Where is zen buddhism practiced

Fruitful Zen practice and the actualization of insight requires full engagement and motivation. Patience, endurance, discipline, curiosity, and the thirst to find out what this existence is about are necessities on this long, demanding, but rewarding path. During Zazen we initially focus on breath, allowing it to flow softly and naturally. Attention to the breath is common to a number of meditation traditions. During formal meditation sessions, the individual periods of seated meditation may last from half an hour to forty-five minutes.

Zazen is best practiced in a quiet location, sitting still with an erect and well-grounded posture, supported by a cushion on a thick mat or blanket. A meditation bench or a properly adjusted chair can be used by those who cannot sit on the floor.

For those who can, it is important that both knees make firm contact with the mat, for a stable, triangular base. If needed, a support cushion can be placed under one or both knees. The head is straight, the chin pulled in just enough to elongate the cervical spine. The ears line up perpendicular to the shoulders. All of these posture points help root the body in the earth, while the upper torso is elongated and the crown of the head reaches toward the heavens.

The hands are held in one of two possible meditation mudras. In what is known as the cosmic mudra, the left hand rests on the palm of the right hand, palms facing up. The thumbs barely touch at the tips, forming a well-rounded oval that encircles the navel. Eyes remain half-open, with the gaze softly resting on the floor in front. In the other mudra, used in many Rinzai centers, the right hand grasps the left thumb, and the left hand covers the right; again, if in half- or full-lotus, this mudra rests on the sole of the upper foot.

To avoid shoulder tension, if one is sitting in Burmese posture, with one leg in front of the other, or on a bench or chair, the mudra can rest in the lap, making sure to keep the shoulders back and down.

After a period of seated meditation we engage with the same attention and presence in movement meditation: kinhin. If you're a westerner you may find it hard to shake off the intellectual and dualist ways of thinking that dominate western culture: these can make it difficult for westerners to come to Zen. Zen Buddhists pay less attention to scripture as a means of learning than they do to various methods of practising Zen. The most common way of teaching is for enlightenment to be communicated direct from master to pupil.

Zen practices are aimed at taking the rational and intellectual mind out of the mental loop, so that the student can become more aware and realise their own Buddha-nature. Sometimes even mild physical violence is used to stop the student intellectualising or getting stuck in some other way. Students of Zen aim to achieve enlightenment by the way they live, and by mental actions that approach the truth without philosophical thought or intellectual endeavour.

Some schools of Zen work to achieve sudden moments of enlightenment, while others prefer a gradual process. Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so.

This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. Zen Buddhism Last updated Zen Buddhism Zen in its own words A special transmission outside the scriptures Without reliance on words or letters Directly pointing to the heart of humanity Seeing into one's own nature.

Hakuin Ekaku. Zen in practice Learning Zen If you're a westerner you may find it hard to shake off the intellectual and dualist ways of thinking that dominate western culture: these can make it difficult for westerners to come to Zen. Clues to the meaning of Zen Because Zen is so hard to explain here are some quotations that may help you get an idea of it: The essence of Zen Buddhism is achieving enlightenment by seeing one's original mind or original nature directly; without the intervention of the intellect.

Zen is big on intuitive understanding, on just 'getting it', and not so hot on philosophising. Zen is concerned with what actually is rather than what we think or feel about what is. However, those are usually introduced only after good posture and concentration were achieved during the seated meditation. To this day, those in the Obaku sect continue to chant sutras in the Chinese language. In the zen meditation, posture is everything. For a first-timer, it requires being in good health and fairly flexible, as it can be quite challenging for those who are not used to it.

Indeed, it requires sitting during several periods of 15 minutes on a big flat zabuton and on a zafu, two types of Japanese cushions. However, for people with knee problems some alternatives can sometimes be found, such as sitting on a chair.

But what to do exactly when sitting? Actually, this is where zazen differs from other types of meditation. While the latter might encourage practitioners to think of an image or focus on a unique thought, zazen requires nothing except keeping a good posture and breathing: there is no goal or aim attached to it.

The popularity of Zen has even spread to the Western World. A pivotal point was when the Japanese monk, Soyen Shaku visited Chicago in It has since become the subject of many books written by Westerners, as well as the inspiration for a number of American Beat poets.

Why not try it for yourself? Gion, Kawaramachi, Kiyomizu-dera Temple.