Why does meditation "sit"? The depth of consciousness and the original purpose of humility that posture changes

To sit is to make a statement of attitude.

The two meanings embedded in the act of sitting for meditation

Why do people sit when they meditate?

Lying down is comfortable. It's not impossible to meditate standing up. There's also walking meditation. So why have so many traditions chosen to sit?

The act of sitting is not merely a physical posture. It is a declaration of an attitude.

Raise your spine perpendicularly to gravity. Interlace your legs as if rooting them to the ground. Place your hands on your knees and either half-close your eyes or gently close them. This posture is not for accomplishing something. Rather, it is a posture for ceasing the attempt to accomplish.

When standing, a person is on the verge of the next action. When lying down, a person is immersed in rest. Only when sitting does a person embrace being "here."

Posture is a physical device for changing consciousness.

When the spine stands tall, thoughts begin to quiet.

Simply straightening your spine holds great significance.

When your spine is straight, your breathing naturally deepens. When your breathing deepens, your autonomic nervous system balances. When your autonomic nervous system balances, the speed of your thoughts slows down. When the speed of your thoughts slows down, your consciousness tends to focus inward.

Posture is not just a shape, but a physical device for changing consciousness. Ancient practitioners knew this order from experience. There is a good reason why practitioners are repeatedly instructed in zazen to "raise the pelvis" and "be pulled upwards from the crown of the head as if towards the ceiling."

Humility in returning to something greater than oneself

When the center shifts, it returns to its original position

The seated posture has another meaning.

It is humility towards something greater than oneself.

Humans typically live with the feeling that they are the center of the world. Their own plans, their own goals, their own emotions, their own stories. Their own family, their own friends. Everything naturally revolves around them. While this feeling is necessary for living, it simultaneously makes it impossible to see the existence of things greater than oneself.

When I sit and close my eyes, the center shifts just a little. It's a return to the feeling of not moving the world, but of being placed within it. This isn't a sense of defeat. Rather, it's closer to the relief of returning to one's proper place.

First, just try sitting quietly.

Posture before technique.

Meditation is a posture, not an action.

To elaborate, it's an attitude towards the coordinate axes themselves. Recognizing that your own coordinate axes are not absolute. It is upon this humility that true meditation finally begins.

So, for someone who wants to start meditating, the first thing they should do isn't mastering a technique or practicing difficult breathing exercises. It's simply trying to sit still. Even if it's just for the form. That form will slowly bring your original posture back to you.

If you want to gain humility through meditation, check out "Λ Meditation" now.

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