Correct posture

This is usually described as the five aspects of meditation posture, or the seven aspects of Buddha Vairochana's posture. The details vary from text to text, surprisingly different in each "authoritative" work. The variances are usually because two features are counted as one, or another is left out. Principal differences are as to whether the eyes are focused upon the tip of the nose, or eight finger-widths beyond it. While one version merely states that the hands are four finger-widths below the navel in the meditation mudra and that the shoulders are level, another specifies that the elbows should not be bent and the shoulders should be uplifted like a vulture's wings. An example of the five features: 1.Legs crossed. 2.Hands in meditation mudra four finger-widths below the navel with the shoulders uplifted. 3.Chin bent inwards. 4.eyes gaze at the tip of the nose. 5.Lips and teeth only just meeting and the tip of the tongue against the palate. / An example of the seven features: 1.Legs in the vajra posture. 2. Hands in meditation mudra four finger-width below the navel. 3.A straight back. 4.Shoulders raised. 5.Chin bent downwards. 6. Lips just meeting and the tongue's tip against the palate. 7. The eyes focused four finger-widths beyond the tip of the nose. [Peter Roberts]