Buddhism Resources

Zen Buddhism Resources

Explore zazen, koan practice, mindful action, direct seeing, Zen texts, and simple daily presence.

Zen Buddhism

Resources for this path

26 pages

Zazen

Just sit. Upright spine, open eyes, nowhere to go. Don't try to stop thinking — don't follow thoughts. Just sit. This is the whole of Zen practice.

Koan Practice

What is the sound of one hand? What was your face before your parents were born? Hold the koan — not to solve it, but to let it undo the solver.

Mindful Action (Samu)

Work practice — washing dishes, sweeping, cooking — with full attention. Zen is not only on the cushion. Every moment, if you're truly here, is zazen.

Dharma Talk Reflection

Read a short passage from Dōgen, Huangbo, or Linji. Don't analyze. Let the words point beyond themselves to what cannot be said.

Acts of Presence

Meet one person today with complete, undivided attention. Give them the rarest gift: your full presence. This is Zen in relationship.

Breath Awareness

Return to the breath — not as a technique, but as a coming home. Breath is always now. Nothing to do, nowhere to go.

Walking Meditation (Kinhin)

Walk slowly, deliberately, with complete attention to each step. Between zazen periods, kinhin carries the stillness into movement.

Platform Sutra of Huineng

The Sixth Patriarch's direct pointing — "Originally not a single thing." The sudden awakening of Zen in one scripture.

Mumonkan (Gateless Gate)

48 koans with Mumon's commentary — each gate is the whole of Zen. Enter if you dare.

Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō

The master of Soto Zen — subtle, paradoxical, luminous. "To study the self is to forget the self."

Blue Cliff Record

100 koans with the most penetrating Zen commentary — the tiger's den of Zen study

Rinzai & Soto Schools

The two great Zen schools: Rinzai (koan-centered, sudden) and Soto (shikantaza — just sitting). Both are Zen.

Platform Sutra of Huineng

The foundational Zen scripture — sudden awakening, original purity

Mumonkan (Gateless Gate)

48 koans — the direct pointing of the Zen masters

Shōbōgenzō (Dōgen)

Treasury of the True Dharma Eye — Zen's most profound written record

Blue Cliff Record

100 koans and commentary — the pinnacle of Zen literary transmission

Book of Serenity

Soto Zen's 100 koan collection — spacious, unhurried, luminous

Dependent Origination

Study causes, conditions, clinging, and release with clarity

Dhammapada Reading

Dharma Reflection

Contemplative Wisdom Practice

Dharma Texts

Explore Buddhist Wisdom

Ethical Intention (Sila)

Mindful Conduct (Throughout the Day)

Guided Meditation

Impermanence Reflection

Contemplation Practice (5–10 minutes)

Loving-Kindness (Metta)

Compassion Practice (10–15 minutes)

Refuge Practice

Return to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha with sincerity and steadiness

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