““This form of meditation requires us to remain in the moment that we are currently experiencing. We are to observe thoughts, senses, and emotions, but at a distance, allowing each to just pass by like a leaf in the wind. It is the practice of not actively thinking. Zazen is simply experiencing being alive while being still. It is important to utilize zazen without any preconceived notions of what you are trying to gain. If you practice zazen with expectations, you are definitely defeating the purpose and it will be difficult for you to simply sit. You must sit without a goal. Zazen is known as a “non-seeking practice.” The object is to experience the very moment that you are living and feel what it is to be alive.””
![“Buddhists sharply distinguished Zazen from Yoga, and have the method peculiar to themselves. Kei-zan[FN#244] describes the method to the following effect: 'Secure a quiet room neither extremely light nor extremely dark, neither very warm nor very cold, a room, if you can, in the Buddhist temple…” quote by Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/253/kaiten-nukariya-793_buddhism_buddhists-sharply-distinguished-zazen-fr_2871473.jpg)
![“What is called zazen is sitting on a zafu [pillow] in a quiet room, absolutely still, in the exact and proper position and without uttering a word, the mind empty of any thought, good or wicked. It is continuing to sit peacefully, facing a wall, and nothing more. Every day.” quote by Taisen Deshimaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/653/taisen-deshimaru-20366_continuing_what-is-called-zazen-is-sitting-on-a-zaf_2735163.jpg)
![“...even though [my psychiatrist] understood mor than anyone how much I felt I was losing--in energy, vivacity, and originality--by taking medication, he never was seduced into losing sight of the overall perspective of how costly, damaging, and life threatening my illness was. He was at ease with…” quote by Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/57f/kay-redfield-jamison-1826_life_even-though-my-psychiatrist-understood-m_3399.jpg)
