The Main Obstacle

I already wrote that there is also one more thing that I can't disregard anymore since this can hamper your practice. Sometimes you find that it's very difficult to perceive things as they are - truth seems clouded - why is this so, and what can be done in this case? Strangely enough, this can be not only your fault: I won't reveal a secret if I recall that people tend to mislead each other. At a certain stage, your practice should become more versatile, and the question should be put this way: what aspects of the human personality hinder objective perception? In other words, what tends to deceive, and what to be deceived? The technique that I start describing will eventually allow you to understand people, yourself, and even how the very process of understanding works.

When I began practicing Zen (I was 30 then), I tried to achieve objective perception by seeing the world as if I'd been dead; for me, unfortunately, this wasn't enough: there still were people that could mislead me - I believed those masks they were wearing - but you can't become enlightened until everything becomes understandable, your particular case, so I learned to understand people. In a few

A topic for meditation

To control things, we must abandon them (or, at least, be able to abandon.) Otherwise, they control us.

 

I promised you that as I improved my English, I would edit my posts

I promised you that as I improved my English, I would edit my posts. These three are already ready, I think they look much better now:

Perception of Time During Zazen 

http://0zen1.blogspot.fr/2017/01/the-perception-of-time-doing-zazen.html

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

http://0zen1.blogspot.fr/2016/03/the-main-trick-walking-zazen_22.html

The Walking Zazen

http://0zen1.blogspot.fr/2016/03/the-walking-zazen.html

Zen Intuition

At the beginning of Zen training, you tried to be just rational - this was necessary to ensure objective perception - but after that, this sense of reality you acquired during the practice, mu, became your new intuition. 

Zen intuition can be considered twofold: first, it's the ability to perceive a situation as a whole; and, secondly, the ability to anticipate the future. In fact, these are two sides of the same coin: if you're perceiving a situation as a whole, every present moment is coming for you from the future, and vice versa. The practice described in this blog just such a perception develops.

The ability to perceive a situation as a whole, first of all, allows you to highlight the essence of the information you're receiving; it also gives you acumen and the ability to distinguish any attempt to manipulate you.

What's So Special about This Meditation Method?

What distinguishes my method from traditional Zen and mindfulness?

The heart of the practice that I propose lies in eliminating the roadblocks that prevent you from experiencing your true self; it's a way of self-realization that you can practise without a coach, and it's suitable even for those for whom it's difficult to concentrate sitting in a static body posture. It's much more understandable, practical, and simple to study than traditional Zen; and at the same time, it's much more radical and effective than trendy mindfulness (but it should be noted it's absolutely incompatible with any religion since it naturally eliminates from your mind any authority that is outside.)

Practising my meditation method doesn't require any moral obligations except the desire to be independent and free - it's all about eliminating the taboos that were imposed on you.

At Least a General Idea of Psychoanalysis You Need to Have

Correct Zen practice, in the long run, is akin to psychoanalysis in many respects: the sense of reality that you attained during zazen, decodes and gives the correct assessment of the thoughts that come to you mind - in this way your self keeps changing. That's why at least a general idea of psychoanalysis you need to have. In addition, those terms that two and a half thousand years ago were introduced by Gautama Buddha for the description of mental processes now are mostly outdated, so it's better to think in the new terms.

Unfortunately, I don't know what to recommend in English on this topic for beginners. If you can read in French or Bulgarian, try these two books by Pierre Daco:

Les Prodigieuses Victoires de la psychologie moderne 

and 

Les triomphes de la psychanalyse -

I read these books in Bulgarian in the 90s when I was in Bulgaria - strongly recommend - they explain psychoanalysis in simple terms, give an idea of its connection with neuroscience and an overview of all mental illnesses: where mind can wander. Try also by the same author

Comprendre les Femmes et leur psychologie profonde -

since I read it, I'm no longer afraid of women! ;-)

I like Freud and Jung (sometimes Freud even more than Jung.)

In addition, for general knowledge, I also recommend Erich Fromm's Escape from Freedom and
The Courage to Be Human (especially the chapter THE X EXPERIENCE AS THE MYSTICISM OF THE ONE)
and Eric Berne's Games People Play.

A lovely film