Zen meditation -- zazen -- is probably the most stripped-down form of meditation there is. No mantras, no visualizations, no guides. Just sit and be present.
What Is Zazen
Zazen literally means "sitting in meditation." The practice comes from the Zen Buddhist tradition (Chan in China, Zen in Japan) and was systematized by masters like Dōgen in the thirteenth century.
The instruction is radical in its simplicity: - Sit in the correct posture (straight back, chin tucked, hands in mudrā) - Eyes half-open, looking downward - Simply be present -- no goal, no technique, no expectation
The Beauty of Zen
Zen distrusts words. Distrusts concepts. Distrusts explanations. The truth, according to Zen, cannot be captured by the intellect. It can only be lived directly.
This distrust has value. Many people get lost in spiritual concepts without ever actually sitting down. Zen cuts through that: stop thinking and sit.
Zen and Vedānta
Vedānta agrees that direct experience is important. But it adds something: without the correct means of knowledge (the words of the guru and the Upaniṣads), the mind does not know what it is looking for.
In Zen, the master gives koans (paradoxes) to break the conceptual mind. In Vedānta, the teacher uses words to reveal what the mind alone cannot discover.
These are different approaches for different temperaments. Zen is for those who have faith in direct practice. Vedānta is for those who need to understand before they can rest.
What Both Share
Both point to the same thing: you are not your thoughts. Reality is here, now, always has been. The confusion is about who you think you are.
If Zen attracts you, practice zazen. If you need more conceptual clarity, study Vedānta. If possible, do both.
[Learn about meditation according to Vedānta](/blog/meditation-vedanta-how-it-works).
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