Stopping thought

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Stopping thought, or quieting the mind, is a practice in ZenTemplate:Sfnp and other forms of meditation and yogaTemplate:Sfnp referring to the achievement of the mental state of samādhi, where the normal mental chatter slows and then stopsTemplate:Sfnp for brief or longer periods. This may first occur during zazen and other meditation practices.Template:Sfnp

Patañjali in the Yoga Sutras states "Yogaś citta-vritti-nirodhaḥ" ("Yoga is the restriction of the fluctuations of mindstuff").Template:Sfnp

Paradoxically, Zen teaches that the attainment of this state is not through the normal method of intent and application of skill or technique.Template:Sfnp As stated in the Zen poem Xinxin Ming:Template:Sfnp

In other words, the process becomes a combination of proper technique, acceptance, and returning to or focusing on a familiar state rather than a state achieved through pure force of will.

See also

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References

Works cited

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Further reading

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External links

• Meditation from the perspective of Zen Buddhism
• Early Zen Poetry of Seng-ts'an

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