Posted inIntro to Zen Talks, Introduction to Zen, MC Podcasts, Meditations

Teisho: Introductory Talk #5: Five Kinds of Zen

December 23, 2017

“… Supreme way practice has no objective. It is associated with the practice of just sitting. There is no desire to realize anything—it is simply, this …”

zen sitting meditation
 

Description: This talk covers the five kinds of zen: ordinary practice, outside practice, lesser vehicle practice (Theravada), greater vehicle practice (Mahayana) and supreme way practice. Ordinary practice is practice for ordinary benefits, like decreased anxiety, increased focus, improved health and more harmonious relationships. Outside practice refers to someone who practices outside of the Buddhist framework; for example, a person interested in the philosophy of Zen. It may be more of an intellectual or aesthetic approach. Lesser vehicle practice (Theravada) refers to earlier Buddhism whose aim is not to be born again. In modern terms, it is interested in being freed from the drives and suffering that emerge from our sense of self. This approach is more systematic and gradual than Zen. Greater vehicle practice (Mahayana) is not as concerned with the individual’s liberation but with the liberation of all beings, of the entirety of creation, and it does not need to be gradual. It can be a sudden experience of awakening. Supreme way practice has no objective. It is associated with the practice of just sitting. There is no desire to realize anything—it is simply, this.

Post & Featured image: Meditation by avi_aciCCO Public Domain.

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