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There is no dogma or doctrine. Zen is the direct experience of what we might call ultimate reality, or the absolute, yet it is not separate from the ordinary, the relative. This direct experience is our birthright. The practice of zazen—meditation—is a way of realizing the non-dualistic, vibrant, subtle, and interconnected nature of all life.
- How To Practice Zen
The thumbs barely touch at the tips, forming a well-rounded...
- Our Books
Like a Dream, Like a Fantasy: The Zen Teachings and...
- Our Teachers
She began formal Zen practice in 1967 at the Zen Studies...
- Reading List
When Zen Flesh, Zen Bones was published in 1957, it became...
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Zen Centers; Join our Team; Teisho : Zen Talks. Subscribe to...
- History
The Zen Studies Society was established in 1956 to assist...
- Mission, Values, Vision
Tradition: Upholding the profound treasure of our Rinzai Zen...
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The Zen Studies Society maintains two practice centers (New...
- How To Practice Zen
The thumbs barely touch at the tips, forming a well-rounded oval that encircles the navel. If sitting in full- or half-lotus, the hands rest on the natural “shelf” of the sole of the upper foot; elbows are held slightly away from the trunk. Eyes remain half-open, with the gaze softly resting on the floor in front.
Jan 20, 2022 · Analogously, the use of the word “Zen” in the West is misleading, and even ironically contradictory, when it is intended to connote something foreign, exotic, mystical, or otherworldly, for in fact, Zen practice aims to bring us down to earth, to the here and now of our real lives, rather than to feed our fantasies of distant lands populated with sages dwelling in mysterious mists on ...
Benefits & Techniques. Post Summary. Zen meditation is an ancient Buddhist tradition originating in China and practiced in various Asian countries. Zen meditation emphasizes practice and intuition over study and logic, aiming to uncover the innate clarity and workability of the mind. Zen meditation promotes calmness, focus, creativity, and ...
- What Does “Zen” Mean?
- What Are The Characteristics of Zen Buddhism?
- What Are The Methods of Zen Practice?
- How Did Zen Buddhism Come to be?
- If Zen Is Its Own School, Who Was Its Founder?
- Schools of Zen Buddhism
- Zen Teachers and Teaching Lineages
- Zen Buddhism Comes to North America
- Taking The Path of Zen in The West
- Editor’s Picks: Further Reading on Zen and Zen Practice
The word “Zen” is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese “Ch’an,” which means “meditation.” Ch’an came to Japan and became “Zen” around the eighth century. Today, the word “Zen” is in more general use in the West.
Zen Buddhismis a stripped-down, determined, uncompromising, cut-to-the-chase, meditation-based Buddhism that takes no interest in doctrinal refinements. Not relying on scripture, doctrine or ritual, Zen is verified by personal experience and is passed on from master to disciple, hand to hand, ineffably, through hard, intimate training. Though Zen r...
Zazen, or Zen meditation
Although Zen Buddhism eventually developed traditions of study and ritual, its emphasis on personal experience has always made it a practice-oriented tradition. The practice is meditation. “Sitting Zen” (Japanese: zazen) has always been central in Zen training centers, where monks rise early each morning for meditation practice and do long retreats consisting of many, many silent unmoving hours on the cushion. Zazen is an intensely simple practice. It is generally taught without steps, stages...
Koan practice
In koan Zen, contemplation of a koan begins with zazen practice. The practitioner comes to intense presence with body and breath, and then brings up the koan almost as a physical object, repeating it over and over again with breathing, until words and meaning dissolve and the koan is “seen.” This practice is usually done in the context of an intensive retreat led by a qualified Zen koan teacher, whom the practitioner visits for private interviews. The student presents their understanding of t...
Through the centuries, India, the first Buddhist country, gradually spawned hundreds of sects and sub-sects, and thousands of scriptures, and tens of thousands of commentaries on those scriptures. When Buddhism spread over Central Asian trade routes to China, all this material came at once. The Chinese had long cherished their own twin traditions o...
Though we can’t be sure if he truly existed, Bodhidharma is the legendary founder of Zen Buddhism in China. He is said to have arrived in China about 520. (Buddhism had by then been known in China for about 400 years.) He was soon summoned to the emperor, who had questions for him. “According to the teachings, how do I understand the merit I have a...
Zen schools are more or less divisible into those that emphasize a curriculum of verbal meditation objects — like koans — and those that do not. Emphasizing daily life practice as zazen, Soto Zen centers generally do not work with a set koan curriculum and method, though koans are studied and contemplated. Because of this, Soto Zen has sometimes be...
A key Zen story, shared by all the schools: Once, the Buddha was giving a talk on Vulture Peak. In the middle of the talk he paused and held up a flower. Everyone was silent. Only Mahakasyapa broke into a smile. Buddha then said, “I have the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, the ineffable mind of Nirvana, the real form of No Form, the flawless gate ...
A Zen wave broke on North American shores in the middle of the twentieth century. It probably didn’t begin as a Zen wave at all, but rather as a reflex to the unprecedented violence the first part of the century had seen. After two devastating world wars, small groups of people here and there in the West were beginning to realize, as if coming out ...
I’ve said above that Zen Buddhism is essentially monastic and depends on the intensive practice of sitting meditation. In the West, however, most Zen practitioners are not monastics. While this may seem strange, it is not at all strange if we consider “monastic” to be an attitude and a level of seriousness, more than a particular lifestyle. Unlike ...
About Zen meditation
How to Practice Zazen Jules Shuzen Harris teaches Zazen, the meditation practice at the heart of Zen Buddhism. Zazen: Just Ordinary MindOur natural mind is clear, simple, and ordinary. The practice of Zen meditation, says Susan Murphy, is simply to abandon anything extra. Then the ordinary reveals its magic.
About Zen koans
How to Practice Zen KoansJohn Tarrant demystifies Zen koan practice. Yes, it’s paradoxical, poetic, and totally personal. And so is life. How We Work on Zen Koans and How They Work on UsJoan Sutherland, Judy Roitman, and Bodhin Kjolhede examine the practice of koan introspection, how different traditions approach it, and how the way we engage with koans is changing. Introduction by Ross Bolleter.
About Zen’s legendary founder, Bodhidharma
Searching for BodhidharmaHe’s renowned as the First Ancestor of Zen, but who was he really? Andy Ferguson journeys through China with author and translator Red Pine in search of the historical Bodhidharma and evidence of his original teachings. What a Wall Teaches in Zen MeditationLin Jensen tells how meditation’s surprising first lesson still resonates with him.
Of the many ways to practice Zen Buddhism, perhaps the most iconic is zazen, which literally means “sitting Zen” but is often referred to as “Zen meditation.”. In zazen, practitioners sit on a cushion in a formalized posture with a straight back, eyes half open, and legs crossed onto the opposite thigh in what is called the full-lotus ...
People also ask
How do I achieve a zen state of mind?
What is Zen meditation?
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Is Zen Buddhism a practice oriented tradition?
What is Zen koan practice?
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Lastly, incorporating Zen teachings into your daily life can also be beneficial. This could mean reading Zen literature, attending a meditation class, or even adopting Zen-inspired lifestyle choices. Remember, the journey to a Zen state of mind is a personal one, and these guides for achieving a Zen state can be adapted to suit your unique path.
