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Zazen Talks

Zazen is a meditative discipline that is typically the primary practice of the Zen Buddhist tradition.
The generalized Japanese term for meditation is 瞑想 (meisō); 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.
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.
In the Japanese Buddhist Rinzai school, zazen is usually combined with the study of koans. The Japanese Sōtō school makes less or no use of koans, preferring an approach known as shikantaza where the mind has no object at all.
Title | Speaker | |
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The Mind of the Great Sage of IndiaSatipattana Sutra, Theravada, Zazen, Big Mind, Four Noble Truths, Realization, Suzuki... |
Jul 10 2007 City Center |
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Sesshin as a Koan for the BodySerial: SF-00990 Sesshin Lecture: Easter/Buddha's Birthday; enlightenment experiences; dharmakaya; not doing anything; nirmanakaya; this is your life Sesshin, Enlightenment, San Quentin, Zazen, Buddha's Birthday, Birth-and-Death,... |
Apr 08 2007 Green Gulch |
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Alignment With The Great WaySerial: SF-00944 Sunday Lecture - Children's Lecture: waging peace; taking up a practice Zhaozhou, Suzuki Roshi, Buddha Mind, Peace, Ordinary Mind, Zazen, Lineage, Posture,... |
Mar 04 2007 Green Gulch |
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Right SpeechSerial: SF-00037 The eight-fold path and its relationship to the precepts. Ummon, Koan, Right Speech, Suzuki Roshi, Conversation, Heart Sutra, Zazen, Buddha... |
Sep 16 2006 |
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Yes!Serial: SF-01100 Sesshin Lecture: just sitting with no technique or theme; monk: what about when not carrying anything? Zhaozhou: put it down; Shakyamuni holding up the flower; zazen in... Practice, Time, Zazen |
Apr 02 2006 Green Gulch |
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Practice PeriodSerial: SF-00034 Origins of PP, meaning of 'ango'; Dogen's essay; resistance; hermit Jim; Rumi poems. Practice Period, Dongshan, Dogen, Rumi, Buddha Ancestors, Zazen, Tassajara Zen... |
Feb 19 2006 Green Gulch Farm |
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Shuso TalkSerial: SF-04732 #shuso-talk Sanctuary, Zazen, Bodhidharma |
Dec 05 2005 Tassajara |
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Zendo Lecture Precepts, Suzuki Roshi, Observe, Teacher-and-Student, Non-duality, Ego, Posture,... |
Sep 01 2005 Tassajara |
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Dining Room Lecture Posture, Mindfulness, Big Mind, Bell, Bowing, Suzuki Roshi, Zazen, Concentration... |
Aug 31 2005 Tassajara |