alternate	alternate
alternate	alternate
alternate	Self
Self	Improvement
Improvement	Work
Work	Relationships
Relationships	Home
Home	Business
Business	Education
Education	Search
Search	Sign
Sign	in
in	Welcome
Welcome	Log
Log	into
into	your
your	account
account	your
your	username
username	your
your	password
password	BUTTON
BUTTON	Input
Input	not
not	implemented
implemented	Forgot
Forgot	your
your	password
password	Get
Get	help
help	Password
Password	recovery
recovery	Recover
Recover	your
your	password
password	your
your	email
email	BUTTON
BUTTON	Input
Input	not
not	implemented
implemented	A
A	password
password	will
will	be
be	e
e	mailed
mailed	to
to	you
you	Perfect
Perfect	Hours
Hours	Self
Self	Improvement
Improvement	Work
Work	Relationships
Relationships	Home
Home	Business
Business	Education
Education	How
How	To
To	Practice
Practice	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	In
In	Daily
Daily	Life
Life	How
How	To
To	Become
Become	Zen
Zen	Today
Today	you
you	re
re	going
going	to
to	learn
learn	how
how	to
to	practice
practice	zen
zen	buddhism
buddhism	in
in	daily
daily	life
life	Zen
Zen	is
is	not
not	a
a	religion
religion	but
but	a
a	philosophy
philosophy	It
It	is
is	the
the	most
most	well
well	known
known	branch
branch	of
of	Buddhism
Buddhism	in
in	the
the	world
world	but
but	it
it	is
is	sometimes
sometimes	considered
considered	a
a	philosophy
philosophy	on
on	its
its	own
own	It
It	is
is	a
a	way
way	of
of	life
life	But
But	to
to	even
even	begin
begin	to
to	grasp
grasp	the
the	true
true	gist
gist	of
of	what
what	Zen
Zen	really
really	is
is	we
we	need
need	to
to	first
first	understand
understand	Buddhism
Buddhism	All
All	entities
entities	have
have	an
an	origin
origin	Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma	is
is	revered
revered	as
as	the
the	founder
founder	of
of	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	when
when	he
he	migrated
migrated	to
to	China
China	from
from	India
India	However
However	establishing
establishing	the
the	practice
practice	would
would	not
not	have
have	been
been	possible
possible	without
without	the
the	influence
influence	of
of	Buddhism
Buddhism	in
in	the
the	first
first	place
place	Zen
Zen	goes
goes	back
back	hundreds
hundreds	of
of	years
years	ago
ago	to
to	the
the	spiritual
spiritual	awakening
awakening	of
of	a
a	savant
savant	in
in	India
India	The
The	founding
founding	father
father	of
of	Buddhism
Buddhism	is
is	Gautama
Gautama	Buddha
Buddha	or
or	simply
simply	the
the	Buddha
Buddha	For
For	over
over	years
years	the
the	Buddha
Buddha	has
has	gained
gained	notoriety
notoriety	and
and	reverence
reverence	worldwide
worldwide	as
as	the
the	sage
sage	on
on	whose
whose	teachings
teachings	Buddhism
Buddhism	was
was	founded
founded	Like
Like	with
with	most
most	historical
historical	figures
figures	who
who	walked
walked	the
the	earth
earth	thousands
thousands	of
of	years
years	ago
ago	the
the	Buddha
Buddha	s
s	precise
precise	biography
biography	leaves
leaves	room
room	for
for	error
error	We
We	know
know	his
his	life
life	must
must	have
have	followed
followed	a
a	specific
specific	timeline
timeline	that
that	begins
begins	with
with	his
his	birth
birth	ends
ends	with
with	his
his	death
death	and
and	includes
includes	his
his	renunciation
renunciation	and
and	enlightenment
enlightenment	There
There	are
are	many
many	variations
variations	but
but	the
the	following
following	biography
biography	remains
remains	fairly
fairly	consistent
consistent	throughout
throughout	history
history	According
According	to
to	Buddhist
Buddhist	tradition
tradition	the
the	Buddha
Buddha	lived
lived	and
and	taught
taught	in
in	eastern
eastern	India
India	between
between	the
the	th
th	and
and	th
th	centuries
centuries	BCE
BCE	He
He	was
was	born
born	in
in	either
either	c
c	BCE
BCE	or
or	c
c	BCE
BCE	in
in	the
the	Sakya
Sakya	Republic
Republic	He
He	died
died	as
as	an
an	enlightened
enlightened	man
man	at
at	the
the	ripe
ripe	old
old	age
age	of
of	in
in	Kushinagar
Kushinagar	of
of	the
the	Malla
Malla	Republic
Republic	of
of	India
India	The
The	word
word	buddha
buddha	literally
literally	means
means	the
the	awakened
awakened	one
one	or
or	the
the	enlightened
enlightened	one
one	The
The	Buddha
Buddha	is
is	recognized
recognized	by
by	disciples
disciples	as
as	the
the	enlightened
enlightened	one
one	who
who	shared
shared	his
his	insights
insights	in
in	order
order	to
to	help
help	people
people	end
end	their
their	cyclic
cyclic	suffering
suffering	and
and	attain
attain	enlightenment
enlightenment	According
According	to
to	the
the	Buddha
Buddha	this
this	was
was	achieved
achieved	by
by	eliminating
eliminating	ignorance
ignorance	and
and	craving
craving	Buddhism
Buddhism	flourished
flourished	in
in	India
India	eventually
eventually	spreading
spreading	to
to	outlying
outlying	lands
lands	Presently
Presently	there
there	are
are	over
over	million
million	Buddhists
Buddhists	worldwide
worldwide	making
making	Buddhism
Buddhism	the
the	fourth
fourth	largest
largest	religion
religion	in
in	the
the	world
world	How
How	To
To	Practice
Practice	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	In
In	Daily
Daily	Life
Life	Buddhism
Buddhism	is
is	a
a	nontheistic
nontheistic	religion
religion	This
This	means
means	it
it	is
is	not
not	based
based	on
on	the
the	belief
belief	in
in	the
the	existence
existence	of
of	one
one	God
God	who
who	is
is	viewed
viewed	as
as	the
the	creative
creative	source
source	of
of	the
the	human
human	race
race	and
and	the
the	entire
entire	world
world	Buddhism
Buddhism	encompasses
encompasses	a
a	wide
wide	variety
variety	of
of	beliefs
beliefs	and
and	practices
practices	The
The	Buddhist
Buddhist	creed
creed	states
states	that
that	suffering
suffering	is
is	inherent
inherent	in
in	life
life	and
and	that
that	one
one	can
can	be
be	liberated
liberated	from
from	this
this	suffering
suffering	by
by	mental
mental	and
and	moral
moral	self
self	purification
purification	The
The	Four
Four	Noble
Noble	Truths
Truths	are
are	the
the	central
central	belief
belief	in
in	Buddhism
Buddhism	and
and	makes
makes	up
up	the
the	foundation
foundation	of
of	the
the	religion
religion	After
After	the
the	Buddha
Buddha	s
s	enlightenment
enlightenment	his
his	first
first	sermon
sermon	consisted
consisted	of
of	the
the	Four
Four	Noble
Noble	Truths
Truths	The
The	first
first	truth
truth	is
is	the
the	truth
truth	of
of	suffering
suffering	The
The	second
second	is
is	the
the	truth
truth	of
of	the
the	cause
cause	of
of	suffering
suffering	The
The	third
third	is
is	the
the	truth
truth	of
of	the
the	end
end	of
of	suffering
suffering	And
And	finally
finally	the
the	fourth
fourth	is
is	the
the	truth
truth	of
of	the
the	path
path	that
that	frees
frees	us
us	from
from	suffering
suffering	These
These	four
four	truths
truths	form
form	the
the	basis
basis	of
of	Buddhism
Buddhism	They
They	are
are	one
one	of
of	the
the	aspects
aspects	that
that	sets
sets	Buddhism
Buddhism	apart
apart	from
from	other
other	religions
religions	The
The	ultimate
ultimate	goal
goal	of
of	Buddhism
Buddhism	is
is	the
the	attainment
attainment	of
of	the
the	sublime
sublime	state
state	of
of	nirvana
nirvana	through
through	the
the	diligent
diligent	practice
practice	of
of	the
the	Noble
Noble	Eightfold
Eightfold	Path
Path	Buddhists
Buddhists	consider
consider	nirvana
nirvana	the
the	final
final	blessed
blessed	state
state	of
of	utmost
utmost	bliss
bliss	which
which	transcends
transcends	suffering
suffering	karma
karma	and
and	samsara
samsara	It
It	is
is	marked
marked	by
by	the
the	absence
absence	of
of	desire
desire	and
and	suffering
suffering	Nirvana
Nirvana	is
is	sought
sought	in
in	Buddhism
Buddhism	through
through	the
the	extinction
extinction	of
of	desire
desire	and
and	individual
individual	consciousness
consciousness	Buddhism
Buddhism	has
has	two
two	recognized
recognized	branches
branches	Theravada
Theravada	or
or	The
The	School
School	of
of	the
the	Elders
Elders	and
and	Mahayana
Mahayana	or
or	The
The	Great
Great	Vehicle
Vehicle	The
The	latter
latter	brings
brings	us
us	to
to	the
the	topic
topic	of
of	this
this	article
article	Zen
Zen	is
is	a
a	school
school	of
of	Mahayana
Mahayana	Buddhism
Buddhism	This
This	branch
branch	of
of	Buddhism
Buddhism	developed
developed	in
in	China
China	during
during	the
the	Tang
Tang	Dynasty
Dynasty	Zen
Zen	is
is	derived
derived	from
from	the
the	Chinese
Chinese	word
word	chan
chan	Chan
Chan	in
in	turn
turn	is
is	derived
derived	from
from	the
the	Sanskrit
Sanskrit	word
word	dhyana
dhyana	meaning
meaning	meditative
meditative	state
state	Zen
Zen	started
started	in
in	China
China	in
in	the
the	th
th	century
century	introduced
introduced	by
by	Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma	an
an	Indian
Indian	Buddhist
Buddhist	monk
monk	The
The	development
development	of
of	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	in
in	China
China	was
was	influenced
influenced	by
by	Taoism
Taoism	and
and	its
its	concepts
concepts	From
From	China
China	Zen
Zen	arrived
arrived	in
in	Japan
Japan	around
around	the
the	th
th	century
century	although
although	it
it	did
did	not
not	become
become	prevalent
prevalent	until
until	the
the	th
th	century
century	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	had
had	a
a	significant
significant	influence
influence	on
on	Japanese
Japanese	culture
culture	To
To	practice
practice	Zen
Zen	is
is	to
to	practice
practice	a
a	powerful
powerful	form
form	of
of	spiritual
spiritual	exploration
exploration	Zen
Zen	practice
practice	enables
enables	oneto
oneto	maintain
maintain	a
a	healthy
healthy	balance
balance	of
of	needs
needs	and
and	obligations
obligations	and
and	also
also	helps
helps	one
one	understand
understand	his
his	role
role	in
in	the
the	universe
universe	Its
Its	most
most	distinctive
distinctive	characteristic
characteristic	that
that	sets
sets	Zen
Zen	apart
apart	from
from	other
other	schools
schools	of
of	Buddhism
Buddhism	is
is	its
its	emphasis
emphasis	on
on	the
the	present
present	moment
moment	and
and	reality
reality	as
as	it
it	is
is	Zen
Zen	teaches
teaches	us
us	that
that	we
we	do
do	not
not	need
need	to
to	observe
observe	sacred
sacred	texts
texts	or
or	worship
worship	gods
gods	or
or	perform
perform	religious
religious	rites
rites	to
to	achieve
achieve	enlightenment
enlightenment	Instead
Instead	Zen
Zen	teaches
teaches	us
us	to
to	favor
favor	meditation
meditation	which
which	ultimately
ultimately	leads
leads	to
to	a
a	sudden
sudden	breakthrough
breakthrough	of
of	insight
insight	and
and	mindfulness
mindfulness	of
of	reality
reality	Zen
Zen	teachings
teachings	state
state	that
that	we
we	must
must	live
live	in
in	the
the	moment
moment	and
and	experience
experience	the
the	world
world	as
as	it
it	is
is	As
As	stated
stated	by
by	Bodhidharma
Bodhidharma	the
the	founder
founder	of
of	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	this
this	was
was	precisely
precisely	what
what	the
the	Buddha
Buddha	did
did	to
to	attain
attain	enlightenment
enlightenment	According
According	to
to	Buddhist
Buddhist	tradition
tradition	when
when	the
the	Buddha
Buddha	attained
attained	enlightenment
enlightenment	he
he	said
said	Isn
Isn	t
t	it
it	remarkable
remarkable	All
All	beings
beings	are
are	already
already	enlightened
enlightened	Zen
Zen	teachings
teachings	maintain
maintain	that
that	all
all	sentient
sentient	beings
beings	have
have	the
the	power
power	to
to	attain
attain	enlightenment
enlightenment	seeing
seeing	as
as	we
we	have
have	a
a	deep
deep	rooted
rooted	Buddha
Buddha	nature
nature	inherent
inherent	in
in	all
all	of
of	us
us	We
We	the
the	people
people	of
of	the
the	world
world	are
are	already
already	enlightened
enlightened	This
This	natural
natural	enlightenment
enlightenment	within
within	us
us	is
is	justobscured
justobscured	behind
behind	a
a	thick
thick	veil
veil	of
of	ignorance
ignorance	Through
Through	Zen
Zen	practice
practice	this
this	ignorance
ignorance	may
may	be
be	overcome
overcome	resulting
resulting	in
in	enlightenment
enlightenment	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	usually
usually	requires
requires	training
training	and
and	guidance
guidance	from
from	a
a	Zen
Zen	master
master	However
However	more
more	and
and	more
more	disciples
disciples	are
are	practicing
practicing	Zen
Zen	independently
independently	particularly
particularly	in
in	North
North	America
America	Zen
Zen	is
is	popular
popular	among
among	Japanese
Japanese	samurais
samurais	as
as	a
a	form
form	of
of	discipline
discipline	and
and	self
self	control
control	Artists
Artists	call
call	to
to	Zen
Zen	s
s	aid
aid	in
in	calligraphy
calligraphy	and
and	painting
painting	In
In	the
the	Western
Western	world
world	Zen
Zen	has
has	been
been	incorporated
incorporated	into
into	many
many	daily
daily	ventures
ventures	and
and	enterprises
enterprises	such
such	as
as	landscaping
landscaping	and
and	even
even	sports
sports	Anyone
Anyone	can
can	benefit
benefit	from
from	Zen
Zen	if
if	they
they	only
only	take
take	the
the	time
time	to
to	live
live	it
it	Enlightenment
Enlightenment	through
through	Zazen
Zazen	During
During	meditation
meditation	when
when	the
the	true
true	nature
nature	of
of	reality
reality	is
is	revealed
revealed	enlightenment
enlightenment	occurs
occurs	Achieving
Achieving	enlightenment
enlightenment	consists
consists	of
of	not
not	only
only	meditation
meditation	but
but	having
having	absolute
absolute	insight
insight	into
into	the
the	Four
Four	Noble
Noble	Truths
Truths	and
and	having
having	perfected
perfected	the
the	practice
practice	of
of	the
the	Eightfold
Eightfold	Path
Path	One
One	that
that	has
has	perfected
perfected	this
this	insight
insight	sees
sees	an
an	end
end	to
to	his
his	suffering
suffering	and
and	is
is	unshackled
unshackled	from
from	the
the	cycle
cycle	of
of	samsara
samsara	For
For	the
the	remainder
remainder	of
of	his
his	life
life	he
he	lives
lives	in
in	a
a	conditional
conditional	nirvana
nirvana	Upon
Upon	death
death	he
he	experiences
experiences	complete
complete	nirvana
nirvana	Zazen
Zazen	is
is	one
one	of
of	the
the	meditation
meditation	practices
practices	by
by	which
which	one
one	can
can	achieve
achieve	enlightenment
enlightenment	This
This	meditative
meditative	discipline
discipline	is
is	the
the	primary
primary	religious
religious	practice
practice	in
in	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	Generally
Generally	zazen
zazen	is
is	a
a	means
means	of
of	insight
insight	into
into	the
the	true
true	nature
nature	of
of	existence
existence	It
It	is
is	a
a	study
study	of
of	the
the	self
self	The
The	aim
aim	of
of	zazen
zazen	is
is	simply
simply	just
just	sitting
sitting	in
in	a
a	lotus
lotus	position
position	and
and	letting
letting	ideas
ideas	thoughts
thoughts	and
and	words
words	pass
pass	without
without	judgment
judgment	or
or	involvement
involvement	When
When	practicing
practicing	zazen
zazen	at
at	a
a	Zen
Zen	temple
temple	a
a	group
group	of
of	practitioners
practitioners	usually
usually	meditate
meditate	together
together	in
in	a
a	hall
hall	Everyone
Everyone	sits
sits	on
on	cushions
cushions	placed
placed	atop
atop	a
a	special
special	mat
mat	called
called	a
a	zabuton
zabuton	Before
Before	seating
seating	however
however	one
one	must
must	perform
perform	a
a	bow
bow	called
called	gasshoto
gasshoto	their
their	seat
seat	followed
followed	by
by	a
a	second
second	bow
bow	to
to	his
his	meditation
meditation	mates
mates	This
This	bow
bow	is
is	performed
performed	again
again	upon
upon	rising
rising	at
at	the
the	termination
termination	of
of	zazen
zazen	The
The	commencement
commencement	of
of	a
a	zazen
zazen	session
session	is
is	announced
announced	by
by	ringing
ringing	a
a	bell
bell	or
or	gong
gong	thrice
thrice	Similarly
Similarly	a
a	gong
gong	is
is	sounded
sounded	at
at	the
the	cessation
cessation	of
of	a
a	zazen
zazen	period
period	For
For	beginners
beginners	the
the	following
following	is
is	a
a	general
general	outline
outline	of
of	the
the	zazen
zazen	meditation
meditation	method
method	The
The	first
first	step
step	is
is	to
to	find
find	a
a	place
place	that
that	is
is	conducive
conducive	to
to	meditation
meditation	The
The	place
place	of
of	your
your	choosing
choosing	should
should	be
be	quiet
quiet	clean
clean	and
and	free
free	of
of	distraction
distraction	You
You	might
might	find
find	this
this	at
at	a
a	quiet
quiet	park
park	under
under	a
a	tree
tree	in
in	your
your	backyard
backyard	or
or	next
next	to
to	a
a	small
small	pond
pond	Next
Next	procure
procure	a
a	small
small	pillow
pillow	and
and	a
a	mat
mat	on
on	which
which	you
you	will
will	set
set	the
the	pillow
pillow	The
The	next
next	step
step	is
is	getting
getting	into
into	the
the	proper
proper	position
position	for
for	meditation
meditation	The
The	way
way	in
in	which
which	you
you	sit
sit	is
is	a
a	crucial
crucial	part
part	of
of	the
the	overall
overall	zazen
zazen	experience
experience	There
There	are
are	various
various	sitting
sitting	positions
positions	when
when	practicing
practicing	zazen
zazen	The
The	first
first	is
is	the
the	Burmese
Burmese	Position
Position	That
That	is
is	the
the	legs
legs	are
are	crossed
crossed	and
and	both
both	knees
knees	are
are	resting
resting	flat
flat	on
on	the
the	floor
floor	with
with	one
one	ankle
ankle	in
in	front
front	of
of	the
the	other
other	Another
Another	is
is	the
the	Half
Half	Lotus
Lotus	Position
Position	achieved
achieved	by
by	placing
placing	the
the	left
left	foot
foot	on
on	the
the	right
right	thigh
thigh	and
and	tucking
tucking	the
the	right
right	leg
leg	under
under	the
the	left
left	thigh
thigh	Then
Then	there
there	is
is	the
the	Full
Full	Lotus
Lotus	Position
Position	which
which	is
is	the
the	most
most	used
used	in
in	Zen
Zen	meditation
meditation	practices
practices	as
as	it
it	is
is	the
the	most
most	stable
stable	To
To	sit
sit	in
in	the
the	Full
Full	Lotus
Lotus	Position
Position	place
place	each
each	foot
foot	on
on	the
the	opposite
opposite	thigh
thigh	right
right	foot
foot	on
on	left
left	thigh
thigh	and
and	left
left	foot
foot	on
on	right
right	thigh
thigh	This
This	position
position	is
is	solid
solid	and
and	perfectly
perfectly	symmetrical
symmetrical	Other
Other	sitting
sitting	styles
styles	do
do	not
not	actually
actually	involve
involve	sitting
sitting	at
at	all
all	but
but	are
are	still
still	suitable
suitable	for
for	zazen
zazen	meditation
meditation	First
First	is
is	the
the	Kneeling
Kneeling	Position
Position	which
which	is
is	accomplished
accomplished	by
by	kneeling
kneeling	with
with	the
the	hips
hips	resting
resting	on
on	the
the	ankles
ankles	The
The	Chair
Chair	Position
Position	is
is	another
another	approach
approach	It
It	is
is	simply
simply	the
the	act
act	of
of	sitting
sitting	on
on	a
a	chair
chair	When
When	opting
opting	for
for	this
this	position
position	it
it	is
is	important
important	to
to	keep
keep	the
the	back
back	straight
straight	and
and	the
the	feet
feet	flat
flat	on
on	the
the	floor
floor	during
during	meditation
meditation	The
The	last
last	position
position	is
is	specifically
specifically	geared
geared	toward
toward	those
those	who
who	find
find	it
it	difficult
difficult	to
to	sit
sit	for
for	long
long	periods
periods	of
of	time
time	It
It	entails
entails	standing
standing	straight
straight	with
with	the
the	feet
feet	shoulder
shoulder	width
width	apart
apart	and
and	the
the	heels
heels	closer
closer	in
in	distance
distance	than
than	the
the	big
big	toes
toes	Both
Both	hands
hands	should
should	rest
rest	on
on	the
the	stomach
stomach	with
with	the
the	right
right	hand
hand	atop
atop	the
the	left
left	hand
hand	The
The	third
third	step
step	is
is	to
to	fold
fold	your
your	hands
hands	in
in	the
the	cosmic
cosmic	mudra
mudra	Namely
Namely	your
your	dominant
dominant	hand
hand	should
should	be
be	placed
placed	palm
palm	up
up	with
with	the
the	other
other	hand
hand	in
in	it
it	also
also	palm
palm	up
up	If
If	the
the	cosmic
cosmic	mudra
mudra	is
is	done
done	correctly
correctly	the
the	knuckles
knuckles	of
of	both
both	hands
hands	will
will	be
be	overlapping
overlapping	the
the	thumbs
thumbs	will
will	be
be	touching
touching	slightly
slightly	and
and	the
the	hands
hands	will
will	form
form	the
the	shape
shape	of
of	an
an	oval
oval	Do
Do	not
not	lace
lace	your
your	fingers
fingers	together
together	The
The	hands
hands	should
should	rest
rest	on
on	the
the	upturned
upturned	soles
soles	of
of	your
your	feet
feet	if
if	you
you	are
are	sitting
sitting	in
in	the
the	Full
Full	Lotus
Lotus	Position
Position	The
The	purpose
purpose	of
of	the
the	cosmic
cosmic	mudra
mudra	is
is	to
to	turn
turn	your
your	attention
attention	inward
inward	Next
Next	relax
relax	your
your	body
body	and
and	clear
clear	your
your	mind
mind	There
There	should
should	be
be	no
no	tension
tension	whatsoever
whatsoever	in
in	your
your	body
body	and
and	your
your	muscles
muscles	should
should	be
be	soft
soft	Keeping
Keeping	the
the	back
back	straight
straight	is
is	critical
critical	as
as	it
it	allows
allows	your
your	diaphragm
diaphragm	to
to	move
move	without
without	restrictions
restrictions	and
and	facilitate
facilitate	the
the	deepening
deepening	of
of	your
your	breath
breath	during
during	zazen
zazen	It
It	is
is	not
not	a
a	good
good	idea
idea	to
to	wear
wear	clothing
clothing	that
that	inhibits
inhibits	circulation
circulation	Begin
Begin	breathing
breathing	counting
counting	each
each	inhalation
inhalation	and
and	exhalation
exhalation	until
until	you
you	get
get	to
to	ten
ten	By
By	the
the	time
time	you
you	reach
reach	ten
ten	you
you	would
would	have
have	inhaled
inhaled	five
five	times
times	and
and	exhaled
exhaled	five
five	times
times	Your
Your	tongue
tongue	should
should	be
be	relaxed
relaxed	and
and	placed
placed	lightly
lightly	against
against	the
the	upper
upper	palate
palate	of
of	your
your	mouth
mouth	It
It	is
is	advised
advised	to
to	keep
keep	your
your	eyes
eyes	closed
closed	or
or	at
at	least
least	half
half	closed
closed	during
during	zazen
zazen	meditation
meditation	as
as	blinking
blinking	is
is	seen
seen	to
to	disrupt
disrupt	zazen
zazen	Your
Your	mouth
mouth	should
should	be
be	closed
closed	however
however	and
and	you
you	should
should	breathe
breathe	through
through	your
your	nose
nose	Breathe
Breathe	naturally
naturally	Do
Do	not
not	attempt
attempt	to
to	manipulate
manipulate	your
your	breathing
breathing	Continue
Continue	this
this	breathing
breathing	technique
technique	for
for	at
at	least
least	fifteen
fifteen	minutes
minutes	If
If	a
a	thought
thought	intrudes
intrudes	acknowledge
acknowledge	it
it	and
and	let
let	it
it	go
go	and
and	begin
begin	counting
counting	to
to	ten
ten	again
again	Eventually
Eventually	you
you	will
will	be
be	able
able	to
to	reach
reach	ten
ten	repeatedly
repeatedly	without
without	any
any	intrusive
intrusive	thoughts
thoughts	When
When	this
this	is
is	achieved
achieved	begin
begin	counting
counting	an
an	inhalation
inhalation	and
and	exhalation
exhalation	as
as	one
one	instead
instead	of
of	counting
counting	them
them	separately
separately	In
In	due
due	course
course	you
you	will
will	be
be	able
able	to
to	concentrate
concentrate	on
on	breathing
breathing	without
without	having
having	to
to	count
count	During
During	zazen
zazen	meditation
meditation	your
your	undivided
undivided	attention
attention	and
and	energy
energy	should
should	be
be	focused
focused	on
on	both
both	the
the	breath
breath	and
and	the
the	Hara
Hara	The
The	Hara
Hara	is
is	the
the	point
point	roughly
roughly	two
two	inches
inches	below
below	the
the	navel
navel	It
It	is
is	the
the	center
center	from
from	which
which	one
one	enters
enters	and
and	exits
exits	life
life	The
The	Hara
Hara	is
is	the
the	point
point	in
in	the
the	body
body	where
where	the
the	body
body	and
and	soul
soul	are
are	in
in	contact
contact	with
with	one
one	another
another	It
It	is
is	both
both	the
the	spiritual
spiritual	and
and	physical
physical	center
center	of
of	the
the	body
body	The
The	more
more	you
you	practice
practice	zazen
zazen	the
the	more
more	you
you	become
become	acquainted
acquainted	with
with	the
the	Hara
Hara	and
and	the
the	easier
easier	it
it	will
will	be
be	to
to	direct
direct	your
your	energy
energy	to
to	it
it	When
When	fifteen
fifteen	minutes
minutes	are
are	up
up	stretch
stretch	and
and	warm
warm	your
your	legs
legs	and
and	arms
arms	in
in	order
order	to
to	increase
increase	your
your	blood
blood	pressure
pressure	to
to	its
its	normal
normal	rate
rate	Zazen
Zazen	should
should	be
be	practiced
practiced	on
on	a
a	daily
daily	basis
basis	On
On	the
the	first
first	week
week	meditate
meditate	for
for	fifteen
fifteen	minutes
minutes	only
only	Keep
Keep	adding
adding	five
five	minutes
minutes	to
to	your
your	meditation
meditation	time
time	every
every	week
week	until
until	it
it	reaches
reaches	an
an	hour
hour	if
if	possible
possible	The
The	more
more	you
you	become
become	experienced
experienced	in
in	zazen
zazen	the
the	more
more	relaxing
relaxing	your
your	meditation
meditation	sessions
sessions	will
will	become
become	Your
Your	awareness
awareness	will
will	sharpen
sharpen	and
and	you
you	will
will	begin
begin	to
to	notice
notice	things
things	you
you	have
have	never
never	noticed
noticed	before
before	During
During	the
the	session
session	you
you	will
will	experience
experience	a
a	sweet
sweet	stillness
stillness	a
a	wonderful
wonderful	tranquility
tranquility	That
That	stillness
stillness	gives
gives	rise
rise	to
to	your
your	whole
whole	life
life	Exploring
Exploring	that
that	stillness
stillness	may
may	lead
lead	to
to	an
an	unearthing
unearthing	of
of	an
an	awareness
awareness	hidden
hidden	deep
deep	within
within	you
you	Those
Those	experienced
experienced	in
in	deep
deep	zazen
zazen	meditation
meditation	breathe
breathe	at
at	a
a	rate
rate	of
of	two
two	or
or	three
three	breaths
breaths	per
per	minute
minute	These
These	are
are	the
the	people
people	who
who	are
are	truly
truly	relaxed
relaxed	These
These	are
are	the
the	people
people	that
that	can
can	experience
experience	that
that	wonderful
wonderful	stillness
stillness	we
we	seek
seek	in
in	zazen
zazen	In
In	deep
deep	zazen
zazen	heart
heart	rate
rate	respiration
respiration	metabolism
metabolism	and
and	circulation
circulation	decrease
decrease	to
to	a
a	point
point	not
not	reachable
reachable	even
even	in
in	deep
deep	sleep
sleep	When
When	we
we	let
let	go
go	of
of	our
our	thoughts
thoughts	and
and	opinions
opinions	the
the	mind
mind	is
is	free
free	When
When	the
the	mind
mind	is
is	free
free	we
we	can
can	discover
discover	the
the	reality
reality	lurking
lurking	there
there	the
the	true
true	nature
nature	of
of	who
who	we
we	are
are	SEE
SEE	ALSO
ALSO	How
How	To
To	Become
Become	a
a	Minimalist
Minimalist	To
To	Improve
Improve	Your
Your	Life
Life	The
The	Ultimate
Ultimate	Guide
Guide	How
How	to
to	practice
practice	zen
zen	meditation
meditation	Zen
Zen	practice
practice	is
is	all
all	about
about	observing
observing	the
the	breath
breath	and
and	the
the	mind
mind	Regulating
Regulating	the
the	mind
mind	involves
involves	a
a	rigorous
rigorous	technique
technique	of
of	directing
directing	the
the	attention
attention	toward
toward	counting
counting	the
the	breath
breath	and
and	toward
toward	the
the	Hara
Hara	This
This	is
is	the
the	first
first	thing
thing	one
one	must
must	know
know	when
when	practicing
practicing	Zen
Zen	meditation
meditation	One
One	can
can	practice
practice	alone
alone	or
or	with
with	a
a	group
group	Monks
Monks	routinely
routinely	meditate
meditate	as
as	a
a	group
group	in
in	temples
temples	These
These	monks
monks	typically
typically	meditate
meditate	for
for	several
several	hours
hours	every
every	day
day	There
There	are
are	periods
periods	when
when	they
they	are
are	required
required	to
to	meditate
meditate	around
around	the
the	clock
clock	stopping
stopping	only
only	to
to	eat
eat	and
and	fulfill
fulfill	their
their	duties
duties	in
in	the
the	monastery
monastery	Even
Even	during
during	rest
rest	the
the	monks
monks	maintain
maintain	the
the	same
same	mindfulness
mindfulness	they
they	possess
possess	during
during	meditation
meditation	Sleep
Sleep	is
is	cut
cut	short
short	during
during	this
this	intensive
intensive	practice
practice	period
period	One
One	unique
unique	aspect
aspect	of
of	these
these	intensive
intensive	group
group	meditations
meditations	is
is	the
the	use
use	of
of	a
a	wooden
wooden	plank
plank	called
called	a
a	kyosakuwhich
kyosakuwhich	is
is	used
used	to
to	keep
keep	the
the	meditators
meditators	awake
awake	and
and	focused
focused	Another
Another	form
form	of
of	meditation
meditation	in
in	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	is
is	kinhin
kinhin	While
While	zazen
zazen	is
is	a
a	sitting
sitting	meditation
meditation	kinhin
kinhin	is
is	a
a	walking
walking	meditation
meditation	It
It	is
is	practiced
practiced	by
by	monks
monks	during
during	the
the	intensive
intensive	meditation
meditation	periods
periods	but
but	is
is	not
not	limited
limited	to
to	just
just	monks
monks	Any
Any	meditator
meditator	practicing
practicing	Zen
Zen	may
may	use
use	kinhin
kinhin	meditation
meditation	as
as	a
a	form
form	of
of	respite
respite	between
between	long
long	periods
periods	of
of	sitting
sitting	It
It	is
is	intended
intended	to
to	relieve
relieve	stress
stress	and
and	tension
tension	in
in	the
the	legs
legs	as
as	the
the	limbs
limbs	often
often	go
go	numb
numb	during
during	sitting
sitting	meditation
meditation	In
In	kinhin
kinhin	meditation
meditation	practitioners
practitioners	walk
walk	clockwise
clockwise	around
around	the
the	room
room	While
While	doing
doing	this
this	one
one	hand
hand	is
is	closed
closed	in
in	a
a	fist
fist	while
while	the
the	other
other	hand
hand	clutches
clutches	the
the	fist
fist	During
During	kinhin
kinhin	one
one	breath
breath	is
is	taken
taken	followed
followed	by
by	one
one	step
step	forward
forward	The
The	walking
walking	pace
pace	during
during	kinhin
kinhin	may
may	be
be	slow
slow	or
or	fast
fast	to
to	the
the	point
point	of
of	jogging
jogging	Kinhin
Kinhin	symbolizes
symbolizes	the
the	Buddha
Buddha	s
s	circumambulation
circumambulation	of
of	the
the	bodhi
bodhi	tree
tree	following
following	his
his	enlightenment
enlightenment	Similarly
Similarly	it
it	represents
represents	your
your	own
own	wandering
wandering	about
about	in
in	the
the	world
world	of
of	enlightenment
enlightenment	Like
Like	zazen
zazen	kinhin
kinhin	has
has	its
its	benefits
benefits	It
It	provides
provides	physical
physical	relief
relief	to
to	a
a	practitioner
practitioner	without
without	disrupting
disrupting	the
the	stillness
stillness	of
of	zazen
zazen	It
It	also
also	brings
brings	the
the	stillness
stillness	of
of	zazen
zazen	into
into	the
the	actions
actions	of
of	our
our	daily
daily	lives
lives	Kinhin
Kinhin	is
is	nothing
nothing	if
if	not
not	the
the	extension
extension	of
of	the
the	stillness
stillness	of
of	zazen
zazen	Kinhin
Kinhin	and
and	zazen
zazen	are
are	not
not	separate
separate	from
from	one
one	another
another	Sometimes
Sometimes	a
a	liturgy
liturgy	accompanies
accompanies	Zen
Zen	practice
practice	This
This	is
is	especially
especially	true
true	in
in	Zen
Zen	monasteries
monasteries	where
where	practitioners
practitioners	are
are	required
required	to
to	practice
practice	a
a	daily
daily	liturgy
liturgy	service
service	The
The	service
service	is
is	centered
centered	on
on	major
major	sutras
sutras	which
which	the
the	practitioners
practitioners	chant
chant	One
One	such
such	sutra
sutra	is
is	the
the	Heart
Heart	Sutra
Sutra	which
which	is
is	the
the	most
most	popular
popular	sutra
sutra	in
in	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	The
The	text
text	is
is	relatively
relatively	short
short	composed
composed	of
of	only
only	sixteen
sixteen	lines
lines	when
when	translated
translated	from
from	Chinese
Chinese	to
to	English
English	and
and	repeated
repeated	during
during	a
a	liturgy
liturgy	The
The	Heart
Heart	Sutra
Sutra	is
is	one
one	of
of	the
the	forty
forty	sutras
sutras	belonging
belonging	to
to	the
the	Perfection
Perfection	of
of	Wisdom
Wisdom	Sutra
Sutra	Collection
Collection	It
It	is
is	one
one	thing
thing	to
to	believe
believe	in
in	the
the	contents
contents	of
of	the
the	Heart
Heart	Sutra
Sutra	but
but	to
to	appreciate
appreciate	that
that	the
the	sutra
sutra	cannot
cannot	be
be	comprehended
comprehended	by
by	human
human	intellect
intellect	means
means	much
much	more
more	One
One	of
of	the
the	verses
verses	of
of	the
the	Heart
Heart	Sutra
Sutra	in
in	its
its	most
most	accurate
accurate	English
English	translation
translation	is
is	as
as	follows
follows	O
O	Sariputra
Sariputra	form
form	is
is	no
no	other
other	than
than	emptiness
emptiness	and
and	emptiness
emptiness	is
is	no
no	other
other	than
than	form
form	Form
Form	is
is	exactly
exactly	emptiness
emptiness	emptiness
emptiness	exactly
exactly	form
form	The
The	same
same	is
is	true
true	for
for	feelings
feelings	conceptions
conceptions	impulses
impulses	and
and	consciousness
consciousness	Emptiness
Emptiness	is
is	the
the	basis
basis	of
of	Zen
Zen	All
All	things
things	in
in	existence
existence	are
are	based
based	on
on	an
an	active
active	emptiness
emptiness	Many
Many	other
other	sutras
sutras	are
are	chanted
chanted	during
during	a
a	liturgy
liturgy	including
including	chapter
chapter	of
of	the
the	Lotus
Lotus	Sutra
Sutra	and
and	the
the	Song
Song	of
of	the
the	Jewel
Jewel	Mirror
Mirror	Awareness
Awareness	During
During	service
service	in
in	a
a	monastery
monastery	offerings
offerings	are
are	made
made	to
to	the
the	images
images	of
of	the
the	Buddha
Buddha	on
on	an
an	altar
altar	called
called	the
the	Butsudan
Butsudan	In
In	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	reciting
reciting	liturgies
liturgies	is
is	a
a	means
means	by
by	which
which	a
a	practitioner
practitioner	can
can	connect
connect	with
with	past
past	Bodhisattvas
Bodhisattvas	or
or	people
people	who
who	have
have	attained
attained	Buddhahood
Buddhahood	Liturgies
Liturgies	are
are	not
not	limited
limited	to
to	Zen
Zen	practice
practice	they
they	are
are	also
also	used
used	in
in	funerals
funerals	and
and	memorials
memorials	Essential
Essential	Zen
Zen	Teachings
Teachings	The
The	most
most	important
important	thing
thing	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	teaches
teaches	us
us	is
is	that
that	we
we	are
are	already
already	originally
originally	enlightened
enlightened	This
This	must
must	never
never	be
be	forgotten
forgotten	Buddhists
Buddhists	seek
seek	out
out	their
their	hidden
hidden	enlightenment
enlightenment	deep
deep	within
within	A
A	central
central	concept
concept	in
in	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	is
is	suchness
suchness	or
or	Tathata
Tathata	In
In	essence
essence	suchness
suchness	is
is	defined
defined	as
as	reality
reality	as
as	it
it	is
is	Ideally
Ideally	one
one	is
is	supposed
supposed	to
to	live
live	in
in	this
this	world
world	during
during	Zen
Zen	meditation
meditation	live
live	in
in	and
and	live
live	with
with	suchness
suchness	to
to	the
the	point
point	where
where	one
one	becomes
becomes	Suchness
Suchness	If
If	you
you	were
were	ill
ill	the
the	correct
correct	attitude
attitude	of
of	Suchness
Suchness	would
would	be
be	to
to	say
say	Such
Such	is
is	the
the	way
way	of
of	the
the	body
body	If
If	you
you	have
have	an
an	unyielding
unyielding	stomachache
stomachache	simply
simply	accept
accept	it
it	because
because	such
such	is
is	the
the	nature
nature	of
of	things
things	If
If	you
you	accept
accept	the
the	stomachache
stomachache	it
it	will
will	magically
magically	dissipate
dissipate	This
This	simple
simple	action
action	yields
yields	an
an	energy
energy	within
within	which
which	acts
acts	as
as	a
a	healing
healing	force
force	when
when	released
released	Accept
Accept	things
things	as
as	they
they	are
are	without
without	complaint
complaint	or
or	conflict
conflict	and
and	things
things	will
will	change
change	for
for	the
the	better
better	This
This	is
is	the
the	essence
essence	of
of	Suchness
Suchness	things
things	as
as	they
they	are
are	The
The	Zen
Zen	Buddhist
Buddhist	implements
implements	Suchness
Suchness	in
in	his
his	daily
daily	life
life	He
He	dines
dines	and
and	sleeps
sleeps	and
and	breathes
breathes	in
in	Suchness
Suchness	He
He	loves
loves	in
in	Suchness
Suchness	and
and	cries
cries	in
in	Suchness
Suchness	Sadness
Sadness	and
and	even
even	death
death	could
could	potentially
potentially	be
be	beautiful
beautiful	if
if	one
one	had
had	the
the	capability
capability	of
of	accepting
accepting	them
them	Suchness
Suchness	is
is	total
total	acceptance
acceptance	of
of	any
any	given
given	situation
situation	The
The	most
most	essential
essential	Zen
Zen	teachings
teachings	could
could	be
be	narrowed
narrowed	down
down	to
to	the
the	emphasis
emphasis	of
of	Suchness
Suchness	and
and	inherent
inherent	Buddha
Buddha	nature
nature	the
the	importance
importance	of
of	zazen
zazen	and
and	the
the	Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva	ideal
ideal	which
which	emphasizes
emphasizes	compassion
compassion	toward
toward	all
all	beings
beings	Zen
Zen	has
has	been
been	around
around	for
for	over
over	one
one	thousand
thousand	years
years	during
during	which
which	many
many	teachings
teachings	and
and	schools
schools	of
of	Zen
Zen	were
were	formed
formed	The
The	three
three	sects
sects	of
of	Zen
Zen	are
are	Rinzai
Rinzai	Soto
Soto	and
and	SanboKyodan
SanboKyodan	Rinzai
Rinzai	is
is	the
the	Japanese
Japanese	lineof
lineof	the
the	Chinese
Chinese	Linjschool
Linjschool	which
which	was
was	founded
founded	during
during	the
the	Tang
Tang	Dynasty
Dynasty	Rinzai
Rinzai	tradition
tradition	underscores
underscores	insight
insight	into
into	one
one	s
s	true
true	nature
nature	or
or	kensho
kensho	Kensho
Kensho	is
is	an
an	initial
initial	awakening
awakening	not
not	quite
quite	Buddhahood
Buddhahood	Following
Following	kensho
kensho	one
one	must
must	further
further	train
train	the
the	self
self	to
to	deepen
deepen	this
this	initial
initial	insight
insight	and
and	express
express	it
it	in
in	his
his	daily
daily	life
life	in
in	order
order	to
to	attain
attain	full
full	Buddhahood
Buddhahood	Zazen
Zazen	is
is	essential
essential	in
in	attaining
attaining	this
this	insight
insight	and
and	ripening
ripening	it
it	Soto
Soto	is
is	the
the	Japanese
Japanese	line
line	of
of	the
the	Chinese
Chinese	Caodongschool
Caodongschool	which
which	was
was	also
also	founded
founded	during
during	the
the	Tang
Tang	Dynasty
Dynasty	Soto
Soto	lays
lays	emphasis
emphasis	on
on	shikantazawhich
shikantazawhich	is
is	the
the	Japanese
Japanese	term
term	for
for	zazen
zazen	or
or	nothing
nothing	but
but	precisely
precisely	sitting
sitting	The
The	founder
founder	of
of	Soto
Soto	in
in	Japan
Japan	Dogen
Dogen	stressed
stressed	that
that	practice
practice	and
and	enlightenment
enlightenment	cannot
cannot	be
be	separated
separated	According
According	to
to	Dogen
Dogen	one
one	is
is	already
already	expressing
expressing	Buddhahood
Buddhahood	by
by	practicing
practicing	zazen
zazen	or
or	shikantaza
shikantaza	To
To	him
him	meditation
meditation	is
is	the
the	spirit
spirit	of
of	Buddhism
Buddhism	and
and	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	alike
alike	The
The	third
third	school
school	of
of	Zen
Zen	is
is	SanboKyodan
SanboKyodan	which
which	is
is	a
a	combination
combination	of
of	Rinzai
Rinzai	and
and	Soto
Soto	teachings
teachings	Essentially
Essentially	it
it	is
is	a
a	Japanese
Japanese	organization
organization	that
that	consists
consists	of
of	amateur
amateur	lay
lay	practitioners
practitioners	SanboKyodan
SanboKyodan	encourages
encourages	both
both	kensho
kensho	and
and	zazen
zazen	One
One	of
of	the
the	founding
founding	fathers
fathers	of
of	this
this	school
school	states
states	that
that	Zen
Zen	is
is	geared
geared	toward
toward	three
three	goals
goals	joriki
joriki	or
or	development
development	of
of	concentration
concentration	kensho
kensho	godo
godo	or
or	awakening
awakening	and
and	mujodo
mujodo	no
no	taigen
taigen	or
or	the
the	understanding
understanding	and
and	utilization
utilization	of
of	Zen
Zen	in
in	daily
daily	life
life	While
While	alive
alive	the
the	Buddha
Buddha	himself
himself	offered
offered	three
three	great
great	teachings
teachings	The
The	first
first	is
is	the
the	fact
fact	that
that	nothing
nothing	is
is	lost
lost	in
in	the
the	vastness
vastness	of
of	the
the	universe
universe	Matter
Matter	and
and	energy
energy	are
are	recycled
recycled	as
as	are
are	leaves
leaves	and
and	seeds
seeds	All
All	sentient
sentient	beings
beings	are
are	one
one	in
in	the
the	same
same	Plants
Plants	humans
humans	and
and	animals
animals	are
are	interconnected
interconnected	we
we	are
are	made
made	up
up	of
of	them
them	and
and	we
we	depend
depend	on
on	them
them	If
If	we
we	destroy
destroy	a
a	plant
plant	or
or	an
an	animal
animal	we
we	are
are	destroying
destroying	ourselves
ourselves	The
The	second
second	philosophy
philosophy	is
is	that
that	everything
everything	continuously
continuously	changes
changes	Life
Life	flows
flows	on
on	and
and	on
on	as
as	an
an	ever
ever	changing
changing	entity
entity	At
At	times
times	the
the	flow
flow	is
is	fast
fast	and
and	other
other	times
times	it
it	is
is	slow
slow	Unexpected
Unexpected	surprises
surprises	lurk
lurk	in
in	every
every	corner
corner	but
but	we
we	must
must	embrace
embrace	change
change	Lastly
Lastly	the
the	Buddha
Buddha	explained
explained	that
that	continuous
continuous	change
change	is
is	due
due	to
to	the
the	Law
Law	of
of	cause
cause	and
and	effect
effect	This
This	is
is	called
called	karma
karma	We
We	reap
reap	what
what	we
we	sow
sow	Good
Good	deeds
deeds	are
are	rewarded
rewarded	with
with	good
good	things
things	in
in	our
our	future
future	Likewise
Likewise	bad
bad	deeds
deeds	are
are	penalized
penalized	with
with	bad
bad	things
things	We
We	create
create	karma
karma	on
on	a
a	day
day	to
to	day
day	basis
basis	by
by	our
our	thoughts
thoughts	actions
actions	and
and	words
words	The
The	Buddha
Buddha	once
once	said
said	The
The	kind
kind	of
of	seed
seed	sown
sown	will
will	produce
produce	that
that	kind
kind	of
of	fruit
fruit	If
If	you
you	carefully
carefully	plant
plant	a
a	good
good	seed
seed	you
you	will
will	joyfully
joyfully	gather
gather	good
good	fruit
fruit	Dharma
Dharma	is
is	the
the	term
term	for
for	the
the	teachings
teachings	of
of	Buddha
Buddha	or
or	the
the	natural
natural	law
law	It
It	not
not	only
only	refers
refers	to
to	the
the	word
word	of
of	the
the	Buddha
Buddha	but
but	to
to	the
the	practice
practice	of
of	his
his	teaching
teaching	as
as	well
well	as
as	the
the	attainment
attainment	of
of	enlightenment
enlightenment	Practicing
Practicing	Dharma
Dharma	is
is	the
the	method
method	by
by	which
which	ignorance
ignorance	is
is	eliminated
eliminated	and
and	quality
quality	of
of	life
life	is
is	improved
improved	The
The	teaching
teaching	of
of	all
all	the
the	Buddhas
Buddhas	can
can	be
be	summarized
summarized	into
into	three
three	key
key	points
points	one
one	must
must	not
not	do
do	any
any	evil
evil	including
including	seeing
seeing	speaking
speaking	and
and	hearing
hearing	evil
evil	one
one	must
must	foster
foster	good
good	and
and	one
one	must
must	purify
purify	one
one	s
s	heart
heart	SEE
SEE	ALSO
ALSO	How
How	To
To	Deal
Deal	With
With	Anger
Anger	To
To	Tame
Tame	Your
Your	Temper
Temper	Anger
Anger	Management
Management	Tips
Tips	The
The	Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva	Precepts
Precepts	Zen
Zen	practitioners
practitioners	whether
whether	expert
expert	or
or	student
student	are
are	not
not	true
true	disciples
disciples	of
of	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	if
if	they
they	do
do	not
not	abide
abide	by
by	the
the	Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva	Precepts
Precepts	The
The	principles
principles	are
are	an
an	essential
essential	part
part	of
of	Zen
Zen	practice
practice	To
To	disregard
disregard	them
them	is
is	to
to	disregard
disregard	Zen
Zen	The
The	Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva	Precepts
Precepts	are
are	a
a	set
set	of
of	ten
ten	moral
moral	canons
canons	used
used	in
in	Mahayana
Mahayana	Buddhism
Buddhism	to
to	help
help	a
a	practitioner
practitioner	progress
progress	along
along	the
the	path
path	to
to	becoming
becoming	an
an	enlightened
enlightened	being
being	I
I	take
take	up
up	the
the	way
way	of
of	not
not	killing
killing	A
A	Zen
Zen	disciple
disciple	is
is	a
a	Buddha
Buddha	disciple
disciple	A
A	true
true	disciple
disciple	of
of	Buddha
Buddha	shall
shall	not
not	by
by	any
any	means
means	kill
kill	or
or	encourage
encourage	any
any	other
other	person
person	to
to	kill
kill	He
He	should
should	not
not	applaud
applaud	killing
killing	or
or	applaud
applaud	witnessing
witnessing	a
a	killing
killing	He
He	must
must	respect
respect	life
life	and
and	not
not	kill
kill	an
an	animal
animal	or
or	any
any	sentient
sentient	creature
creature	A
A	Zen
Zen	practitioner
practitioner	must
must	do
do	everything
everything	in
in	his
his	power
power	to
to	protect
protect	all
all	beings
beings	on
on	Earth
Earth	and
and	vow
vow	to
to	save
save	them
them	I
I	take
take	up
up	the
the	way
way	of
of	not
not	stealing
stealing	A
A	Zen
Zen	practitioner
practitioner	shall
shall	not
not	steal
steal	anything
anything	or
or	encourage
encourage	others
others	to
to	do
do	so
so	A
A	stolen
stolen	object
object	could
could	be
be	as
as	insignificant
insignificant	as
as	a
a	grain
grain	of
of	sand
sand	but
but	it
it	will
will	still
still	be
be	a
a	stolen
stolen	object
object	He
He	must
must	be
be	charitable
charitable	and
and	respect
respect	the
the	belongings
belongings	of
of	others
others	I
I	take
take	up
up	the
the	way
way	of
of	not
not	speaking
speaking	falsely
falsely	A
A	Zen
Zen	practitioner
practitioner	shall
shall	not
not	lie
lie	or
or	encourage
encourage	others
others	to
to	lie
lie	A
A	white
white	lie
lie	is
is	still
still	a
a	lie
lie	He
He	must
must	utter
utter	the
the	truth
truth	each
each	and
and	every
every	time
time	he
he	opens
opens	his
his	mouth
mouth	to
to	speak
speak	He
He	must
must	maintain
maintain	Right
Right	Speech
Speech	and
and	Right
Right	Views
Views	and
and	promote
promote	these
these	to
to	others
others	I
I	take
take	up
up	the
the	way
way	of
of	not
not	using
using	drink
drink	or
or	drugs
drugs	A
A	Zen
Zen	practitioner
practitioner	shall
shall	never
never	be
be	under
under	the
the	influence
influence	of
of	any
any	substance
substance	that
that	clouds
clouds	the
the	mind
mind	He
He	must
must	not
not	sell
sell	or
or	trade
trade	alcoholic
alcoholic	beverages
beverages	or
or	encourage
encourage	others
others	to
to	do
do	so
so	Instead
Instead	he
he	must
must	proceed
proceed	clearly
clearly	andaid
andaid	his
his	fellowmenin
fellowmenin	achieving
achieving	a
a	clear
clear	mind
mind	and
and	clear
clear	wisdom
wisdom	I
I	take
take	up
up	the
the	way
way	of
of	not
not	discussing
discussing	faults
faults	of
of	others
others	A
A	Zen
Zen	practitioner
practitioner	shall
shall	not
not	publicize
publicize	or
or	discuss
discuss	the
the	transgressions
transgressions	of
of	his
his	fellow
fellow	disciples
disciples	in
in	the
the	Buddhist
Buddhist	assembly
assembly	nor
nor	encourage
encourage	anyone
anyone	to
to	do
do	so
so	He
He	must
must	see
see	perfection
perfection	in
in	all
all	sentient
sentient	beings
beings	not
not	offenses
offenses	He
He	must
must	not
not	discuss
discuss	the
the	misdeeds
misdeeds	that
that	occur
occur	within
within	the
the	assembly
assembly	If
If	he
he	hears
hears	anyone
anyone	speak
speak	ill
ill	of
of	the
the	assembly
assembly	he
he	should
should	guide
guide	them
them	to
to	into
into	developing
developing	faith
faith	in
in	the
the	Mahayana
Mahayana	I
I	take
take	up
up	the
the	way
way	of
of	not
not	praising
praising	myself
myself	while
while	abusing
abusing	others
others	A
A	Zen
Zen	practitioner
practitioner	shall
shall	not
not	glorify
glorify	himself
himself	and
and	speak
speak	ill
ill	of
of	others
others	nor
nor	should
should	he
he	encourage
encourage	anyone
anyone	to
to	do
do	so
so	He
He	must
must	not
not	elevate
elevate	himself
himself	and
and	blame
blame	others
others	Instead
Instead	he
he	must
must	realize
realize	that
that	self
self	and
and	other
other	are
are	one
one	He
He	must
must	not
not	suppress
suppress	another
another	being
being	s
s	good
good	deeds
deeds	and
and	traits
traits	thus
thus	subjecting
subjecting	them
them	to
to	slander
slander	He
He	must
must	endure
endure	humiliation
humiliation	in
in	the
the	place
place	of
of	others
others	and
and	pass
pass	the
the	glory
glory	to
to	them
them	I
I	take
take	up
up	the
the	way
way	of
of	not
not	being
being	stingy
stingy	A
A	Zen
Zen	practitioner
practitioner	shall
shall	not
not	be
be	withholding
withholding	nor
nor	encourage
encourage	anyone
anyone	to
to	do
do	so
so	If
If	an
an	impoverished
impoverished	person
person	seeks
seeks	aid
aid	from
from	him
him	the
the	disciple
disciple	must
must	be
be	generous
generous	in
in	whatever
whatever	he
he	gives
gives	He
He	must
must	never
never	deny
deny	aid
aid	or
or	support
support	be
be	it
it	a
a	sentence
sentence	or
or	a
a	pebble
pebble	or
or	rebuke
rebuke	anyone
anyone	who
who	needs
needs	his
his	assistance
assistance	I
I	take
take	up
up	the
the	way
way	of
of	not
not	indulging
indulging	in
in	anger
anger	A
A	Zen
Zen	practitioner
practitioner	shall
shall	not
not	harbor
harbor	anger
anger	or
or	encourage
encourage	others
others	to
to	do
do	so
so	He
He	must
must	never
never	insult
insult	or
or	physically
physically	attack
attack	another
another	being
being	out
out	of
of	anger
anger	He
He	must
must	be
be	compassionate
compassionate	actualize
actualize	harmony
harmony	and
and	refrain
refrain	from
from	getting
getting	angry
angry	altogether
altogether	Violating
Violating	any
any	of
of	these
these	precepts
precepts	is
is	considered
considered	a
a	major
major	offense
offense	in
in	the
the	sutra
sutra	A
A	Zen
Zen	practitioner
practitioner	should
should	not
not	only
only	meditate
meditate	but
but	follow
follow	the
the	Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva	Precepts
Precepts	as
as	well
well	It
It	is
is	what
what	makes
makes	for
for	a
a	true
true	adherent
adherent	to
to	Zen
Zen	Buddhism
Buddhism	Thank
Thank	you
you	for
for	reading
reading	this
this	article
article	about
about	how
how	to
to	practice
practice	zen
zen	buddhism
buddhism	in
in	daily
daily	life
life	and
and	I
I	really
really	hope
hope	that
that	you
you	take
take	action
action	my
my	advice
advice	I
I	wish
wish	you
you	good
good	luck
luck	and
and	I
I	hope
hope	its
its	contents
contents	have
have	been
been	a
a	good
good	help
help	to
to	you
you	Facebook
Facebook	Twitter
Twitter	Pinterest
Pinterest	Linkedin
Linkedin	ReddIt
ReddIt	Perfect
Perfect	Hours
Hours	RELATED
RELATED	ARTICLESMORE
ARTICLESMORE	FROM
FROM	AUTHOR
AUTHOR	how
how	to
to	overcome
overcome	adversity
adversity	How
How	To
To	Overcome
Overcome	Adversity
Adversity	Ways
Ways	To
To	Remove
Remove	Obstacles
Obstacles	how
how	to
to	stop
stop	running
running	away
away	from
from	yourself
yourself	How
How	To
To	Stop
Stop	Running
Running	Away
Away	From
From	Yourself
Yourself	Real
Real	Ways
Ways	how
how	to
to	inspire
inspire	yourself
yourself	everyday
everyday	How
How	To
To	Inspire
Inspire	Yourself
Yourself	Everyday
Everyday	Smart
Smart	and
and	Simple
Simple	Ways
Ways	how
how	to
to	face
face	Challenges
Challenges	In
In	Life
Life	How
How	To
To	Face
Face	Challenges
Challenges	In
In	Life
Life	With
With	Confidence
Confidence	Ways
Ways	how
how	to
to	get
get	back
back	on
on	track
track	after
after	losing
losing	motivation
motivation	How
How	To
To	Get
Get	Back
Back	On
On	Track
Track	After
After	Losing
Losing	Motivation
Motivation	Tips
Tips	how
how	to
to	develop
develop	productive
productive	habits
habits	How
How	To
To	Develop
Develop	Productive
Productive	Habits
Habits	Most
Most	Useful
Useful	Strategies
Strategies	how
how	to
to	avoid
avoid	miscommunication
miscommunication	with
with	others
others	How
How	To
To	Avoid
Avoid	Miscommunication
Miscommunication	With
With	Others
Others	Top
Top	Tactics
Tactics	how
how	to
to	not
not	give
give	up
up	on
on	yourself
yourself	How
How	To
To	Not
Not	Give
Give	Up
Up	On
On	Yourself
Yourself	Tips
Tips	For
For	Not
Not	Quitting
Quitting	how
how	to
to	stop
stop	taking
taking	things
things	personally
personally	How
How	To
To	Stop
Stop	Taking
Taking	Things
Things	Personally
Personally	Strategies
Strategies	That
That	Work
Work	how
how	to
to	communicate
communicate	effectively
effectively	with
with	others
others	How
How	To
To	Communicate
Communicate	Effectively
Effectively	With
With	Others
Others	Step
Step	Guide
Guide	how
how	to
to	stay
stay	positive
positive	during
during	difficult
difficult	times
times	How
How	To
To	Stay
Stay	Positive
Positive	During
During	Difficult
Difficult	Times
Times	Inspiring
Inspiring	Ways
Ways	how
how	to
to	do
do	something
something	you
you	don
don	t
t	want
want	to
to	do
do	How
How	To
To	Do
Do	Something
Something	You
You	Don
Don	t
t	Want
Want	To
To	Do
Do	Quick
Quick	Tips
Tips	Ezoic
Ezoic	report
report	this
this	ad
ad	Privacy
Privacy	Policy
Policy	Cookie
Cookie	Policy
Policy	Terms
Terms	and
and	Conditions
Conditions	Contact
Contact	All
All	Rights
Rights	Reserved
Reserved	Perfect
Perfect	Hours
Hours	com
com	x
x	x