I do Shikantaza every day, twice. In my practice there is also Nembutsu that, from a different perspective, can also be seen as a kind of meditation.
What do you do in nembutsu?
I just focus on repeating Namu Amida Butsu, even only mentally
I am of the opinion that you would get the same effect by repeating “cheesecake”.
But I’m open to argument.
I have some experience in repeating-words type meditation.
Cheesecake doesn’t make you think of the Buddha, am I right? Mindfulness of the Buddha is a practice Shakyamuni himself suggested, you can find it in the Pali Canon, not only in Mahayana sutras. Also there is much more than just simply repeating a word, since nembutsu is also tied with the Primal Vows of Amida itself, regarding rebirth in the Pure Land
Cheesecake doesn’t make you think of…
What one thinks doesn’t matter. Because thinking has nothing to do with this technique.
…Shakyamuni said…pali canon…mahayana sutras…primal vows…
Scriptural relevance doesn’t matter either.
What matters is what you are doing with your awareness. In this meditation technique you are directing your awareness at a thing (the repeated phrase) and holding it there. Like you would hold a thing in your hand.
It doesn’t matter if the thing that you hold is a pebble, a grape or a chip of wood. It’s the same holding.
This nembutsu meditation is a variety of samatha. The “object” in this case being a scripturally-relevant phrase.
The phrase is not chosen because the phrase has special power. The phrase is chosen because we like scripture.
On a surface level repeating the Name surely has an anchor like function on a mental level, but there is much more of it. I respect your opinion, but this is a Buddhist community so it DOES matter what the Buddha said, and meditation is not only a practice to focus mind in many traditions.
“anchor like function” and community standards aside…
The central thing that the technique does. The stillness, clarity etc. For that it doesn’t matter at all.
What’s up?
I meditate. Shikantaza every day. I used to do concentration for a few years. Then both for a few years. Now just Shikantaza.
(I am of the opinion that there are only 2 meditation techniques, the rest being relatively trivial twists).
You?
I’m newer to this. I know this may be a bit taboo, but I use meditation to relax before bed so I can sleep. I focus on a calm mind and breathing. I had pretty bad insomnia and it’s helped so much to do this.
I also get very stressed at doctor’s appointments and such and slip it in before while waiting. I went from near hospitalization levels of blood pressure to a normal blood pressure.
It’s amazing how much it helps.
I don’t think it matters why you meditate.
Meditation helps me with stress too. And use it for other less than elevated reasons too.
What technique do you like?
I am not sure what exactly the technique is called, I just followed a guide. You close your eyes and focus entirely on the flow of air entering and leaving your body. Just concentrating on breathing.
Forgive me, I am pretty new to all this. I picked up meditation around August of last year.
I have done a bit of “concentrating on breathing” meditation.
There’s a lot to breathing. The sound of it. The thought of it (if I’m counting breaths). The feeling of it, in my belly, throat and nose…
I find all those things to be too much to concentrate on. So I concentrate on just one of those things. I concentrate on the feeling of breath in the tip of my nose.
It felt super silly the first time too. I’m glad I started doing this.