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.

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Title	Speaker	Date
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,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	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,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Aug 10 1985 Berkeley Zen Center
Zazen and Shikantaza Serial: BZ-00415B Saturday Lecture Zazen, Shikantaza, zen meditation, Instruction, Posture, Concentration, Building,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	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...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	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, Anger, Harmonizing, Silence...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Feb 09 1985 Berkeley Zen Center
Breathing in Zazen Serial: BZ-00405B Rohatsu Zazen, Breath, Zazen Mind, confusion, Discrimination, Big Mind, Birth-and-Death,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Dec 04 1984 Berkeley Zen Center
Mind in Zazen Serial: BZ-00405A Rohatsu Ordinary Mind, Buddha Mind, Zazen, Building, Sixth Patriarch, Concentration, Enemies...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Dec 03 1984 Berkeley Zen Center
Wanting to Sit/Should Sit Serial: BZ-00434A Sesshin Day 1 Zazen, Daily Life, Posture, Concentration, Separation, Lay	Sojun Mel Weitsman	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	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Sep 17 1983 Berkeley Zen Center
Posture and Breathing in Zazen Serial: BZ-00400A Saturday Lecture Zazen, Posture, Harmonizing, Concentration, Instruction	Sojun Mel Weitsman	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
Blue Cliff Record: Case #17 Serial: BZ-00029B "Sitting Long and Getting Tired", Sesshin Day 5 BCR-17 Composure, Zazen, Koan, First Principle, Ordinary Mind, Samadhi, Composure,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	May 23 1982 Berkeley Zen Center
Participating Completely Serial: BZ-00019B Posture, Breath, Body, Mind, Zazen, Kinhin, Eating, One-Day Sitting Zazen, Kinhin, Oryoki, Schedule, Posture, Harmonizing, Fox, Concentration,...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Jan 16 1982 Berkeley Zen Center
How to Sit Sesshin Serial: BZ-00022A Rohatsu Day 5 Zazen, Effort, Chanting, Emotions, Building, Anger, Conversation, Religion, Doubt...	Sojun Mel Weitsman	Dec 1981 Part 1 of 3 Berkeley Zen Center
Breathing Concentration, Subject-and-Object, Posture, Mindfulness, Suzuki Roshi, Zazen,...	Pat Phelan	Jul 1980 Unknown
The Self Ego, realization, Transmission, Sangha, Nirvana, Delusion, Zazen, Doubt, training...	Robert Aitken Roshi	May 17 1980 City Center
Universal Practice for Laymen and Monks Serial: SR-00175 Whatever you do is practice; be careful not to practice for the sake of the self. Zazen as a way to find realization and get used to realization. Whether priest or layperson,... Practice, Zazen, Bodhisattva, Dogen, Sixth Patriarch, Buddha Mind, Faith, Truth,...	Suzuki Roshi	Jul 25 1971 Tassajara
Why Then Is It Necessary To Accept Precepts Precepts, Precepts, Big Mind, Buddha Nature, training, Religion, Observe, Priest,...	Suzuki Roshi	Jul 17 1971 City Center
Sewing Sesshin Serial: SR-00122 Sunday, June 20, 1971 Sesshin Lecture No. ____ San Francisco Sesshin, Okesa, Dogen, Attachment, New Year, Freedom, Bodhidharma, Lay, Concentration...	Suzuki Roshi	Jun 20 1971 City Center
Freedom from Everything Serial: SR-00150 Sesshin Lecture, Day 5 Wednesday, June 9, 1971 San Francisco Sesshin, Happiness, Demons, Precepts, Perfect Wisdom, Attachment, New Year, zen,...	Suzuki Roshi	Jun 09 1971 City Center
Calmness of Mind Serial: SR-00151 Sesshin Lecture No. 2 Sunday, June 7, 1971 San Francisco Practice is to expose yourself as you are, express yourself fully. Accepting your teacher's words.... Sesshin, Zazen, Breath, Community, Emptiness, Priest, Pain, Community, heart, Hate,...	Suzuki Roshi	Jun 07 1971 City Center
Okesa Ceremony Serial: SR-00146 Ceremony of the okesa: chanting the fascicle Shobogenzo Kesa Kudoku; ten virtues of the okesa. What is practice of zazen and practice of the okesa. Truth is beyond priest or... Priest, Ceremony, Okesa, Zazen, Dragons, Priest, Greed, Demons, Gratitude, Happiness...	Suzuki Roshi	Jun 06 1971 City Center
The Teaching Just for You Serial: SR-00147 Sesshin Lecture No. 1 Saturday, June 5, 1971 San Francisco Sesshin, Precepts, Dragons, Bodhidharma, Truth, sitting, Buddha Nature, Politics,...	Suzuki Roshi	Jun 05 1971 City Center
1971.02.20-serial.00115 Serial: SR-00115 Initial speaker in Japanese - Tatsugami? Translated by Katagiri? Three speakers listed for this date. War, New Year, Wisdom, Zoom, Obstacles, Zazen, Religion, Community, Evil, zen...	Tatsugami Roshi	Feb 20 1971 Tassajara
Resuming Big Mind Serial: SR-00272 Sesshin Lecture No. 1 Friday, February 5, 1971 San Francisco [”For this seven-day sesshin, there are only transcriptions for lectures given on Days 1, 3, 5,... Sesshin, Big Mind, Hate, stubbornness, Zoom, sitting, Zazen, Anger, Ceremony, heart,...	Suzuki Roshi	Feb 05 1971 City Center
The Boss of Everything Zazen, Big Mind, confusion, Precepts, Bodhidharma, Zazen, Suffering, Observe...	Suzuki Roshi	Jan 16 1971 City Center
Walk like an Elephant and Sitting like a Frog Serial: SR-00066 True Practice As Expression Of Buddha-Nature Sesshin Lecture No. 2 Sunday, August 2, 1970 San Francisco Sesshin, Sengai, Buddha Nature, Family Practice, War, Bodhidharma, Zazen, Monks...	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 02 1970 City Center
OLD - 1970.06.25-serial.00219 Serial: SR-00219 Second part of talk from this date. Zazen, Hate	Suzuki Roshi	Jun 25 1970
Today We May Be Very Happy Serial: SR-00057 Sandokai Lecture VI Wednesday, June 10, 1970 Tassajara [This lecture is concerned with the following lines of the Sandokai: Shiki moto shitsuzo wo... Branching Streams, Sandokai, Happiness, Zazen, Suffering, Pain, Buddha Nature,...	Suzuki Roshi	Jun 10 1970 Tassajara
How To Observe Precepts Serial: SR-00047 Sunday Morning, May 17, 1970 San Francisco Precepts, Precepts, Chanting, Observe, Bodhidharma, Zazen, Mahayana, Posture,...	Suzuki Roshi	May 17 1970 City Center
Lecture To Prof. Lewis R. Lancaster's Visiting Class Serial: SR-00259 Practice and enlightnment as forgetting and letting go of everything. Even if we don't know what real practice is, continuing and allowing it to reveal itself. Answering... Buddha, Emptiness, Zazen, Don't Know Mind, Emptiness, Building, Suzuki Roshi,...	Suzuki Roshi	Mar 01 1970 Tassajara
Fundamental Buddhist Point: To Adjust Ourselves To Our Surroundings Serial: SR-00192 Adjusting to life at City Center. Cleaning and zazen. Do we need furniture to practice? Dogen, Eiheiji, Zazen, Culture, Building, sitting	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 21 1969 City Center
Practice Should Not Be Perfect, So Descendants Have Something To Do Serial: SR-00203 Winter Sesshin Lecture No. 4 Tuesday, December 2, 1969 Sesshin, Dogen, Building, difficulty, Monastic Practice, Transmission, Zazen, Breath...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 02 1969 Tassajara
Pinch Hitter Serial: SR-00268 Tuesday, November 25, 1969 Evening Lecture City Center, San Francisco [Katagiri spoke before Suzuki. SR portion starts at 42:52. Wisdom, zen, Truth, Zazen, Priest, American, Delusion, Meditation, Greed, heart...	Suzuki Roshi	Nov 25 1969 City Center
Pure Silk, Sharp Iron Serial: SR-00246 Sitting cross-legged - and then what? Having the right state of mind. Chinese and Japanese culture. His absent-mindedness, impatience. Virtue of endurance. Zazen, Dogen, Culture, Ego, Transmission, training, Patience, Forms, Pain, War,...	Suzuki Roshi	Sep 14 1969
Sesshin, Sixth Night Lecture Serial: SR-00129 Tassajara September, 1969 Sesshin, Don't Know Mind, Posture, Ceremony, Addiction, Duality, Beginners,...	Suzuki Roshi	Sep 1969 Tassajara
I have nothing in my mind Emptiness, Forms, Zazen, Buddha Nature, Freedom, Passions, Interview, Beginners,...	Suzuki Roshi	Jul 15 1969 Sokoji
Question And Answer Session Serial: SR-00025 Tuesday, July 8, 1969 San Francisco Question-and-Answer, Don't Know Mind, Anger, Greed, Emotions, Zazen, Culture,...	Suzuki Roshi	Jul 08 1969 Sokoji
How should we establish our system of practice in San Francisco Serial: SR-00019 Tuesday Evening, June 17, 1969 San Francisco Just sit, and follow the teacher's instruction. Story of four kinds of horse. Humans go to the moon, but don't... Rinzai, Soto Zen, Dogen, Zazen, New Year, Concentration, Big Mind, Priest, Pain,...	Suzuki Roshi	Jun 17 1969 Sokoji
Find Out for Yourself Serial: SR-00011 Find out what "buddha-nature" and "enlightenment" mean. Study without purpose. How his teacher in Japan treated him; trying to discover the right thing to do. Sesshin, Zazen, Eiheiji, Suffering, Buddha Nature, Freedom, Beginners, Posture, zen,...	Suzuki Roshi	Mar 15 1969 Sokoji
OLD - Lotus Sutra, Lecture No. II-6 Serial: 68-10-00-E Hidden as we had a misdated reel that corresponded to this transcript - SDH October 1968 [?Transcript in progress. Needs further work, checking. Words in doubt... Precepts, Wisdom, War, Zazen, Ceremony, Sutra, sitting	Suzuki Roshi	Oct 30 1968 Series 2, Talk 6 Tassajara
The True Dragon Dogen, Baso, Dragons, Freedom, Soto Zen, Emptiness, Bodhidharma, Instruction, Zazen...	Suzuki Roshi	Oct 12 1968 B Sokoji
Practice Zazen With Your Whole Mind And Body Serial: SF-05131B This is lecture D from these notes on the reel boxes (05132-B was added to this) Several minutes of tape operator's notes at the end are included, the transcript was... Instruction, Zazen, Posture, Beginners, Funeral, Religion, Instruction, Emotions,...	Suzuki Roshi	Sep 08 1967 Morning Tassajara
OLD - The Need for Training in Buddhism without Self-Seeking Mind Serial: SF-05838 This had been labeled as A - transript matches B. temporary audio from this date hidden - SDH Saturday, December 17, 1966 DECEMBER ONE-DAY SESSHIN LECTURE:... Sesshin, Dogen, training, New Year, Don't Know Mind, Buddha Nature, Practice...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 17 1966 B Sokoji
OLD - The Need for Training in Buddhism without Self-Seeking Mind Serial: 66-12-17-B Hidden as we had a reel that corresponded to this transcript - SDH Saturday, December 17, 1966 DECEMBER ONE-DAY SESSHIN LECTURE: Saturday Evening Lecture... Sesshin, Dogen, training, Compassion, zen, Patience, Zazen, Instruction, Building,...	Suzuki Roshi	Dec 17 1966 B Sokoji
OLD - Don't Be Attached To Your Attainment Serial: 66-08-19-B Sesshin Lecture: Friday Morning during Zazen, Lecture B Sokoji Temple, San Francisco Sesshin, Zazen, Attachment, lecture	Suzuki Roshi	Aug 19 1966 B Sokoji
August 19th, 1966, Serial No. 05097, Side I Serial: SF-05097I Sesshin Lecture 1966 Tape #2 Track 4 instruction by Rev Katagiri Friday morning Composure, Zazen	Katagiri Roshi	Aug 19 1966 Sokoji
Genjo-Koan: Paragraphs 1–11 Serial: SF-05098-D Sunday morning lecture by Suzuki Roshi June 19 1966 (19 added later?) Other notes on box: Incomplete (muddled) late on then ends. "Other side"... Dogen, Genjokoan, Family Practice, Observe, Doubt, Discrimination, Attachment, Hate,...	Suzuki Roshi	Jun 19 1966 A Sokoji
On Chanting, Sokei-An Serial: SF-01131B Tape 4 copy 1 Rinzai, Chanting, Intuition, Continuous Practice, Bell, Lay, Zazen, Freedom,...	Ruth Fuller Sasaki, Gary Snyder	Mar 01 1966 Kyoto

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