Session 3 of 4

Silent Illumination (Chinese: 黙照禅, pinyin: Mòzhào, Japanese: Shikantaza) is a principal meditation practice of the Cáodòng (曹洞, Soto) school of Chán (禪, Zen) Buddhism. It integrates both calming (śamatha) meditation and insight (vipaśyanā) meditation. Chan Master Sheng-yen described this as a practice that can take one the full way to enlightenment. Referred to as “the method of no method” or “just sitting”, it is extremely simple, natural and almost completely effortless, but amazingly rewarding and beneficial.

Chan (Zen) Chinese character

We will begin with “full awareness of breathing” Ānāpānasati (Pali; Sanskrit: ānāpānasmṛti), which provides an anchor, the rise and fall of the abdomen during natural breathing, on which to focus. Once the mind is settled and able to stay with the breath, we relax into a full awareness of sitting in our environment. This sets up the perfect condition for insight into the essential nature of our own awareness.

This initial offering will be over a four week period meeting on Thursday evenings at 6:00 PM Pacific. It will include brief instruction, short guided meditations, and discussion. It is suitable for people of all levels of experience, from beginners to advanced meditators. Please plan on practicing what is taught in this class for 20 - 30 minutes per day during the duration of the four weeks.

This is offered on a donation basis. To make a donation, please click the Donate button below.

IMPORTANT

• You need a Zoom account (free) because you will be required to login to Zoom to attend the meeting.

• You must first register to join these sessions. Register here:

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Questions? Please contact Barry Wadsworth on Facebook or Instagram.

Quick recap

This was a meditation class led by Barry where participants shared their experiences with weekly meditation practice and learned a new technique called Direct Contemplation. The group discussed their challenges with meditation. Barry introduced direct contemplation as an auxiliary meditation method involving focusing awareness on a natural object like moving grass, explaining how this practice helps develop "unified mind" - a state of clear, settled awareness where thoughts naturally diminish. The class attempted a live demonstration using Cynthia's backyard grass visible through her camera, with participants reporting that this visual focus method was easier for them than Full Awareness of Breathing meditation. Barry explained that successful meditation leads to a natural state of present-moment awareness that carries over into daily life, allowing practitioners to remain fully present while experiencing less mental chatter and emotional reactivity.

Next steps

Collaboration

• All participants: Try the direct contemplation meditation (resting as awareness on an object like wind-blown grass, a rose or a tree) daily in addition to sitting meditation, and report experiences in the next meeting.

Summary

Mindfulness Practice Techniques Discussion

Emily shared her positive experience using meta practice to deal with difficult people, noting physical relaxation when applying it. Barry encouraged the group to persevere with sitting meditation, suggesting that longer sessions might help Cynthia push through restlessness and settle into her practice more effectively. Barry also recommended walking meditation or connecting breath to movement in yoga as alternative approaches to develop mindfulness.

Meditation Practices and Techniques

Barry discussed meditation practices with the group, particularly addressing Alicia's challenges with finding time for meditation.  Barry then introduced the concept of direct contemplation meditation, explaining how to rest as awareness on an object or ambient sound.

Meditation Techniques and Practices

Barry discussed meditation techniques, explaining how thoughts can absorb practitioners into a thought stream and the importance of recognizing this and returning focus to the meditation method. He described a breathing or walking meditation practice where practitioners gently bring awareness back to their chosen method when distracted by thoughts. Barry then introduced a sound-based meditation exercise using bells, explaining that this would help demonstrate the difference between hearing consciousness and awareness.

Direct Contemplation Meditation Practice

The group practiced a form of meditation called "direct contemplation" where they focused on watching grass moving in the wind outside Cynthia's window. Participants shared their experiences, with Brenda finding it easier than breath meditation, Cynthia experiencing fewer distracting thoughts, and Emily describing how both visual and auditory elements of the moving grass captivated her attention. Barry explained the concept of "unified mind" achieved through breath meditation and described how this practice leads to greater mental clarity and deep contentment, eventually allowing practitioners to transition to "Silent Illumination" meditation where they sit as awareness without a specific method.