Dharma Communcitations P.O. Shikantaza (只管打坐) is a Japanese translation of a Chinese term for zazen introduced by Rujing, a monk of the Caodong school of Zen Buddhism, to refer to a practice called "Silent Illumination", or "Serene Reflection", by previous Caodong masters. It’s automatic. All schools of Zen practice the sitting meditation called zazen where one sits upright and follows the breath, especially the movement of the breath within the belly. My experience with "formal" zazen comes from meditating at a local Korean Zen meditation center, for about two years, twice a week, two hours each time. Zen is called Thien in Vietnam and Seon in Korea. Aren't these temporary states that shouldn't be attached to? The Soto Buddhist church claims to teach people Zen, … Instruction. This is so difficult for us, we can hardly even conceive of it. Before and after this it gives all the ritual and physical acts one should be aware of, pictures included. "Zen" is the Japanese rendering of Ch'an. More bad news for the orthodox Soto position that Dogen was opposed to koan introspection in zazen. Genzan expands the question: what exactly is the character of zazen, shikantaza? When discussing zazen, Dogen regularly quotes a saying by Shitou's successor, Yaoshan Weiyan (745-828; Yakusan Igen in Japanese). Is Shikantaza simply another word for Zazen? If extraneous thoughts come, let … Some seem puzzled why the instructor spends so much time on this peripheral stuff about one's legs instead of explaining what to do with one's head.I've also heard complaints that zazen instructions are hopelessly anal. Concentration; Koan Introspection; Shikantaza (just sitting) This is the practice of "just sitting," without directing the mind in any particular manner. Any Zen meditation is called Zazen, including breath meditation, koan meditation, observing-the-thoughts meditation, and just-sitting-meditation (shikantaza). Re: Zazen Vs Vipassana « Reply #23 on: June 30, 2010, 05:05:26 AM » Some things are just better done with other people e.g. Box 156MR 831 Plank Road Mt. A monk asked Yaoshan what he thought Zazen originates from the teachings of Buddha, who lived in India 2,500 years ago and founded the religion and philosophy of Buddhism. The difference is essentially that they attack the problem from opposite ends. Shikantaza or “just sitting” is the essence of Soto Zen. Zazen, a form of seated meditation, is at the very heart of Zen practice. That's why Zen books don't refer to it. Sean Tetsudo Murphy talks about his experience with Shikantaza Meditation. Or does it describe a particular way of doing it? There are many traditions of Buddhism, and each tradition has its own approach to meditation practice. The essential thing in doing zazen is to awaken (kakusoku) from distraction and dullness, and return to the right posture moment by moment." There is no goal to be attained beyond the practice itself. Vippassana vs Zazen (Shikantaza) dooksta123 Explorer. Harada Roshi broke down the crude, unhistorical binary of Rinzai-koan-fierceness vs. Soto-shikantaza-sleepiness. Shikantaza, or just sitting, is the most direct of practices in all of Buddhism. Shikantaza, aka Zazen, is nothing to do with Zen. This Zazen "develops" what can be developed only when we drop all need for development and change, sitting in the Wholeness of that… Very generally speaking, zazen practice is taught in one of three ways. As for jhanas vs shikantaza, I think there is a lot of evidence to show that shikantaza is an advanced practice and the practitioner would have reached a level of maturity before practicing silent illumination. For a history on the origin of the faith-based Buddhist practice called Zazen, read Dogen's Manuals of Zen Meditation by Bielefeldt. Does zazen only focus on jhana? In lecture four, Yasutani describes the five kinds of zazen: bompu, gedo, shojo, daijo, and saijojo (he adds the latter is the same thing as shikantaza). "Zazen" means 'sitting meditation' in Japanese Zen. November 2015 in Meditation. In China, it is called Ch'an Buddhism.Ch'an is the Chinese rendering of the Sanskrit word dhyana, which refers to a mind absorbed in meditation. Shikantaza is a kind of Zazen. Shikantaza Zazen is not meditation, is not development, and thus creates no Karma. Plus some meditation at home. Unfortunately, so many people teach it as meditating in a certain posture for a certain time). With zazen, if I sit correctly, I become the Buddha. Posts about Shikantaza is….. written by realityisdharma. OcTavO wrote:It struck me that Shikantaza almost seemed like a "jumping in at the deep end" aproach to meditation.I felt like I was trying to drive a car without first being instructed what the steering wheel did. The Sanzen program is for people who wish to practice sitting Zen (“zazen”) intensively. In zazen we move from the head to the heart and into our Buddha-nature. All participants in this program will stay in communal rooms and use communal baths (men and women in separate facilities). (Dogen is full of koans)! What is the difference? In my experience, counting breaths is useful on those days when the mind is very distracted with mental chatter / … Reality is Dharma "The opinions displayed here are personal, and in no way reflect the opinions of the management" :) The Japanese word for this, shikantaza, is usually translated as “just sitting,” but Dogen, the founder of the Soto school of Zen, specifically taught that zazen is “beyond sitting or lying down.” Shikantaza is more than the mere physical posture of sitting, although it certainly includes that. Zazen is the polishing of the Jewel that Shines brilliantly whether seen or unseen, and thus can't be polished. growing up, socialising, and many other things, it … He consults such varied temperaments as Hongzhi Zhengjue, Dai’un Harada and Haku’un Yasutani. Posted Feb 9 2019 on the Soto Zen Buddhism Facebook pages Here (if ya ask me ) is -THE- key point of Shikantaza Zazen that is unique and subtly unlike most any other way of “Objectless” meditation … thus Shikantaza is not even really “meditation” at all (if ya ask me ) … Zen, at least in the Soto tradition, emphasizes the practice of shikantaza (just sitting). Doing nothing. I found myself wondering how anyone in the Soto tradition could achieve the bright awareness in "just sitting" without first learning concentration practices. In fact, Zen is known as the “meditation school” of Buddhism. Okumura Roshi is the head priest and founder of Sanshin Zen Community located in Bloomington, Indiana. Zazen is the study of the self. These teachings were brought to … In the Soto school of Zen, Zazen, or sitting meditation, is the core of the practice. For zazen, especially for beginning students, I recommend first sitting upright. Shikantaza Zazen is --not-- meditating, nor a matter of posture or time. Our practice of zazen is also known as shikantaza, a Japanese term that can be translated as “nothing but precisely sitting.”The whole point is to just sit there. Having participated in a number of "intro to zazen" classes, I've noticed newbies tend to react to these instructions in one of two ways. In addition to shikantaza zazen, Soto emphasizes what Dogen called genjokoan, the realization that everything we do is an expression of ultimate reality and an opportunity to awaken. With koans, if I read and study a koan I am still an ignoramus—nothing is automatic. I've now listened to all the beginner talks that describe 'shikantaza' and to me the instructions seem identical to what I know as 'zazen'. Zazen, with respect to Soto Zen, begins with the premise that zazen is at the heart of Zen unlike traditional Zen that begins with the premise that Buddha Mind is at the heart of Zen. The following is a written record of a zazen instruction class given by Shohaku Okumura to a group of students. Zazen is the act of sitting in meditation. The scholarly answer to that question is that Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that emerged in China about 15 centuries ago. To quote my buddhist friend J. from Japan: After all, Zazen was the vehicle of Buddha’s Enlightenment. That’s it, that’s all. No stimulus should be more important than another. this is a description of zazen (Shikantaza) from another thread.. Shikantaza can to a certain extent be described as choiceless awareness. But that is just a pointer, because the teaching setting in which Shiknataza is practised, is non-gradual, and declares the innate self-resonant perfection “as such” of body, mind, and world. 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