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Zazengi:
How to Sit
by
Eihei Dogen zenji
translated by Yasuda Joshu roshi
and Anzan Hoshin roshi
(excerpted from the forthcoming book
Dogen: Zen Writings on the Practice of Realization)
Studying Zen means practicing zazen. A quiet room is good for zazen. Spread out a
thick mat. Do not let drafts or vapours enter. Do not let rain and dew leak in. Take care
of the space you are in. There are traces of those who have sat on the Diamond Seat and
those who sat on slabs of stone, but all of them used a mat of wild grasses.
The place for zazen should be bright, not dark, both day and night. It should be warm in
winter and cool in summer. Shed all entanglements and stop doing this and that, the ten
thousand things. Dont think of good. Dont think of bad. It is not a matter of
mind, intention, or consciousness; it is not a matter of thoughts, ideas, or perceptions.
Zazen is not self-consciousness or self-contemplation. Dont sit to become a Buddha.
Release ideas of sitting and lying down. Eat and drink moderately. Do not waste time but
practise zazen as if your hair were on fire. Study the example of the Fifth Ancestor on
Huangmei shan, who did nothing other than simply practice zazen.
When you practice zazen wear the kesa and use a round cushion. The cushion does not go
under the thighs; it goes under the buttocks. Place the front edge of the cushion under
your buttocks so that when you cross your legs they rest on the mat. This is the way that
the Buddhas and Awakened Ancestors have all sat in zazen. Sit in either the full or half
lotus posture. In the full lotus, the right foot is placed on the left thigh and the left
foot on the right thigh. The toes of each foot should be aligned with the thighs, not
extending past or slid down. In the half lotus just put the left foot on the right thigh.
Loosen your robe and belt and keep them neat. Place the right hand on the left foot, the
left hand over the right hand. Then put your right hand palm up on your left foot and put
your left hand in the palm of your right, the tips of the thumbs touching lightly. The top
of the thumbs should be level with the navel. Sit up straight, leaning neither to right
nor left, forward or back. Your ears should be aligned with your shoulders, and from the
front, your nose in a direct line with your navel. Place your tongue against the roof of
your mouth keeping mouth and lips closed. Your eyes should be open and you should breathe
gently through your nose. Having aligned body and mind, exhale deeply. Sitting in balance
and stillness like a mountain, think of "not-thinking." How? Be "Before
Thinking."
This is the essence of zazen. Zazen is not meditation. It is the Dharma Gate of great ease
and joy. It is stainless realized-practice.
(Presented to the monks at Kippo-ji, in the Yoshida District of Esshu,
November 11th, 1243.)
 
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White Wind Zen Community. All rights reserved.
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