I like this definition of seiza written by Andrew J. Brown. It reminds me why I chose it as a spiritual practice:
Seiza (静坐 — literally, “quiet sitting”) meditation was developed and established by Okada Torajiro (1872-1920) in Japan during the early years of the 20th century and was the form of meditation parcticed by Imaoka Shin’ichirō and Kiitsu Kyōkai. It is exceptionally minimalistic and does not rely upon any external organizations, temples, churches, tithing, dogma, theory, canon, worship, beliefs, literature, scriptures, calendar, prayers, hymns, priesthood, hierarchy, relics, icons, saints, homage, cults of personality, holidays, myths, cosmology, symbols, architecture, laws or commandments. Neither is Seiza tied to particular intellectual, rational or medical ideas or theories. It does not depend on emotion, piety, or devotionalism. It is not otherworldly, mystical, nor renunciatory. It is not tied to a particular race, ethnicity, or culture. It is not congressional and needs no pilgrimage. Nor does it proselytize or support military aggression. To practise Seiza, one needs no group or leader, no visualization, vocalization, counting, or mantra repetition, and no special symbolic objects, apparatus, or clothing.
Perhaps how we breath affects our thoughts while we write them. Perhaps better thoughts could be born out of better breathing.
Advice from Miki Nakura
I first learned how to do seiza through the guidance of Miki Nakura. Here are some advice I learned from the group seiza sessions I had with him.
- Do not think of result. The purpose of seiza is to become a person of the lower belly. A person of the lower belly is a peaceful person.
- The seiza posture is an independent posture. Our body and mind is closely related.
- Stop exhaling at the point of 80%.
- Practice concaving your upper belly. You will see later that you can put power in your lower belly.
- Parts of the belly in seiza: rapara (upper belly), sitapara (lower belly), and tanden.
- The subtle difference between zazen and seiza is that in seiza it is encouraged to drop the solar plexus to achieve a more natural sitting position in accordance with gravity. In contrast, the traditional zazen posture seems to encourage self-power (i.e., “I must experience satori with my self-power.”).
- Your heso (navel) should face heaven.
History of seiza
Friends of Seiza (Seizanotomo)
Okada didn’t have an organization
Yanagida-sensei was a number one disciple of Okada-sensei. He was the first president of Japan Airlines.
He was the person who was drastically saved by meeting Okada-sensei and his posture being corrected by dropping his solar plexus. He led the Tokyo Seiza-kai until just before his death at the age of 100. Although he was a leading businessman, he was a deeply religious person who enjoyed reciting the Nembutsu.
Here is a passage from the book “The Essence of Okada Style Seiza,” written by Yanagida-sensei which mentioned 自然法爾 jinen-honi, and Seiza and Nembutsu.
The translation was done by Andrew:
Firstly, it is essential to understand that Seiza is not something created by humans, but is entirely a natural and spontaneous path. In this regard, I often cite the words of Hōnen Shōnin. Hōnen Shōnin said, “Water flows downward, and fire rises upward. This is the law of nature, that is, the natural law. Similarly, if a person sincerely undertakes the original vow of Amida and wholeheartedly recites Namu Amida Butsu, they will surely be welcomed by the Buddha.” This is a profound teaching. Although I do not think Hōnen Shōnin was aware of things such as Earth’s gravity, the idea that if one chants the name sincerely, one will surely receive the Buddha’s salvation, suggests that perhaps people are saved by a principle similar to that which governs the law of gravity. Okada-sensei only said, “Do seiza” (静坐をしなさい s_eiza wo shinasai) but he was teaching us that if we sit still, we will develop according to the laws of nature, and this is no different from what_ Hōnen Shōnin said. Hōnen Shōnin_’s words, “Recite Namu Amida Butsu,” and Okada-sensei’s words, “Do seiza,” both indicate the same thing. The practice of Seiza is not something created by humans. It is a law of nature._
See jinen-honi
Seiza beyond seiza
Much like zen, there is an admonition to embed seiza (or at least, its most important elements) into one’s daily life. The ultimate goal, it seems, is for straight lumbar vertebrae and breathing to be one’s natural state. This requires the establishment of a habit and not just a practice. The goal is behavioral change.
Now, while zen’s most important element is the attention one gives to the breath, seiza’s most important element is the constantly straightened lumbar vertebrae. While zen wants me to train my attention, seiza wants me to train my posture. Once my posture is established and is second nature, I would say there really would be an effortlessness in my breathing. On the other hand, zen asks too much from me because, given the multitude of things I do in a day, I can’t promise to always put my attention in my breathing.
In this way, seiza is once more freer. It frees my mind. The practice being anchored in my body seems to remind me of its existence during a long day.
Seiza session notes
Resources
- Hara: The Vital Center of Man (book)
- Recommendations for Doing Seiza book (available in: https://archive.org/details/okadashikiseizan0000unse)
Related
Unsorted
Each breath is like a shaping of the new self.
References
Brown, A. J. (2024, January 19). Basic Information & Weekly Zoom Meetings on Thursdays. Caute. https://kiitsukyokai.blogspot.com/2023/05/weekly-zoom-meetings-and-basic.html
Nakura, Miki. Fundamentals of Seiza, Sitting-in-Stillness: A Simple Sitting and Breathing Method Established by Okada Torajiro.
Keep the lumbar vertebrae upright and stable whether sitting, standing, or walking. Neither slump nor clench. Keep the lower back erect and buoyant all the time, not allowing it to bend under the weight of the upper body. Maintain this positive carriage consistently, everywhere, all the time, and in any situation.