NORTH SHORE ZENDO

Zen Meditation & Practice

Zen Buddhism emphasises zazen sitting meditation as the practice of waking up to our essential nature, appreciating and giving life to the experience of our lives. It is an experiential practice and does not emphasize conceptual learning. ‘Paper cakes don’t satisfy hunger.’ Zen meditation can improve health and concentration, and decrease stress and anxiety. At root, however, it is about learning to live with appreciation and clarity; being present and at ease with the moment to moment experience of our lives.

Zazen is not a means to an end, but the ongoing practice of becoming more intimately present and engaged with our life, in all of our activities. Freedom and ease come from realizing the essentially spacious quality of mind and the fleeting quality of our physical sensations, thoughts and emotions. Realizing this fleeting quality of our desires and aversions we become increasingly able to flow with the inevitable changes and difficulties that life brings.