What is the difference between zazen and shikantaza?
Zazen is the general term for meditation. Shikantaza is a form of meditation associated with the Soto Zen school founded in Japan by Dogen. It does away with any instruments of focus such as breath counting or koans, using only the breath and its action as its main concern.
What did Dogen teach about meditation?
Like other Zen masters of his time, Dogen aimed to simplify Buddhist practice and make it widely accessible; he taught zazen (sitting meditation) to monks and laypeople, rich and poor, educated and illiterate, men and women. He advocated meditation as a process of discovering the true nature of consciousness and self.
What is the purpose of Shikantaza?
quiet sitting in open awareness, reflecting directly the reality of life. Shikantaza is often termed a goalless meditation in quiet awareness, not working on any koan, or counting the breath. It is an alert condition, performed erect, with no trace of sluggishness or drowsiness.
Who first taught Shikantaza?
Trust that when we just sit, we are embodying awakening itself. The word shikantaza—“just sitting” or “nothing but sitting”—is attributed to Eihei Dogen, the founder of the Japanese Soto school of Zen, who said he got the term from his teacher, Tiantong Rujing.
Did Buddha do zazen?
Zazen refers to sitting meditation. It’s a meditative practice that’s meant to give insight into your true nature of being. Zazen originates from the teachings of Buddha, who lived in India 2,500 years ago and founded the religion and philosophy of Buddhism.
How do you sit Shikantaza?
All you should do is try and keep your back relatively straight (in other words, don’t slouch in a recliner). Place your hands on your thighs, close your eyes, and feel your breathing. Concentrate on the fact that you are breathing. Feel your in-breaths; feel your out-breaths.
What is dogen famous for?
Dōgen is known for his extensive writing including his most famous work, the collection of 95 essays called the Shōbōgenzō, but also Eihei Kōroku, a collection of his talks, poetry, and commentaries, and Eihei Shingi, the first Zen monastic code written in Japan, among others.
How do you do Shikantaza meditation?
Just sit, let the thoughts come and go, and, when you get lost, come back to your breath, again. Don’t worry about how long you’re sitting, don’t worry about what you need to put in 15 minutes or an hour or a day. Just be with yourself, allow yourself to have that time to just sit.
Is zazen a religion?
Zen is not a philosophy or a religion. Zen tries to free the mind from the slavery of words and the constriction of logic. Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one’s own being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom.
What’s the meaning of zazen?
seated meditation
Zazen (literally “seated meditation”; Japanese: 座禅; simplified Chinese: 坐禅; traditional Chinese: 坐禪; pinyin: zuò chán; Wade–Giles: tso4-ch’an2, pronounced [tswô ʈʂʰǎn]) is a meditative discipline that is typically the primary practice of the Zen Buddhist tradition.