What is Zazen?
Zazen at Udumbara Zen Center
Zazen means ‘sitting meditation’.
It is being oneself, with nothing extra, in harmony with the way things are.
It is the simple practice of looking directly at life as it is.
It is being aware of one’s true feelings and thoughts in each moment.
It is doing what Shakyamuni Buddha did under the Bodhi tree 2500 years ago.
Here is what some ancient masters have said about zazen:
“One inch of sitting, one inch of Buddha. Like lightning all thoughts come and pass. Just once look into your mind-depths: Nothing else has ever been.”
Manzan Dohaku (1635-1714)
“Not thinking about anything is zen. Once you know this, walking, standing, sitting or lying down, everything you do is zen. To know that the mind is empty is to see the buddha. The buddhas of the ten directions have no mind. To see no mind is to see the buddha.”
Bodhidharma (5th c.)
“Within every moment of thought you should see yourself that your fundamental nature is pure. You should cultivate for yourself, practice for yourself, and accomplish for yourself the enlightenment of buddhahood.”
Huineng (638-713)
At many points in the practice of meditation, it is important to find a practice-community and a teacher. Click here to go to the SZBA directory of centers. And, click here to read about finding a teacher.
The following links provide sound instructions for getting started with meditation: