Zazen Notes

One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.

(Carl Jung: The Philosophical Tree; Collected Works 13: Alchemical Studies. Paragraph 335)

Shunryu Suzuki described the true practice of seated meditation as “just ...  read more

A friend of mine recommended a particular approach to practicing musical scales.  She starts with the minor scale on a particular note, say, C minor.  She follows with the major scale on the same note (C major), and then the relative minor of that major (A minor).  She continues in this fashion four rounds, then picks up the next day with ...  read more

In one of his lectures, Shunryu Suzuki spoke about the difference between “preparatory practice” and “shikantaza”, or “just sitting”:

But usually in counting breathing or following breathing, you feel as if you are doing something, you know– you are following breathing, and you are counting breathing. ...  read more