How to Practice Zen Meditation
Zen Pathways February 10, 2022 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197573686.003.0004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | counting the breaths |
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Key points | Provides practical instructions for zazen, including posture, breath counting, and dealing with distracting thoughts. |
Abstract
Abstract This chapter provides instructions for practicing Zen meditation, zazen. It explains how to attend to place, body, breath, and mind. First, it explains how to set up a good space for meditation, and it discusses when, how often, and for how long one should meditate. Next, it explains in detail how the body should be positioned, either on a chair, in a cross-legged (Burmese, half-lotus, or full-lotus) position, or in a kneeling position. Then it introduces the traditional Zen method of “counting the breaths,” up to ten, one number per breath, as a method for concentrating and calming the mind. It goes on to discuss the importance of maintaining physical stillness as a gateway to mental, emotional, and ultimately spiritual peace, and it explains how to clear the mind by neither chasing after nor chasing off distracting thoughts. It ends by explaining how to practice walking meditation, kinhin.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |