Bear Down or Ease Up in Meditation? ~ Shinzen Young

Shinzen talks about the issue of bearing down or easing up in meditation practice and how he deals with this paradox - by offering people strategies for both so they don't get one-sided. He also suggests how one might know if their choice of the bearing down or easing up approach is working. Filmed in Nov. 2009 at Mt. Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls.

[@heathcowart358]

There is a recording of a talk that Shinzen did back in the 90's where he talked about how to get fast progress by bearing down and easing up skillfully during a strong determination sit. He pointed out that when you reach your breaking point on the cushion and you have to move or relieve the pain your pain drops but your equanimity drops even more. I have found this to be true both during sits but also in life. For instance when a big stressor is resolved I can feel my equanimity drops down often to new levels right after it. I think the recording was just called Strong Determination sitting or something along those lines. I find that sitting to my limit then taking a 5 minute stretch then sitting right after is a powerful accelerator of my practice. Does anyone else work in this way.

[@geovaniraffaelli4508]

Do you still have access to this recording? I would love to listen to it. Thanks.

[@fastfrankblack]

I love this man!

[@eoharafisher]

Sometimes, after meditating a long time, the psyche just says "No."

[@hear-and-know]

Where can I watch these videos uncut? Some of these are so important to me, but unfortunately on youtube I can only find shortened versions.

[@lewisalexanderrimmer4655]

A classic case of Yin and Yang

[@Picabia01]

these talks help me a lot. and i like the pragmatism you show, free of "bearing down" AND "easing up" - if you will :) thanks from a fresh rinzai student

[@dorniaki]

there's a video where he describes the do nothing technique, in short the instruction is to "drop the intention to attention" and besides that do nothing.

[@brettmiller5443]

+dorniaki I think he said, "When you detect an intention to control you attention - Drop that intention"....For me, I've changed it to the slightly more prosaic, "If an intention to control arises, do not grasp it." Of course I still maintain body discipline as I am able.

[@01234cinco]

I must be tripping balls

[@SherKhan0122]

How would the "call off the search" approach cause one to develop high amounts of concentration, clarity, and equanimity???

[@juricakalcina987]

It just happens.

[@01234cinco]

You learn to stop interfering with yourself. Over time, you develop clarity and concentration, since you’re always using them anyway

[@ErmirMusic]

Read his article on “Do Nothing” Usually on retreat Shinzen guides people through noting and once enough concentration has developed, then he switches to do nothing

[@dorniaki]

very good

[@markbrad123]

Noting may be OK for slow things to get into the rhythm but it ceases to be of any use using verbal labels even blocks the sensing of faster things like fast music. However just watching with a kind of silent noticing one may be able to sense it and stay with it. So what maybe is essential watching in everyday activities ? Eckhart Tolle, to paraphrase, noted people may be in thought excluding surroundings, in thought with surroundings, or silent with surroundings or in pain body lamentation- which can be dissolved through silence.