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Does Shikantaza lead towards attaining Jhana, if not, is there any progression?

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6 answers
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I have been practicing two different meditations over the years, one is Anapanasati, i.e. mindfulness of breath as I learned from S.N.Goenka, and the other is Zazen or Shikantaza i.e. just sitting, doing nothing, as I learned at a Zen school. My trouble is, when I set to do breath awareness, then the mind gets triggered and I easily get lost in thoughts. It's difficult for me to be 'here and now' with the breath. On the other hand, with Shikantaza, my practice is really good. I can sit for longer periods without any thought in silence. But the problem is I did not read anywhere if we can attain to Jhanas or any other state, doing Shikantaza. As against this, I have read about gradual progression towards Jhana doing the Anapanasati. So, I want to know, if Jhana is possible through Shikantaza and if not, is there any other type of progression?
Asked by The White Cloud (2430 rep)
Sep 1, 2021, 04:43 AM
Last activity: Sep 4, 2021, 04:50 AM