Zazen and open eyes

[rara]

Hi all!

So I fancied experimenting. I usually meditate in full lotus these days with my eyes shut in addition to my kung fu practice. However, after learning the techniques of Zazen (Japanese Zen meditation) I couldn't help but resist trying out this new form.

The practice is fairly similar to what I usually do...counting breaths to calm the mind but I usually then trail off onto what i need to focus on for that particular session. In Zazen, the counting is the sole focus and there is one major difference - the eyes are half open (as advised by many practitioners/teachers) and focussed at the floor roughly three feet in front.

I found this extremely hard! All of a sudden, there are so many more distractions present that I am needing to avoid. I guess that's the same as my kung fu forms, but at least in martial arts you are moving so the temptation for the mind to wander is less.

What are your experiences with half-open eyes? What are your opinions on Zazen? I would like to know more, and if you recommend half-open eyes as a good form of training concentration, mindfulness, and all round meditation

[JonW]

Interesting question.
I've tried meditating with my eyes half open but I find that my attention is all over the place like a madwoman's custard.
I've been assuming that the point of keeping eyes half open is to minimise the possibility of toppling into the land of nod. But I rarely feel sleepy during meditation - I make sure I get nine hours sleep a night so I'm fairly alert during the day - unless I've been drinking wine the night before, which is increasingly rare these days.

[rara]

Wow...Buddhist monks go for 6 hours a night. Personally, if I get 7-8 hours, that's best for me. 9 and I wouldn't get out of bed

Yeah, similarly, getting to sleep has always been my issue. Anxiety etc so I could NEVER fall asleep with my eyes shut in meditation. Just thinking, there must be something to this half-open eye technique for so many to be practicing in a uniform fashion

[Enigma]

I've been practicing Zazen with a Seon (Korean school of Zen) Buddhist teacher consistently for the past four years as well as with a Japanese Soto Zen group and both have recommended softly unfocused, half-open eyes during Zazen.

The instruction on half-open eyes has practical origins and symbolizes the entire approach taken by Zen Buddhism. Rather than shut out the sensory world, we practice meditation in the midst of swirling surroundings, paralleling the conditions in which we practice mindfulness in everyday life. Hence the occasionally referenced image of a meditator under a waterfall.

Keeping the eyes half-open anchors the practitioner in the present so as not to get lost in thoughts. With eyes closed, the untrained mind indulges in fantasy and imaginings. Of course, with eyes open, the untrained mind indulges in exogenous distractions. Yet there is a carefully titrated middle ground to be reached in which the eyes remain half-open, eyelids relaxed and gaze unfixated, with mindfulness at the fore.

[rara]

Interesting! It's like a whole new world...I noticed my eyes twitching more though and was more distracted by noises about the house as I knew I was in the house, if you know what I mean...

With eyes closed, I do find focusing on the breathing/body a lot easier...

But so many other mindfulness teachers advocate slight open eyes. I guess I just find eyes closed better for me as I'm more used to it...

[Enigma]

Do what works for you!

[rara]

Do what works for you!

The answer I was eventually hoping to hear haha

[BioSattva]

Rather than shut out the sensory world, we practice meditation in the midst of swirling surroundings, paralleling the conditions in which we practice mindfulness in everyday life.

Agreed - I have mostly practised with eyes open yet relaxed since my background in formal meditation has been Eastern Zen - mostly Soto Zen, and working with all the senses seems to require that we practise with the visual field in it's normal state when off the cushion.

I sit looking at the wall, actually, and even though I have gone through phases of picking out details, I don't really focus on it much anymore.

That said, at times, I do close my eyes and 'go inward' as I go with the flow, but I find the world more 'real' with my eyes half open - I feel more present and my practise seems to hold more potential for when I go about my daily life with eyes open.

[piedwagtail91]

i recently started trying with eyes open, mainly because my my mentor sort of insists on eyes open when leading a meditation, though this is at odds with the new 'green book' !
it felt strange at first so i used a candle and went down the yoga route - trataka- now it's developed to just an unfocused gaze.
not sure i like leading with eyes open though that does feel weird

[Gareth]

I tend to meditate with my eyes closed. It seems to signify the difference between formal and informal meditation. Also, it feels a little easier, although I'm sure that isn't the appropriate word to use.