Zazen as a Way of Harmonizing the Self

“Zazen is not meditation”, the Rev. Fujita proclaims, distinguishing zazen, in which one should sit without effort and without a goal, from “meditation” which is characterized by exerting purposeful effort in pursuit of a goal. The Reverend walked us through ways of thinking about posture, breath, and mental attitude to help us have a new perspective on zazen.

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“A Cross-Zen Dialogue” in Chicago Brings Diverse Buddhist Practitioners Together

On June 28, 2019 evening, about 80 participants from many different sanghas and lineages in Chicago and beyond attended the “A Cross-Zen Dialogue” event. This event brought the three teachers Rev. Taigen Dan Leighton (Japanese Soto Zen), Meido Moore Roshi (Japanese Rinzai Zen) and Guo Gu (Chinese Chan) together to discuss the similarities and differences between the approaches that each of their traditions takes to Dharma and practice. The overall theme for the evening was that all the practices and lineages represented by the three teachers have much more in common than they differ, and that no single approach is better for everyone.

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