What do we do in zazen?

Kusen from Taiun JP Faure – April 2018

The sun shines without ego, the rain falls without ego, the universe turns without ego. The human being, when he lives without ego, is called Buddha.

Sitting motionless, breathing coming and going freely, thoughts coming and going freely. That is what we practise in zazen, without seeking to represent ourselves, or to represent what surrounds us; accepting this experience of totally sitting.

If we are not preoccupied by what appears to our consciousness, if we are not preoccupied by the thoughts that come and that go, we stay in the awakened state – that is to say, the state of Buddha.

Still, we must have faith that when we are content with pure existence, without ego, we do not waste our time, we do not waste our life.

This experience of life without relying on anything is fundamental if we are to fully accept situations like separation, if we are to glide into old age and decrepitude, glide into difficult situations like disease, naturally glide into the total extinction called death… It is fundamental to face the human condition. Experiencing pure existence is fundamental.

From the moment we understand the merits of zazen in our lives as human beings, we can truly practice it by remaining immobile, in balance, without being preoccupied by what appears to consciousness, what disappears from consciousness.

When we have clarified what zazen is and what we do in zazen, we no longer fall into sleep or mental agitation. It requires total faith in zazen.