坐禅
ざぜん / Zazen
Zazen (坐禅) Meaning
Meaning
Zazen means "seated meditation," the core practice of Zen Buddhism. You sit still, settle your posture and breath, and let the mind quiet down. It is often described not as a tool for getting something, but as a practice in which simply sitting is itself the point.
Origin
Seated meditation goes back to early Buddhism in India, and Zen schools made it their central practice. The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch explains that not letting the mind be stirred by outer circumstances is "sitting," and inwardly seeing one's own nature without wavering is "meditation." In 13th-century Japan, the monk Dogen wrote guides such as Fukan Zazengi (Universal Recommendation for Zazen) and taught shikantaza, "just sitting." The Rinzai tradition also practices zazen, often while working with koans.
How it helps with everyday worries
When work deadlines or a difficult relationship fill your head, it is natural to try to think your way out, yet that often means looping through the same worries. Zazen offers a different kind of time: you don't force thoughts to stop, you let them come and go and keep returning to your posture and breath. Even without finding an answer, stepping back from the busy, thinking mind for a moment can shift how things look. You don't need to sit in order to erase anxiety or grief. It is enough to notice that you can carry those feelings and still sit quietly. Having a few minutes where you don't need to accomplish anything, where simply being here is enough, can be a small anchor in a crowded life.
A small practice for today
Sit near the front of a chair, let your spine rise naturally, lower your gaze, and for one minute just count your breaths. When a thought appears, return to the breath without scolding yourself.