Kobun Chino Otogawa once remarked that he did not have any pain when he sat in the lotus posture, and neither did his legs go to sleep. He also indicated that he had no pain from when he first sat the lotus at the age of seven (although he did acknowledge that he sometimes had pain in the seiza posture).
Kobun said, “take your time with the lotus”. I’m still taking my time with the lotus. Although the posture might seem like a secondary concern in zazen, I have no doubt that the lotus answers a particular need for me.
I would appreciate any comments or suggestions you might have; you can email me directly (please personalize the message subject line), or you can comment on my blog, Zazen Notes.
Thank you;
yours,
Mark Foote
May 17, 2009