Zazen

In Zen Buddhism, sitting meditation or zazen (Japanese: 座禅; literally "seated concentration") is a meditative discipline practitioners perform to calm the body and the mind and experience insight into the nature of existence. While the term originally referred to a sitting practice, it is now commonly used to refer to practices in any posture, such as walking.

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In Japan, seated zazen is traditionally performed on a mat called a zabuton while sitting on a cushion called a zafu. The common positions used to sit on the zafu are:

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• kekkafuza (full-lotus)
• hankafuza (half-lotus)
• Burmese (a cross-legged posture in which the ankles are placed together in front of the sitter)
• seiza (a kneeling posture using a bench or zafu)

In addition, it is not uncommon for modern practitioners to sit zazen in a chair, often with a wedge behind the lower back to help maintain the natural curve of the spine.

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During zazen, the hands are folded together into a simple mudra

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over the belly. In many practices, one breathes from the

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hara (the center of gravity in the belly)

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and the eyelids are half-lowered, the eyes being neither fully open

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nor shut. (The latter practice has its origins in a superstition

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where those who close their eyes during meditation are said to be in

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the hungry ghost cave of Black Mountain.)

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Long periods of zazen, usually performed in groups at a zendo (meditation hall), may alternate with periods of kinhin (walking meditation). The beginning of a zazen period is traditionally announced by ringing a bell three times (shijosho), and the end of a round by ringing the bell once (hozensho). Before and after sitting on the zafu, zen practitioners perform a gassho bow to the cushion, to fellow practitioners, and to the teacher.

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Zazen: Misconceptions about Zazen ►



 

Zen: Zen is the Japanese name of a well known branch of Mahāyāna Buddhist schools, practiced originally in China as Chan(?), and subsequently in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Zen emphasizes the role of sitting meditation (zazen) in pursuing enlightenment. Zen can be considered a religion, a philos...

Buddhism: Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived between approximately 566 and 486 BCE in India. Buddhism gradually spread from India throughout Asia to Central Asia, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Southeast Asia, as well as to East Asian countries su...

Japanese: When used as an adjective, Japanese refers to anything that originates from Japan. It may refer to more than one article:...