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

Chao Chou's Four Gates

Serial: SF-03239

Sunday Lecture: case 9 of the Blue Cliff Record: "What is Chao Chou?" "East gate, west gate, south gate, north gate"

Practice Period, Ordinary Mind, Buddha Nature, Blue Cliff Record, Suzuki Roshi,...
Oct 19 1997
Green Gulch

Majjhima Nikaya Class

Serial: SF-03195

Middle-length Discourses

Attachment, Addiction, Mindfulness, confusion, Four Noble Truths, Emptiness, Zazen,...
Oct 14 1997
Green Gulch

Sunday Lecture

Serial: SF-03240

Date on box 10-19-97, date on cassette 10-12-97, not corrected

Commitment, Priest, Zazen, Peace, Observe, Concentration, Passions, confusion,...
Oct 12 1997
Green Gulch

Sesshin Lecture

Harmonizing, Obstacles, Zazen, Bodhidharma, Ego, Posture, Bell, Zendo, realization...
Aug 11 1997
Green Gulch

Jukai: How Do You Manifest The Precepts In Your Life?

Precepts, Daily Life, Triple Treasure, Repentance, Zazen, Ceremony, Sangha, Buddha...
Jun 25 1997
Unknown

Sunday Lecture

Delusion, Letting Go, Zendo, Bodhisattva Vow, Freedom, realization, Ego, Don't...
Jun 22 1997
Green Gulch

Genjo Koan workshop

Serial: SF-03185

To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion, that myriad...' Delusion itself is the agency of my enlightenment; totally enter delusion and embrace it and...

Delusion, realization, Precepts, Emotions, Subject-and-Object, Monastic Practice,...
Jun 14 1997
Green Gulch

1997.03.15-serial.00101

Hindrances, Heart Sutra, Mahayana, Zazen, Letting Go, Vimalakirti, Suzuki Roshi,...
Mar 15 1997

Recollections of Early Zen

Priest, Rinzai, Peace, Ceremony, New Year, Mahayana, Zazen, Diversity, Funeral,...
Feb 08 1997
3 of 3
Green Gulch Farm

January 15th, 1997, Serial No. 02685

Priest, Intimacy, Tassajara, Heart Sutra, Zendo, Emotions, Zazen, Ceremony,...
Jan 15 1997
Unknown

Willingness To Be With Our Difficulties

Hate, Four Noble Truths, Suzuki Roshi, Right Speech, Conversation, resistance,...
Dec 28 1996
Unknown

Be Completely Who You Are

Serial: SF-02709B

Rohatsu Sesshin

Emptiness, Suzuki Roshi, Happiness, Anger, Emotions, Zazen, Ceremony
Dec 05 1996
Unknown

Expound the Dharma with This Body by Letting Life Bloom Through You

Serial: SF-02710B

Rohatsu Sesshin

Instruction, Suzuki Roshi, Hate, Zazen
Dec 03 1996
Unknown

Lessons From the Movie 'Secrets and Lies'

Serial: SF-03215

One-day sitting

Mindfulness, Commitment, Practice Period, Equanimity, Emotions, Letting Go, Posture,...
Nov 16 1996
Green Gulch

Effort - While You're Already Perfect

Heart Sutra, Suzuki Roshi, Emptiness, realization, Precepts, Passions, Right Effort,...
Nov 13 1996
Unknown

Being Open To Life's Process As It Is

Serial: SF-03216

One-day sitting

Posture, Intimacy, Zazen, resistance, Ego, Greed, Concentration, Instruction, Zendo,...
Oct 19 1996
Green Gulch

September 21st, 1996, Serial No. 01886

Suzuki Roshi, Four Noble Truths, Dragons, Aspects of Practice, Zazen, Emptiness,...
Sep 21 1996
Unknown

How To Continue Your Practice After Sesshin

Serial: SF-03631

Sunday Lecture - taking our understanding, our effort, into daily life

Daily Life, training, Don't Know Mind, Anger, Emotions, Impermanence, Hate,...
Aug 25 1996
Green Gulch

Saturday Lecture

Passions, Religion, Light-and-Darkness, Suzuki Roshi, Politics, Platform Sutra, Zazen...
Aug 17 1996
City Center

Wednesday Lecture

Hsin Hsin Ming, Zazen, Ordination, Practice Period, Obstacles, Mahayana, Anger,...
Aug 14 1996
Unknown

Practice of Zazen

Serial: SF-03138

Sunday Lecture

Zazen, zen meditation, Ceremony, Bell, Interview, Greed, Letting Go, Posture,...
May 26 1996
Green Gulch

May 18th, 1996, Serial No. 02694

Dragons, Suzuki Roshi, Silence, Priest, Funeral, Zazen, Ceremony, Tassajara, Bell,...
May 18 1996
Unknown

May 11th, 1996, Serial No. 02704

Repentance, Precepts, Zazen, Practice Period, Triple Treasure, Ceremony, Monastic...
May 11 1996
Unknown

April 24th, 1996, Serial No. 02705

Suzuki Roshi, Emptiness, Intimacy, Zazen, Birth-and-Death, Zazen Mind, Dharma...
Apr 24 1996
Unknown

Old Age, Sickness and Death

Serial: SF-03633

One-day sitting - Katagiri in Returning To Silence - Three kinds of thirsting desire

Two Truths, Four Noble Truths, Emptiness, Funeral, Zazen, Continuous, Obstacles,...
Apr 20 1996
Green Gulch

Fearlessness - What Is It?

Intimacy, Birth-and-Death, Transmission, Absolute-and-Relative, realization, Ceremony...
Mar 02 1996
Tassajara

Rohatsu Sesshin

Serial: SF-03575

Duplicate

Suzuki Roshi, Composure, Birth-and-Death, Funeral, Zazen, Obstacles, Renewal,...
Dec 14 1995
Unknown

Rohatsu Sesshin

Suzuki Roshi, Composure, Birth-and-Death, Zazen Mind, Funeral, Zazen, Renewal,...
Dec 04 1995
Unknown

Finding Our Real Seat In Zazen

Serial: SF-03217

One-day sitting

Zazen, Posture, Balance, Vows, Dragons, Observe, Instruction, Avalokiteshvara,...
Nov 18 1995
Green Gulch

Karma and Family Place

Serial: SF-02689A

From the BZC archive

Transmission, Karma, Offering, Lineage, Hindrances, Religion, Gratitude, Zazen,...
Nov 12 1995
Berkeley Zen Center

Buddhism and Science

Serial: SF-02689B

From the BZC archive

Suzuki Roshi, Heart Sutra, Zazen, Tassajara, training, Transmission, Silence, Posture...
Nov 11 1995
Berkeley Zen Center

Sunday Lecture

Serial: SF-03626

Our practice and our efforts that we make towards peace within ourselves and within our lives

Practice Period, Birth-and-Death, Karma, Emptiness, Giving-and-Taking, Zazen,...
Nov 05 1995
Green Gulch

1995.11.01-serial.00003

Suzuki Roshi, Daily Life, Big Mind, Letting Go, Zazen Mind, Zazen, Ego, Enthusiasm,...
Nov 01 1995

October 25th, 1995, Serial No. 02702

Hsin Hsin Ming, Composure, Emotions, Suzuki Roshi, Faith, Daily Life, Hate, Zazen,...
Oct 25 1995
Unknown

Bowing, Sleepiness and Restlessness

Serial: SF-00152

Wednesday dharma talk.

Chanting, Bowing, Heart Sutra, Posture, Ceremony, Zendo, Hindrances, Vows, Suzuki...
Oct 04 1995
Green Gulch Farm

Meanings of the Word Dharma

Serial: SF-03094

Sunday Lecture

Birth-and-Death, Humility, Buddha's Birthday, Soto Zen, Zendo, Zazen, Family...
Sep 24 1995
Green Gulch

Putting Our Effort Into Sitting

Serial: SF-03607

One-day sitting

realization, Posture, Mindfulness, Suzuki Roshi, Zazen, Emptiness, Harmonizing,...
Sep 16 1995
Green Gulch

July 26th, 1995, Serial No. 00919

Emptiness, Suzuki Roshi, Echo, Tassajara, Zazen, Global Warming, Letting Go, Practice...
Jul 26 1995
Unknown

Emptying Yourself To Receive The Gift To Give It Away Again

Serial: SF-03096

Sunday Lecture

Interview, Humility, Emotions, Concentration, Posture, Soto Zen, Describe, Teacher-...
Jun 25 1995
Green Gulch

Studying Yourself through Zazen and Oryoki

Serial: SF-03672

One-day sitting

Posture, Forgiveness, Zazen, Bell, Letting Go, Zendo, Emotions, Rinzai, Offering,...
Jun 17 1995
Green Gulch

Sunday Lecture

Practice Period, Ceremony, Religion, Suzuki Roshi, Commitment, Evil, Priest, Right...
Jun 04 1995
Green Gulch

Shuso Talk

Serial: SF-01118

#shuso-talk

Heart Sutra, Manjushri, Bell, Zazen, Daily Life, Letting Go, Zendo, realization,...
May 24 1995
Unknown

Shantideva Class

Serial: SF-03203

Practice of Wisdom

Interdependence, Emotions, Attachment, Emptiness, Zazen, Posture, Ego, Describe,...
May 23 1995
Unknown

Shantideva Class

Serial: SF-03204

Practice of Concentration

Obstacles, Concentration, Faith, Family Practice, Instruction, Absolute-and-Relative...
May 16 1995
Unknown

Shantideva Class

Anger, Patience, Enthusiasm, Emotions, Letting Go, Right Speech, Happiness, Zazen,...
May 09 1995
Unknown

Tokubetsu Sesshin

Transmission, Posture, Delusion, Right Effort, Zazen, Daily Life, Observe, Silence,...
Mar 27 1995

January 7th, 1995, Serial No. 02687

New Year, Observe, Rumi, Chanting, training, Echo, Ego, Offering, confusion, Zazen...
Jan 07 1995
Unknown

1995.01.04-serial.00065

Tassajara, Teacher-and-Student, Priest, Practice Period, Ceremony, Zazen,...
Jan 04 1995
City Center

Sunday Lecture

Practice Period, Commitment, Letting Go, Suzuki Roshi, training, Greed, Emotions,...
Nov 27 1994
Green Gulch

Sunday Lecture

Hate, Mindfulness, Letting Go, Happiness, Zazen, Patience, resistance, Commitment,...
Aug 28 1994
Green Gulch

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