Shikantaza

Shikantaza is a form of seated Zen meditation practiced without concentrating on a particular object or pursuing a specific meditative goal. It is commonly translated as “just sitting.”

Zazen: Zazen is seated meditation practiced in Zen Buddhism. Shikantaza is a form of zazen, distinguished by its non-objective approach.
Caodong school: Caodong is a Chinese school of Chan Buddhism that became the Sōtō school in Japan. Its meditation tradition is the principal Chinese antecedent of Japanese shikantaza.
Buddhahood: Buddhahood is the awakened state of a Buddha, marked by liberation from ignorance and suffering. Dōgen’s account links sitting practice with awakening rather than postponing awakening until later.
Zafu: A zafu is a round cushion used to support seated meditation. It raises the hips and helps practitioners maintain the upright posture used in shikantaza.
Soto Zen: Soto is a school of Japanese Zen Buddhism associated with seated meditation and the teachings of Dōgen. Shikantaza is the central practice in Soto Zen.
Tiantong Rujing: Tiantong Rujing was a Chinese Caodong Zen master and Dōgen’s teacher. Dōgen later credited Rujing’s teaching with clarifying the practice of just sitting.
Nonduality: Nonduality is the view that apparent divisions do not describe ultimately separate realities. It helps explain why practitioner, practice, and realization are not treated as wholly separate.
Zabuton: A zabuton is a flat padded mat placed beneath a meditation cushion or seated practitioner. It cushions the knees and ankles during extended periods of sitting.
Dōgen: Dōgen was a Japanese Buddhist teacher who founded the Sōtō school in Japan and wrote extensively about zazen. His writings explain shikantaza as practice inseparable from realization.
Dōgen’s journey to China: Dōgen’s journey to China was a pilgrimage undertaken to study Chan Buddhism in the thirteenth century. His study in China shaped the account of practice he brought back to Japan.

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