What is Zazen?

"Mu" from Mushotoku Mind by Taisen Deshimaru

Zazen, or Zen meditation, is the direct path to living here and now. Zazen is the opposite of the intellectual study of Zen. Zazen is simply sitting in the posture of dignified nonaction for no reason, for no purpose, for no personal gain. Zazen is simply sitting and breathing, returning to a state of mental and physical equanimity, automatically, spontaneously, naturally.

In zazen we may grapple with our mind and body, with our emotional and physical pain.

In zazen we sit with our past and future, our regrets and our desires, and watch them drop off, leaving us with the treasure of the present moment.

In zazen we become an empty vessel capable of containing the cosmos.

There are many ways to supplement the practice of zazen--through poetry, painting, calligraphy, music, the martial arts, flower arranging, running, cooking, gardening, child rearing, and so on--but without zazen there is no Zen practice.

 

For more about our practice, visit our Teachings articles.