The Purpose of Meditation 

I prefer this quote from Chan Master Xuyun (Empty Cloud): “THE PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATING CHAN is to illuminate the Mind and see your self-nature. You must eradicate the mind’s impurities so as to personally perceive the true face of your self-nature. The mind’s impurities are wandering thoughts and attachments; self-nature is the wisdom and virtue of the Tathagata. Sentient beings are replete with the wisdom and virtue of buddhas; they are not two and not separated from one another. If you can leave behind wandering thoughts and attachments, then you will attain this wisdom and virtue that is within you.” - From the book by Chan Master Sheng Yen (2012) “Attaining The Way”

When i sit i am amazed at the constant stream of thoughts and how i easy it is to fall down a rabbit hole of a thought

Meditation is a passive form of self investigation. "It's the seeing that frees." J Krishnamurti (and of course Rob Burbea comes to mind.)

The guy busking in front of Target…what a genius! Finds his target audience everyday!

I was so happy to find out I didn't need anything to sit. No money, no effort, no special incense or robes. And it can be done anywhere.

“Shine on, you crazy diamond.”

I've gotten so used to watching this relatively obscure channel everyday, (especially to settle down before bed), and I've gotten so used to it being in my life that I actually missed it when you didn't post a new video for a couple days. love this channel! can I be your student? (just kidding, just watched that one yesterday). great job on these videos and everything. when i get some money together I'm going to grab a copy of one of your books.

Thanks for putting yourself out here.

As Shohaku Okaumra says (I think his teachers, Sawaki and Uchiyama, we’re also fond of saying it), “Zazen is good for nothing.” Even thoughts of getting better at noticing, or not being fooled as often. Dogen always seems to be saying that zazen is simply the expression of understanding that there is nothing else to do, nobody else to become, nowhere else to go…and all that’s left to do, since we’re still breathing, is sit down, shut up, and enjoy our fundamental ignorance/innocence. “All the harmful consequences ever caused by my greed, aggression, and delusion, enacted through body, speech, and thought…I now openly and fully confess.”

Fun fact, the gunas are intimately connected with the caste system. Sattva is the inclination to seek the Truth and ritual purity, and is associated with brahmins (the priestly caste). Rajas is the inclination to ambition and power, and is associated with kshatriyas (the warrior caste). Tamas is the inclination towards pleasure and ignorance and is associated with sudras (the laborer caste). The vaisya (the merchant caste) falls in between the kshatriya and sudra (don't have enough ambition to rule, but more ambition than to be a working slob). All people are born with a mix of these gunas, but greater portions of each determine the line of work we're best suited for. Thus it is said that the Vedic caste system was not hereditary, unlike how it later evolved.

rest in present awareness.

Thank you - clear, relatable, and instructive.

I am only 3 minutes in the reason I meditate almost every day for 25 years. I have adhd and addiction issues and meditation helps keep me in emotional balance. For me it works and I will keep doing it, now lets see what HZ says I am new here and curious.

And "obscured by clouds" is a pink floyd album. Spooky!

Great song! Great video! Great shirt!

Thank you Brad

Great one, thanks

Saved This One tambien, ❤️🌎🙏🏻

"different from" is technically correct and "different than" is technically wrong but accepted usage in American English. We can see why when we switch from the adjective form to the verb form. "to differ from". can you say "to differ than"? I think not! QED

The Madcap Laughs!! Finished with Hardcore Zen and Sit down and Shut up. Love your Zen. I live near Youngstown Ohio and found a Soto Zen center near Pittsburgh. Small sangha but I like it that way. Anyway I enjoy your stuff. Thanks Brad

Omg, what a cliffhanger! I need the other purposes too😂

I liked the intro. Long ago and far away, I listened to Syd Barrett (sp?). For myself, the purpose of meditation became apparent after time and effort - zazen. Sit there, be bored, and observe what comes up. Simple really - we make it complicated. Thank you for your efforts. Now for some tea and bad cartoons. Ciao!

She was right. It is "different from".

I found this helpful after "dropping off" of my practice for longer than I'd like to admit so thanks for keeping this up. Earlier Pink Floyd is way underrated by the way!

"Enlightenment muscles" lol, love it.

Oh, there's a point to meditation. People just get the wrong idea about it, especially with zen because we're inclined to intellectualize the world around us, and zazen is the opposite of this.

Yes!

I had this question today... what Im I doing sitting down,.what is the use... followed by.. did i do my uni paperwork correctly to complete my syllabus this term... ?

Is slow Tai chi meditation? It's not sitting but it's sure not like running and sex. What about standing meditation Zhang Zhang? I

Gotta love Syd!

By whom was quote on the book cover? Author?

Different from and different than ..also, compared with and compared to..prefer the former as it implies togetherness as against confrontation but maybe too pedantic... Anyway nice reference to a floyd album slipped in there ... @ 8:11 obscured by clouds...

See lectures by linguist John McWhorter on whether your teacher was right about “from” and “than”…

at 7:47 you say Rajas is sloth, but you're thinking of Tamas. Rajas is active. I believe it even means "passion". It can mean restless, overly energetic, etc. The opposite of sloth.

Ah... El Cid..😁

I agree with Sensei Mrs Fineman. Also could Americans please note that the plural for fish is fish, and the plural for evidence is evidence.

You pay more attention to your thoughts. Mindful?

I read the master and the emissary, and now I believe, that when the algorithm of the brain functions with the left brain under supporting the right brain and the cultivation of the right brain algorithm is the foundation for meditation, then a door opens to connect to other streams available to the War Chimp. Changing the lense of perseption and open to the human chimp, then we can take that algorithm into the development of the dream body awareness. The dream body is closer to the frequency that goes into the Bardo of death, then we slow down while in the death process, and unravel all oscillating data into the the death funnel, and the Diamond jalus body that we have been cultivating with Neigong, being behind all thoughts the the mind unmoving waits for all layers of bodies to integrate 😍😊

the goal of meditaiton is to become God. "God" aka "nothing": therefore, meditation is good for nothing. :-)

Resting free and easy without fixation, fabrication or rumination is meditation. 🦧