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

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,...
Jul 25 1971
Tassajara

Why Then Is It Necessary To Accept Precepts

Precepts, Precepts, Big Mind, Buddha Nature, training, Religion, Observe, Priest,...
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...
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,...
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,...
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...
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,...
Jun 05 1971
City Center

Be Kind with Yourself

Serial: SR-00112

Warm-hearted practice. Breathing and posture in zazen. We all have different circumstances, but in the monastery, we have one practice. Rules give freedom to practice.

...
Dogen, Zazen, Tatsugami, Freedom, Instruction, Monks, Posture, Priest, American...
Feb 23 1971
Tassajara

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...
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,...
Feb 05 1971
City Center

The Boss of Everything

Zazen, Big Mind, confusion, Precepts, Bodhidharma, Zazen, Suffering, Observe...
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...
Aug 02 1970
City Center

OLD - 1970.06.25-serial.00219

Serial: SR-00219

Second part of talk from this date.

Zazen, Hate
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,...
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,...
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,...
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
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...
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...
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,...
Sep 14 1969

Sesshin, Sixth Night Lecture

Serial: SR-00129

Tassajara
September, 1969

Sesshin, Don't Know Mind, Posture, Ceremony, Addiction, Duality, Beginners,...
Sep 1969
Tassajara

I have nothing in my mind

Emptiness, Forms, Zazen, Buddha Nature, Freedom, Passions, Interview, Beginners,...
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,...
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,...
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,...
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
Oct 30 1968
Series 2, Talk 6
Tassajara

The True Dragon

Dogen, Baso, Dragons, Freedom, Soto Zen, Emptiness, Bodhidharma, Instruction, Zazen...
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,...
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...
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,...
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
Aug 19 1966
B
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,...
Jun 19 1966
A
Sokoji

OLD - In the Prajnaparamita Sutra

Heart Sutra, Emptiness, Wisdom, Perfect Wisdom, Beginners, Politics, Balance,...
Jan 21 1966
BN

Calmness

Serial: SF-05123A

===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #3, by Shundo David Haye =====

In this talk, which became the Calmness chapter of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (p121), Suzuki Roshi...

Dogen, Zazen, Composure
Aug 26 1965
Los Altos

OLD - Become More Honest and Direct

Serial: SF-05766

SR-68-00-00-B (complete) - duplicate

Posture, Observe, Evil, Instruction, Zazen
[field_wisdom_date]
Unknown