Theravadan Shikantaza?

[Quantum Foam]

Is there a school in Theravada that teaches a type of meditation similar to Shikantaza as taught by Dogen Zenji? Not his Theoretical (Mahayana) conception of the Dhamma. It's a meditation without any object. Sitting upright, not concentrating on breath or feelings or anything but just being at the moment, noticing something quite naturally, such as itching on the nose, noises, feelings (joy, fear, boredom..) and letting go of it again and not paying any attention to it. Not illuminating something like a laser pointer to breath or feelings, but illuminating the whole thing like a spotlight. Because taking the moment as it is without judging and simply letting go of thoughts as soon as you notice that you are entangled again.

Of course, you also have an anchor. This is the attitude as soon as you get lost in thought, but then you return to the moment, in my case often a wide and broad consciousness of the whole, difficult to describe in words, I stare at the wall with half-closed eyes and am simply present, you could almost say the wall and the attitude are my anchor when I'm spacing out. To want to reach this selfless no-state seemed to me to be the greatest gateway to samadhi. Unfortunately, I have problems with the Mahayana view of the Buddha-Dhamma and want to stay as close as possible to the original. If I'm not mistaken, the Thai forest tradition is pretty close to Shikantaza as Dogen thought. Or? Thank you all.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikantaza

[befriend]

https://www.abhayagiri.org/media/books/ ... untain.pdf

[befriend]

https://www.abhayagiri.org/reflections/ ... -awareness

[Quantum Foam]

https://www.abhayagiri.org/reflections/ ... -awareness

Many Thanks! Do you have any more? Are there Dhamma Talks from Ajahns on Youtube?
And what would also be important, whether there are similarities in Suttapitaka to Shikantaza?

Thanks again for your effort!

[befriend]

Ajahn amaro talks about nibbana on YouTube called we need to talk about nibbana

[mikenz66]

See also this thread: https://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=13382


Mike

[DooDoot]

And what is the faculty of concentration? There is the case where a monk, a disciple of the noble ones, making it his object to let go, attains concentration, attains singleness of mind.

SN 48.10 - Indriya-Vibhanga Sutta

[befriend]

It's the mediation style Ajahn amaro has been practicing for a while

[Crazy cloud]

If I'm not mistaken, the Thai forest tradition is pretty close to Shikantaza as Dogen thought.

I've been practicing for 8 years following the teachings and instructions from Ajahn's in the Thai forest tradition, and what you mention here sounds familiar to the "method" of being the knowing, or dissolve into the subject of being, or that which knows.
To me it's actually not a method, it's a letting go of all methods - stop trying to meditate, because consciousness "is meditation".

Here's a podcast from one of my teachers: https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A ... PlV3LoXg0c

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

The practise of bare awareness is taught in the Mahāsi Tradition.

“Mālukyaputta! As phenomena are seen, heard, sensed, or known, just let them be as they are seen, heard, thought of, or known at that moment. When you see, you just see it; when you hear, you just hear it; when you sense, you just sense it; and when you know, you just know it.”

[Caodemarte]

Ajahn Chan had Soto teacher Shunryiu Suzuki’s “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” translated into Thai and would pass it out to visitors as an introduction to meditation. His talks and advice on meditation sound very similar to Soto shikantaza. The superficial forms are different, but both methods are about the dropping of superficial forms.

[Quantum Foam]

Thank you all for your advice. I found a wonderful book by Ajahn Amaro that wonderfully describes this "method of no method". With him you start at the beginning of the meditation with mindfulness of your body, after a while then anapanasati and finally when you are collected enough, you just let go and just sit there and let go. Wonderful, plus a Theravada background! I wish I had a group like that in town.

(I can't do much with Mahasi, but thanks for your advice)

[Ceisiwr]

Thank you all for your advice. I found a wonderful book by Ajahn Amaro that wonderfully describes this "method of no method". With him you start at the beginning of the meditation with mindfulness of your body, after a while then anapanasati and finally when you are collected enough, you just let go and just sit there and let go. Wonderful, plus a Theravada background! I wish I had a group like that in town.

(I can't do much with Mahasi, but thanks for your advice)

Which book is that?

[Quantum Foam]

Thank you all for your advice. I found a wonderful book by Ajahn Amaro that wonderfully describes this "method of no method". With him you start at the beginning of the meditation with mindfulness of your body, after a while then anapanasati and finally when you are collected enough, you just let go and just sit there and let go. Wonderful, plus a Theravada background! I wish I had a group like that in town.

(I can't do much with Mahasi, but thanks for your advice)

Which book is that?

https://www.amaravati.org/dhamma-books/ ... editation/

[Ceisiwr]

Thank you all for your advice. I found a wonderful book by Ajahn Amaro that wonderfully describes this "method of no method". With him you start at the beginning of the meditation with mindfulness of your body, after a while then anapanasati and finally when you are collected enough, you just let go and just sit there and let go. Wonderful, plus a Theravada background! I wish I had a group like that in town.

(I can't do much with Mahasi, but thanks for your advice)

Which book is that?

https://www.amaravati.org/dhamma-books/ ... editation/

Ah yes, I remember that one.