Zazen Talks

Zazen is a meditative discipline that is typically the primary practice of the Zen Buddhist tradition.

The generalized Japanese term for meditation is 瞑想 (meisō); however, zazen has been used informally to include all forms of seated Buddhist meditation. The term zuòchán can be found in early Chinese Buddhist sources, such as the Dhyāna sutras. For example, the famous translator Kumārajīva (344–413) translated a work termed Zuòchán sān mēi jīng (A Manual on the Samādhi of Sitting Meditation) and the Chinese Tiantai master Zhiyi (538–597 CE) wrote some very influential works on sitting meditation.

The meaning and method of zazen varies from school to school, but in general it is a quiet type of Buddhist meditation done in a sitting posture like the lotus position. The practice can be done with various methods, such as following the breath (anapanasati), mentally repeating a phrase (which could be a koan, a mantra, a huatou or nianfo) and a kind of open monitoring in which one is aware of whatever comes to our attention (sometimes called shikantaza or silent illumination). Repeating a huatou, a short meditation phrase, is a common method in Chinese Chan and Korean Seon. Meanwhile, nianfo, the practice of silently reciting the Buddha Amitabha's name, is common in the traditions influenced by Pure Land practice, and was also taught by Chan masters like Zongmi.

In the Japanese Buddhist Rinzai school, zazen is usually combined with the study of koans. The Japanese Sōtō school makes less or no use of koans, preferring an approach known as shikantaza where the mind has no object at all.

From zazen on Wikipedia

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Title Speaker

Practice and Boredom

Serial: BZ-00670A

Sesshin Day 5

Zazen, Stillness, Daily Life, Pure Existence, Doubt, Posture, soto, Separation,...
Jun 13 1993
Berkeley Zen Center

Dogen's Fukanaazengi: Zazen Instructions

Serial: BZ-00653A

Sesshin Day 1

Fukanzazengi, Zazen, Posture, Concentration, Anger, Tassajara, Instruction, Doubt,...
Jun 09 1993
Berkeley Zen Center

Shakyamuni's Enlightenment as a Guide to Practice

Serial: SF-00075

Saturday Lecture

Fasting, Hate, Chanting, Concentration, Delusion, Vows, confusion, Zazen
Apr 24 1993

Zazen Instruction

Serial: BZ-00680B

First Friday

Zazen, Posture, Beginners, Teacher-and-Student, Daily Life, Concentration, Nirvana,...
May 01 1992
Berkeley Zen Center

Continuous Zazen

Serial: BZ-00684B

Saturday Lecture

Zazen, Priest, Daily Life, Mindfulness, Intimacy, Instruction, Liberation, Equanimity...
Feb 01 1992
Berkeley Zen Center

Zazen Instruction

Serial: BZ-00682B

Instruction

Zazen, Instruction, Priest, Bowing, Posture, Passions, Concentration, Anger,...
Jan 09 1992
Berkeley Zen Center

Meaning of Dokusan

Serial: BZ-00707B

Relationship to Teacher and Zazen, Rohatsu Day 6

Teacher-and-Student, Dokusan, Zazen, Soto Zen, Teacher-and-Student, Aspects of...
Dec 06 1991
Berkeley Zen Center

Patience, Posture, and Practice

Serial: BZ-00693A

Rohatsu Day 5

Posture, Zazen, Patience, Buddha Nature, Instruction, Non-duality, Silence, Building...
Dec 05 1991
Berkeley Zen Center

1991.10.19-serial.00093

true dharma, Sangha, Gratitude, Zazen, Letting Go, Vows, Anger, Suzuki Roshi,...
Oct 19 1991

1991.09.18-serial.00092

Practice Period, Zendo, Suzuki Roshi, Intimacy, Posture, Aspects of Practice, Zazen,...
Sep 18 1991

Why Do We Do Zazen?

Serial: BZ-00714B

Just Say "Yes!", Sesshin Day 3

Zazen, Offering, Birth-and-Death, Ego, Ordinary Mind, Fox, Doubt, Priest, Demons,...
Sep 02 1991
Berkeley Zen Center

Mumonkan Case 10

Serial: SF-00046

Seizei lonely and destitute.

Enthusiasm, Priest, Sanctuary, Sangha, Buddha Nature, Faith, soto, Balance, Zazen...
Apr 28 1991
Green Gulch Farm

Fundamentals and Practicality of Zazen

Serial: BZ-00700B

One-Day Sitting

Zazen, Harmonizing, Posture, Buddha Nature, Peace, resistance, confusion, Instruction...
Apr 21 1991
Berkeley Zen Center

1991.03.02-serial.00150

Fundraising, Offering, Suzuki Roshi, Zazen, Mindfulness, Lineage, Tassajara, Describe...
Mar 02 1991

1989.05.18-serial.00054

Renunciation, Zazen Mind, Zazen, Buddha Nature, Concentration, Suzuki Roshi, Ceremony...
May 18 1989
Tassajara

1987.05.03-serial.00031

Mantra, Buddha Nature, Lotus Sutra, Soto Zen, Zazen, Bowing, soto, Chanting, Posture...
May 03 1987
Green Gulch Farm

Fundamentals of Zazen

Serial: BZ-00885A

Saturday Lecture

Zazen, Posture, Instruction, Beginners, Dream World, Commitment, Enemies,...
Feb 07 1987
Berkeley Zen Center

Free Sitting vs. Forty Minute Periods: Dogen's Way

Serial: BZ-00411A

Saturday Lecture

Zazen, Dogen, Daily Life, Lay Practice, training, Bell, Practice Period, Beginners,...
Sep 01 1985
Berkeley Zen Center

Sutra Study: The Meaning of Zazen and Kinhin

Serial: BZ-00413B

Saturday Lecture

Zazen, Kinhin, Lotus Sutra, Posture, Daily Life, Sixth Patriarch, Mindfulness, Bell,...
Aug 10 1985
Berkeley Zen Center

Zazen and Shikantaza

Serial: BZ-00415B

Saturday Lecture

Zazen, Shikantaza, zen meditation, Instruction, Posture, Concentration, Building,...
Jun 15 1985
Berkeley Zen Center

Sitting Sesshin as a Beginner

Serial: BZ-00425B

Sesshin Day 1

Sesshin, Zazen, Peace, Intuition, Hate, Posture, Anger, Silence, Concentration, Bell...
Mar 16 1985
Berkeley Zen Center

Introductory Sesshin: Zazen Questions

Serial: BZ-00409B

Carrying the Stick, Beginners' Sitting

Zazen, Posture, Concentration, Kyosaku, Birth-and-Death, Describe, Anger, Harmonizing...
Feb 09 1985
Berkeley Zen Center

Breathing in Zazen

Serial: BZ-00405B

Rohatsu

Zazen, Breath, Zazen Mind, confusion, Discrimination, Big Mind, Birth-and-Death,...
Dec 04 1984
Berkeley Zen Center

Mind in Zazen

Serial: BZ-00405A

Rohatsu

Ordinary Mind, Buddha Mind, Zazen, Building, Sixth Patriarch, Concentration, Enemies...
Dec 03 1984
Berkeley Zen Center

Wanting to Sit/Should Sit

Serial: BZ-00434A

Sesshin Day 1

Zazen, Daily Life, Posture, Concentration, Separation, Lay
May 19 1984
Berkeley Zen Center

Breathing and Posture in Zazen

Serial: BZ-00402B

One-Day Sitting

Zazen, Posture, Repentance, Patience, Oneness, Concentration, Bell, Karma
Sep 17 1983
Berkeley Zen Center

Posture and Breathing in Zazen

Serial: BZ-00400A

Saturday Lecture

Zazen, Posture, Harmonizing, Concentration, Instruction
Jul 16 1983
Berkeley Zen Center

1982.09.18-serial.00109

Birth-and-Death, Daily Life, Zazen, Gratitude, Oneness, zen, Happiness, Culture...
Sep 18 1982

1982.09.DD-serial.00107

Daily Life, causation, Intimacy, Liberation, Don't Know Mind, Meditation,...
Sep 1982

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