Zen Meditation - Zazen

Zen is a school, or form, of Buddhism. The practice of Zen meditation is an essential part of a Zen Buddhist’s life and is a requirement for the pursuit of enlightenment, but you don’t have to be a Buddhist to practice Zen meditation.

The core of Zen meditation is called ‘Zazen’, a sitting meditation in which practitioners sit in different positions (lotus, half lotus, kneeling). The mind is calmed by counting or ‘watching’ the breath and focusing or directing the energy from it towards the navel (tummy button). And by doing ...nothing! Whichever position you adopt the most important thing is to keep the spine straight with the lower part of the back curved. This allows the diaphragm to move freely which in turn allows you to breathe deeply and freely. 

A small cushion, (zafu), placed on a padded mat (zabuton) can be sat on. Or you can use a seiza bench to rest your knees on, while keeping the buttocks lifted off the floor. My husband uses a seiza bench during his primordial sound meditation; he’s not as flexible as he used to be, sitting cross-legged or on the ground isn’t comfortable but his little wooden bench makes it all possible. 

By sitting in particular positions and focusing on the breath the mind closes out images and thoughts. After a period of focused concentration, your heart rate will slow down; breathing will start become shallower, leading you into a state of meditation and escape from the constant chatter of the subconscious psyche. 

Practice time varies from five minutes to 30 minutes for lay people. Zen monks practice for 30-40 minutes, six times a day. Intense, group meditations, or ‘seshins’, are practiced over 1, 3, 5 or 7 days.  

To relieve leg strain, walking meditation, ‘kinhin’, is usually practiced during a ‘seshin’. During walking meditation a step is taken after each full breath. The beginning of kinhin is marked by ringing a bell twice and ended by a single bell ring.  

Click here for a clear, well-written, free guide to Zazen from the Zen Mountain Monastery (pdf format).   

 You'll find some Amazon recommendations, specific to Zen Meditation, in the link below: