{"id":1881,"date":"2018-01-25T09:16:42","date_gmt":"2018-01-25T09:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodnights.rest\/?page_id=1881"},"modified":"2018-08-13T21:24:09","modified_gmt":"2018-08-13T21:24:09","slug":"what-is-zen-buddhist-meditation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/goodnights.rest\/meditation-for-better-sleep\/what-is-zen-buddhist-meditation\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Zen Buddhist Meditation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why do you meditate?<\/p>\n

Most people take up meditation in a quest for inner peace, balance—or, as some might put it, a state called “zen.” In popular culture, Zen <\/em>has become shorthand for a transcendent state of being, often portrayed as achievable only by grizzled old masters with a penchant for sitting under waterfalls and calling people “grasshoppers.” Zen <\/em>implies stillness, in body and mind. For the chronically sleepless<\/a>, reaching a state of Zen <\/em>is the dream, literally and figuratively!<\/p>\n

But how do you get there? Zen meditation can sound like a daunting practice, and if you’re new to meditation, it can be hard to figure out where to begin. While we at Good Night’s Rest aren’t experts, we do <\/em>have a longstanding personal interest in meditation<\/a>, and we’re happy to help you nurture your <\/em>interest<\/a>, too. You can’t go wrong with a solid understanding of what you’re getting into, and when it comes to Zen meditation, that means starting with some history.<\/p>\n

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What is Zen Meditation?<\/h2>\n

The practice of Zen meditation comes from Zen, <\/em>a school of Mahayana Buddhism that began in East Asia. Most of us know Zen as a Japanese tradition, but its roots actually go back to China, from where it spread to nearby countries like Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.<\/p>\n

The term Z<\/em>en <\/em>itself, however, is Japanese: it means “meditation,” from the Chinese ch\u00e1n <\/em>(“quietude”) and the Sanskrit dhyana <\/em>(“meditation”). This emphasis on meditation comes from the Zen school’s belief in practice, experience, and direct understanding. In Zen, spiritual awakening—that transcendent “peace” or “balance” that practitioners strive for—isn’t an ethereal piece of knowledge that you acquire; instead, it’s an attitude <\/em>that you cultivate and express through the flow of actions that constitute your daily life.<\/p>\n

What kind of attitude, exactly? Like mindfulness<\/a>, this is a hazy concept with no standardized definition. Many practitioners will differ on the finer points of what it means to be Zen. That said, there are two fundamental concepts to understand: unity and suspension.<\/p>\n

What Sets Zen Meditation Apart?<\/h2>\n

Zen meditation emphasizes the integration of your mind and body into a harmonious whole. This focus on unity stands in stark contrast to many common ideas of meditation as a mind-centric <\/em>practice that works mostly by harnessing thoughts or “clearing” your consciousness. As some Zen masters lament, these approaches to meditation tend to take on a “dualistic structure” where “the body sits while the mind does something else.”<\/p>\n

Zen meditation is different. Even the Japanese term for the tradition, zazen, <\/em>highlights this: zazen <\/em>is often translated as “sitting meditation.” Here, stance or posture matters—it’s an integral part of bringing every part of your being into alignment. Just as stillness cultivates balance in your head, embodying that stillness through physical actions like sitting in the right position and regulating your breath cultivates balance in the body.<\/p>\n

Zazen <\/em>is meant to help you anchor yourself so that you can then sit suspended—at a remove from your insecurities and concerns, your desires and possessions. Like mindfulness, the point is not to suppress or banish these things, but to collect yourself enough not to be troubled by them.<\/p>\n

The Benefits of Zen Meditation<\/h2>\n

Those principles of harmony and suspension, while different in method from other meditation traditions, reap similar benefits. Here is Zen master Eido Roshi on the everyday rewards of practicing Zen meditation:<\/p>\n