Working on Mu

One of the few books about Zen that I recommend you is Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy by Katsuki Sekida, and I once already referred to the chapter 'Working on Mu', now you can reread it.

What is Mu? This is the first koan, and Sekida gives the answer: '"Mu" means "nothing"'. And he is right: there is no point to hide the answer since you have to prove your competence only to yourself; and the answer, I believe, should be even more specific because Mu is the basis on which the further practice is built.

Let's Die! :-)

Your goal is to see things as they really are - you'll solve all your problems by doing this.

There is an archetype, or let's say a point of view within, that if you look from it, you perceive reality correctly (and even become identical to it). It can be either the point Seika no Itten or the Opposite Point (on the spine exactly at this level of Seika no Itten.) Which of these two points it's better to choose depends on which one it's easier for you to find at the moment. From either of these points you can evaluate what's happening around.

Over time, you naturally come to the understanding that this new viewpoint is not compatible with your former immature self must die: this is an obligatory part of Zen practice, and as I understand, through this go even those who work with koans.

This technique will enable you to see the world as if for the first time without any emotional coloring. When doing the walking zazen, imagine that you're dead, and it's your spirit is travelling unnoticed (this exercise makes sense only if you feel like an immovable centre relative to which you're moving everything around with the legs.) How does everything around you look now? As for me, having a neurosis, I was glad to get rid of my former self; I really loved being dead! This is a curious experience, which some even confuse with enlightenment. Enlightenment comes later: having gone through all this, you should finally resurrect but in a new quality.

At this stage, try to live just by reason, not intuition; try to see the world as if you saw it for the first time; try to see people only as some amount of flesh and bones.

Looking from the Darkness behind You

There is another trick for beginners: sometimes instead of focusing on the point Seika no Itten or on the Animal, you may find it's easier to concentrate on your back, which will enable you to feel the whole body. That is, you can concentrate on your back and as a result be aware of the whole body.

This works especially well if you're doing the walking zazen: try to see the world from your back (from shoulder level to the tailbone) through the eye sockets - ie, try to see from the darkness behind you while pulling the road towards you with the legs. Remember, you can be fully aware of your body and of the outer world at the same time if and only if you feel like an immovable centre relative to which you move everything around (with the legs, for example.) Over time, in this way you'll learn to think with your body.

The Walking Zazen: The Main Trick - Concentrating on the Outer World

 See also The Walking Zazen


It was the summer of 1995 in Sofia; it was already evening, and I was exhausted after spending the whole day in search of new clients. So I found a deserted place near an abandoned railway, right next to the Danone factory, and started to try to freshen myself up.

I began to walk along the rail, training balance, but since I did this unprofessional, looking at the rail about a meter in front of me, I could also see my legs. In this way I was walking for 20 or 30 minutes when I suddenly noticed an interesting thing: I already felt that it wasn't me moving on a immovable rail, but now the rail was moving toward me, ie, for me, I was immovable while the earth was moving relative to me. 'Actually, that's the correct perception of the world,' I said to myself. Thereafter, I knowingly started training this feeling, and I was right.

The Main Trick

The Walking Zazen

I start describing my zazen method that I call the Walking Zazen (although it's not a trademark.) I'll also give you some exercises from which you can select the one that suits you best at the moment. In fact, I didn't invent anything new: it's just an easier way to achieve what Zen followers have traditionally achieved by doing sitting zazen. Someday, in the long run, I hope to please you with some new or even scandalous ideas, but this won't probably happen until next year.

The Walking Zazen: Sync Steps and Breathing