Meditation: Yoga vs. Zen

[B Redmond]

does anybody have any experience with both zen meditation and yoga meditation? I am curious as to the differences. Im pretty sure Buddhism was influenced by Yoga, right? Didn't the Gautama Buddha study from Yogis during his soul-searching period? I know zen is a chinese innovation, but im guessing that there are some similarities. I could look for this information online, but how can i really compare descriptions of activites that need to be experienced. Im hoping somebody out there has tried both. I hope this is not too esoteric.

[Hubert]

I don't have an experience with zen, but the little I know, It is to my liking.
For example, one master said, no matter how many years you do zazen, you'll never become anything special. A good blow to the ego, right from the very beginning.
My very limited knowledge in this field makes me believe that zen meditation's goal is the dissolution/suspension of mind in order to achieve a higher consciousness. Wrestling with a koan makes the mind focus on a problem with no solution, until the disciple realizes that the tool (the mind) he/she uses is is not proper, and throws it away.

[B Redmond]

I had never heard of koans until now. In terms of meditation, i was thinking of just sitting in zazen, with proper posture, and counting the breath while avoiding thinking. That is just what i have learned so far. I know there is other forms, but i have not been introduced to them yet.

How do people meditate in yoga?

[Karin]

Originally Posted by B Redmond

How do people meditate in yoga?

Hello Redmond,

in yoga there are a lot of different techniques, also different from tradition to tradition.

As I've mainly done meditations in the tradition of Satyananda, I know more about this ones than from other traditions. They are from the tantric tradition (Swami Satyananda Saraswati: "Meditations from the Tantras") and are all following a specific technique, but nowhere you try to avoid thinking (directly).

For example in Antar Mouna you direct your awareness in the first step to the physical sourroundings (noise, ...), in the second to your spontaneous thoughts, ... . Then there is Prana Vidya which can also be used as a healing method (if you are very, very advanced) where you use the ujjayi breath, the pathes of Ida and Pingala, ... . In the tantric Kriya Yoga you do 20 different techniques after each other, some just look like "normal" asanas from outside, but its also about directing prana and also using a lot of ujjayi ...
All these meditations you should learn from a teacher.

More "simple", but also very effectiv things are breathawareness and bodyawareness - these are always "good" to start with. Observe your breath for a while, how you are breathing spotaniously, without changing it. After a while you can go to the bodyawareness, were you just bring your awareness to the body, how you sit, how it feels, the stillness of the body .... .
These were just a few meditations from this traditions, in other yoga traditions are probaply also a lot of others .... .

Greetings,
Karin

[Lars Rimböck]

Hello

I have practised both Zen Meditation and Yoga Meditation.
It`s not that easy to say which is the better one, That surley depends on the person and on the teacher.
Still i sticked to the Yoga Meditation cause all this Koans get boaring to me after a while.
When one of the Zen Masters shows up with a Koan, go ask him if this is a question or an answer and find out what will happen than.
But seriously I think for a lot of western people Yoga Meditation is a bit easyer in the beginning cause it gives more points to concentrate on.

Shanti
Lars
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______
Patanjali Yoga Schule Münster

[Prascina]

At the starting of the process of concentrations(dharana) these techniques of Zen or Yoga appear to differ slightly..but moving on to the continuous state of meditation(dhyana) everything transcends...

[Tyler Zambori]

what about yoga meditation versus Theravada style insight meditation?
I'm interested in that.

[Pandara]

Namaste Tyler,

Have been a long time, hope you are well.

I would like to offer the following thoughts on meditation and again as always these are just my thoughts and therefore my Truth and not necessarily yours. I share in the belief that someone might find some truth in it.



Forget about following this meditation style (be it Zen or Theravada or yoga etc) or that one, first master the basics and the worry about this style or that one. There are Four Basic Techniques to Practice Meditation:

• Follow your breath - This is the most universal of all mindfulness techniques.
• Observe an object - Allow your mind to rest lightly on an object. This can be any deitiy, god or goddess of your choice.
• Recite a mantra - "Recite the mantra quietly, with deep attention, and let your breath, the mantra and your awareness become slowly one," writes Rinpoche.
• Do a Guided Meditation - Guided meditation is akin to guided imagery, a powerful technique that focuses and directs the imagination toward a conscious goal.

Is It Really Meditation?
These techniques are meditation practices rather than meditation itself. Meditation is something that happens to you after diligently and persistently sticking to your practice day after day. It might not happen to you in this life, but remember nothing you do spiritually is lost, it all adds up for the next life. Meditation is often described by experienced practitioners as "a state of being — a state of receptivity without expectation, a merging with the Divine." All of the techniques are practice to get to this final merged state.

Therefore, meditation practice is not meditation. One might practice meditation for years to achieve a meditative state of being. An experienced meditator might meditate for an hour to achieve a few moments of meditative consciousness.

Trust this might help a little. Once you have mastered the basics then start to investigate this style or that. After nearly 15 years of everyday meditation I still do only two of the above practices: breath and mantra.

[Tyler Zambori]

hi Pandara,

yeah it really gives perspective, thanks Pandara.

I'm doing really good, hope you are well.

Tyler

[saturdaysun]

Bodidharma went to the Shaolin temple in China and taught the monks, I can only presume then that zen was an Indian creation..??