What to Do With Your Hands!

"The winner sows hatred because the loser suffers. Let go of winning and losing and find joy." - Buddha


I follow the Shambhala tradition, which was brought here to the US by Trungpa Rinpoche, a few years after he had fled from the Chinese invasion of Tibet. In the Shambhala tradition, one is encouraged to place their hands palm down on their thighs as they meditate. I got very used to doing this (attached, one might say), --most comfy. Then, we had a Zen master come to our meditation practice and he illustrated the Zen placement of the hands, where one rests both hands below the navel, and one hand rests in the cradle of the other, with the thumbs touching lightly (signifies a greater level of body concentration, as it was explained to me). So. . . I gave this method a try, and found that my shoulders seemed more relaxed when I assumed this position. However, at a level one training for Shambhala meditation practice, the class was encouraged to place their hands upon their thighs--this signifying a more openness to our surroundings and taking our meditation practice into daily life. I was quite surprised when inside me a bubble of rebellion surfaced! I didn't want to change back! I was quite happy, thank you very much. I want to do it my way. Eventually I figured out that my entire experience with the placement of the hands had been a learning exercise in attachment. I finally elected to proceed in the manner my venerable teacher had advised, and funny enough, I rest my hands on my thighs and my shoulders feel just fine nowadays. Of course, there are many, many schools of thought, or many placements for the hands (for many reasons, and these are the mudras), and you can choose the one that best suits you, and your purpose.

The 13th Dalai Lama gave discourse on a method similar to Zen practice, and also added that if the right hand is placed in the palm of the left, this is related to male tantra, and the opposite is related to female tantra. The tantra yogas are connected to the stimulation of the body's energy centers. I feel it best that my interpretation ends here, but if you wish to learn more about this subject, go to:
www.meditation-mantra.org/buddha-hand-position.html. Again, hand position is related to mudras, and this Facebook video gives a good introduction.

Next: The posture of the back!
Abide in peace and joy, Cynthia