Stages of Zazen - Deepstash

Stages of Zazen

Zazen, the Zen meditation, can start easy and progress towards complexity:

  • Count breaths & exhalations. Breath in - 1. Breathe out - 2. Do it until you get to 10 & restart. If you notice any thoughts just label them.
  • Concentrate on full breath cycle. Count only exhalations.
  • Concentrate on "pure" breathing. No counting. 
  • Shikantaza, or simply resting without any thoughts.
  • Study a koan, or a Zen riddle like "What is the sound of one hand clapping?". Ideally done with a teacher.

Don't look at these techniques as a progression. You can study koans one session & do counting in the next. 

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vladimir

Life-long learner. Passionate about leadership, entrepreneurship, philosophy, Buddhism & SF. Founder @deepstash.

Jules Harris, the first African American Zen master, makes an argument to go beyond mindfulness towards a more classical views of Buddhism. His method combines psychological interpretation of Buddhist text with psychology.

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