Zazen

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Zazen is a meditative discipline that is typically the primary practice of the Zen Buddhist tradition.^[1][2]

The generalized Japanese term for meditation is 瞑想 (meisō);^[3] however, zazen has been used informally to include all forms of seated Buddhist meditation. The term zuòchán can be found in early Chinese Buddhist sources, such as the Dhyāna sutras. For example, the famous translator Kumārajīva (344–413) translated a work termed Zuòchán sān mēi jīng (A Manual on the Samādhi of Sitting Meditation) and the Chinese Tiantai master Zhiyi (538–597 CE) wrote some very influential works on sitting meditation.^[4][5]

The meaning and method of zazen varies from school to school, but in general it is a quiet type of Buddhist meditation done in a sitting posture like the lotus position. The practice can be done with various methods, such as following the breath (anapanasati), mentally repeating a phrase (which could be a koan, a mantra, a huatou or nianfo) and a kind of open monitoring in which one is aware of whatever comes to our attention (sometimes called shikantaza or silent illumination). Repeating a huatou, a short meditation phrase, is a common method in Chinese Chan and Korean Seon. Meanwhile, nianfo, the practice of silently reciting the Buddha Amitabha's name, is common in the traditions influenced by Pure Land practice, and was also taught by Chan masters like Zongmi.^[6]

In the

Kapleau quotes Hakuun Yasutani's lectures for beginners. In lecture four, Yasutani lists five kinds of zazen:

• bompu, developing meditative concentration to aid well-being;
• gedo, zazen-like practices from other religious traditions;
• shojo, '
  small vehicle
  ' practices;
• daijo, zazen aimed at gaining insight into true nature;
• saijojo, shikantaza.^[8]

Sitting

In Zen temples and monasteries, practitioners traditionally sit zazen together in a meditation hall usually referred to as a

Posture

The posture of zazen is seated, with crossed legs and folded hands, and an erect but settled spine.

center of gravity

in the belly) and the eyelids are half-lowered, the eyes being neither fully open nor shut so that the practitioner is neither distracted by, nor turning away from, external stimuli.

The legs are folded in one of the standard sitting styles:[2]

• Kekkafuza (full-lotus)
• Hankafuza (half-lotus)
• Burmese (a cross-legged posture in which the ankles are placed together in front of the sitter)
• Seiza (a kneeling posture using a bench or zafu)

It is not uncommon for modern practitioners to practice zazen in a chair,^[2] sometimes with a wedge or cushion on top of it so that one is sitting on an incline, or by placing a wedge behind the lower back to help maintain the natural curve of the spine.

Samadhi

Main article: Samadhi § Buddhism

The initial stages of training in zazen resemble traditional Buddhist

samatha meditation. The student begins by focusing on the breath at the hara/tanden^[14] with mindfulness of breath (ānāpānasmṛti) exercises such as counting breath (sūsokukan 数息観) or just watching it (zuisokukan 随息観). Mantras are also sometimes used in place of counting. Practice is typically to be continued in one of these ways until there is adequate "one-pointedness

" of mind to constitute an initial experience of samadhi. At this point, the practitioner moves on to koan-practice or shikantaza.

While Yasutani Roshi states that the development of jōriki (定力) (Sanskrit samādhibala), the power of concentration, is one of the three aims of zazen,^[15] Dogen warns that the aim of zazen is not the development of mindless concentration.^[16]

Koan introspection

Main article: Koan

In the

Rinzai school, after having developed awareness, the practitioner can now focus their consciousness on a koan as an object of meditation. While koan practice is generally associated with the Rinzai school and Shikantaza with the Sōtō

school, many Zen communities use both methods depending on the teacher and students.

Shikantaza

Main article: Shikantaza

Zazen is considered the heart of Japanese Sōtō

Dogen says, "Sitting fixedly, think of not thinking. How do you think of not thinking? Nonthinking. This is the art of zazen."^[19]

See also

• Ango – Concept of Japanese Buddhism
• Jing zuo – Meditation practice
• Keisaku – Buddhist ritual implement
• Kinhin
   – Buddhist meditative practicePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• Sesshin – Period of intensive meditation
• Suizen
   – Wandering medicants recognized by their flute-playingPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• Zuowang – Daoist meditation technique

References

1. ^
   ISBN 086171380X
   .
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Zazen Instructions". Zen Mountain Monastery. December 30, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
3. ^ 保坂俊司 『仏教とヨーガ』東京書籍 、2004年。https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/瞑想
4. ^ Yamabe, Nobuyoshi; Sueki, Fumihiko (2009). The sutra on the concentration of sitting meditation (Taishō Volume 15, Number 614), pp. xiv-xvii. Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research.
5. ^ Swanson, Paul L. "Ch'an and Chih-kuan T'ien-t'ai Chih-i's View of "Zen" and the Practice of the Lotus Sutra" (PDF). Retrieved 25 August 2023.
6. ISBN 978-1-61180-890-2
   .
7. ^
   ISBN 086171380X
   .
8. ISBN 0-385-26093-8
   .
9. ISBN 0-385-26093-8
   .
10. ^ Warner, Brad. "How To Sit Zazen". Dogen Sangha Los Angeles. Archived from the original on March 16, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
11. ISBN 9780198041467
    .
12. ISBN 086171315X
    .
13. ^
    ISBN 978-159030849-3
    .
14. ISBN 978-0-86171-670-8
    .
15. ^ Philip Kapleau, The three pillars of Zen.
16. ISBN 978-0-520-90978-6
    .
17. ISBN 978-0972804943
18. ISBN 978-159030849-3
    .
19. ^ "Sotan Tatsugami Roshi Dogen". web.stanford.edu. Retrieved 29 August 2023.

Further reading

• Austin, James H (1999). Zen and the Brain: Toward an Understanding of Meditation and Consciousness. The MIT Press.
  ISBN 0262011646
  .
• Buksbazen, John Daishin (2002). Zen Meditation in Plain English.
  ISBN 0861713168
  .
• ISBN 1590300246
  .
• Harada, Sekkei (1998). The Essence of Zen: Dharma Talks Given in Europe and America. Kodansha.
  ISBN 4770021992
  .
• ISBN 1852300086
  .
• ISBN 978-1590304792
  .
• ISBN 086171394X
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zazen.

• How to sit Zazen