What is Zazen?

“In the teachings of the buddhadharma, practice and realization are one and equal. Since this is the practice of realization, beginner’s practice of the Way is itself the whole of original realization.”

Great Teacher Eihei Dogen, Shobogenzo Bendowa

Zazen is the general term for Zen meditation. Shikantaza, translated as “just sitting” or “only sitting,” is the specific form of zazen practiced in Soto Zen Buddhism. It is the posture of Buddha and the expression of realization. Zazen is practice without techniques, mantras, or visualizations. Dogen Zenji, the founder of the Soto Zen Buddhist lineage in Japan, teaches that we do not practice to achieve some transcendent state since practice itself is realization. We sit in a stable position with no gaining mind, open to the rising and falling of all experience without attachment, aversion, or judgment but rather cultivating a balanced awareness of the present moment. 

Dogen Zenji also teaches that with a commitment to ongoing practice, the mind and attitude of shikantaza suffuses everyday life and affects all beings. He writes in Shobogenzo Bendowa, The Wholehearted Practice of the Way: “You should know that even if all the buddhas in the ten directions, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River, together engage the full power of their buddha wisdom, they could never reach the limit, or measure or comprehend the virtue, of one person’s zazen.”

Everyone is welcomed to participate in daily zazen practice supported by the strength of group practice. Links to all of our programs are here.