Instructions for Zazen

Text

Changlu Qingliao compiled instructions for seated meditation that Dogen would later draw upon in his own Fukan Zazengi. Qingliao wrote: "Have a thick, square cushion. Sit in the half or full lotus position. Straighten the body and sit upright. Do not lean left or right, forward or back. The ears should be in line with the shoulders; the nose in line with the navel. Place the tongue against the roof of the mouth. The lips and teeth should be closed. Keep the eyes slightly open. Breathe softly through the nose. Having settled the body and breath, release all concerns. Do not think good, do not think bad. Have no grasping, no rejecting. Do not try to make the mind work—allow thought to cease of itself."

license: public_domain

Attribution

• Attributed To
  Changlu Qingliao

Lineage: Caodong

By Changlu Qingliao

• On Silent Illuminationverse

From Wudenghuiyuan

• The Way of the Patriarchs
• On Silent Illumination
• Teaching the Japanese Monk
• The Gate of Jingshan
• Spring Comes, Grass Grows Naturally
• The Vast Empty Sky

Sources

• contentZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation

  Zen project editorial

  Changlu Zongjze, Zuochan Yi (Instructions for Zazen); Wudenghuiyuan, Changlu chapter

  Wudenghuiyuan: Instructions for Zazen