Not too hard or it would be painful
Not to soft or it would be sagging
Not too high or it would lift too much
Not to low or it would not lift the butt
Not too in or it would make you lean backwards
Not too out or it would make you lean forwards
Not too apathetic or it would be difficult to start
Not too particular or it would be impossible to start
Notes: I prefer round cushions – as above – to harder blocky rectangular kinds, because round ones can conform to body contours more flexibly and comfortably. There’s a lesson here somewhere… Let’s see… ‘It’s better to have a malleable mind to adapt to changing situations (without changing the spirit of spiritual principles), instead of being stiffly principled in both theory and practice.’ A good cushion is quickly forgotten; not fixated upon when in use – because the focus should be the object of meditation and not anything else.
By the way, even the Buddha sat on a meditation cushion under the Bodhi tree to meditate towards Buddhahood. It was a bundle of eight handfuls of Kusa grass, as presented by Sottiya the grass-cutter. Meditation cushions are used to prop up the back to help it remain relaxed but upright, which in turn help the mind stay wakeful. Without cushions, meditators tend to slouch and have aching backs in time, with higher tendencies of dozing off.
The above is useful to aspiring meditators. As meditation is fundamental to Buddhism, may I suggest that TDE should feature more such articles to guide/help Buddhists, who are new to meditation,to overcome the many physical discomfort encountered in their practices.
Noted 😉