Aham,
IMO zen is a set of teachings that first enable you to experience Buddha Nature
("to see things as they really are" in Vipassana-speak) and then to incorporate
that experience into your daily life.
These teachings usually do employ a meditation technique - zazen - which in
Japanese means 'sit zen'. Although there are many beginning techniques used to
learn to do zazen and the most popular does involve using the breath as does
Vipassana; but all zen techniques (zazen, koan study, chanting, bowing, etc...)
are all geared to bring you eventually to a meditative state called
'shikantaza' which means 'just sit' or 'only sit' in Japanese. It is the same
(I believe) as what the Buddhist Sutras refer to as 'samadhi'. It is in this
state that you may experience Buddha Nature ("see things as they really are").
>From what little I know about Vipassana there are a lot of similarities with
>zen, and of course there should be if they are both taking you to the same
>place.
There are participants in this forum that know more about Vipassana than I, and
also participants that probably have a different opinion of what zen is than
I've just wrote out.
I hope you'll hear from them.
Welcome to the Zen Forum...
...Bill!
--- In [email protected], "reconceiving1942" <aham@...> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I am new here in this group.
> I am familiar with some meditation techiques, where vipassana became the
> strongest one for me.
>
> What exactly is zen?
> is zen a mediation technique or a quality of life?
> If so, can any one describe this quality?
>
> Aham
>
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