can actually create facial tension.
In Shikantaza,
We just sit still and firm as a mountain with deep presence with the world beyond inside and outside.
Beyond the practical benefits of staying awake and connecting with the world,
Keeping the eyes open in Soto Zen practice is rooted in the fundamental Mahayana great vehicle doctrines.
The physical posture of zazen is not simply a tool to achieve a preferred state of mind.
The open-eyed posture itself is already the manifestation of realization.
Sōtō Zen emphasizes shūshō ito,
That is,
In Japanese,
Practice and realization are one and the same.
That's why we practice with Musho Toku,
No gaining mind,
No goal.
We don't close the eyes to search for something hidden like a Buddha nature.
Buddha nature is already being expressed.
In the active setting.
Keeping the eyes open means you are not waiting for something to happen.
You're sitting with what actually is happening.
It is the actualization of the unmoving realized Buddha right now.
This is a wake mind being as it is.
Soto Zen also rejects dualism,
So this is a radically non-dualistic view.
Practice.
We don't split reality into inner and outer worlds.
From this point of view,
Closing your eyes can reinforce the false view that there's an isolated me within looking out at a separate external world.
When you sit with a soft,
Unfocused gaze facing a blank wall or the floor in front of you,
The psychic and perceptual tensions soften,
Allowing you to experience the undivided,
Seamless nature of reality.
We reject what can be called the dead tree or cold-ass quietus practices.
Dogen and other Zen masters heavily criticized practices such as seeking a blank or dead mind isolated from the world,
Dismissively calling it sinking into the demon's cave on a black mountain or coal ash or a rotted stump.
Realization is not a state of blissful nothingness.
If it were,
Then becoming comatose or falling into a deep dreamless sleep would also be realization.
Having the eyes open maintains visual perception.
Without the mind grasping onto or reacting to it.
You sit,
Being aware of whatever arises.
Maintaining the bodhisattva vow to awaken with and for all beings,
Rather than escaping into a private bubble,
Is our approach to practice.
We don't escape or resist the messy,
Chaotic reality of existence.
Eyes half open embodies the bodhisattva vow,
No running toward the world in distraction,
No closed eyes shutting it out.
It is the physical expression of the vow to remain radically present to the world exactly as it is.
We'll sit briefly to put the teachings into practice.
As you sit,
You may notice that the eyes are open at times.
And other times they're closed.
And at other times.
You won't even notice visual objects at all,
Even though the eyes are open,
Because consciousness may be focused on other perceptual objects such as sounds,
Physical sensations,
Or thoughts.
If the eyes close,
That's okay.
No judgment.
Simply notice,
And when you feel ready,
Gently open the eyes again.
If you are new to this practice,
You might find it difficult at first,
But that's okay too.
No judgment.
Don't be hard on yourself.
Simply let your eyes be closed until you feel ready to open them again.
We'll start with a gentle check on the posture.
And three bells,
And we'll end with one bell.
So take a moment.
Check that your spine is erect,
But it's not stiff and your shoulders are relaxed,
But not stumped over.
Tuck your chin in slightly,
Relax the back of your neck.
Keep the eyes about one half to one third open.
Breathing naturally,
Watching the breath rise and fall on its own as we enter into sublime silence.
This was a brief practice period intended to give you a taste and an opportunity to work with the principles discussed in the talk.
So I recommend and strongly urge you to practice for more extended periods of time on your own,
Or right here on the Insight Timer,
Where we meet for live practice on Wednesdays from 11 to 11.
30 a.
M.
And on Friday mornings from 7 to 7.
30 a.
M.
Eastern Time.
And keep practicing no matter what.
It's so important,
Not only for you.
But also for the benefit of everyone that you may come in contact with.
Thank you.
And take care
