zazen means A form of seated meditation in Zen Buddhism. It carries an Arena rating of 1608, earned across 70 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, zazen ranks #2,944 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,277 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #3,973 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #4,499 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
zazen is pronounced /zɑːˈzɛn/.
Why “zazen” is a great word
ZAZEN — [Noun] The formal seated meditation that constitutes the central discipline of Zen Buddhist practice. Borrowed from Japanese 坐禅 (zazen), from 坐 (za, "sitting") + 禅 (zen, "meditation"). Unlike vipassanā, which pursues insight through mindful observation, or kinhin, its structured walking complement, zazen is the bedrock posture of being itself. It is the unwavering spine aligned on the cushion, the cosmic mudra of the hands, and the silent, alert breath in a hall where the only instruction is to sit—a practice where the whole universe is contained in the disciplined posture of a single, unadorned moment.
Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 坐(ざ)禅(ぜん) (zazen), from 坐(ざ) (za, “sitting”) + 禅(ぜん) (zen, “meditation”).
noun
- A form of seated meditation in Zen Buddhism.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- zendo 71% match — A hall at a Zen buddhist monastery where formal seated meditation (zazen) is practiced. vs zazen →
- sesshin 64% match — A period of intensive zazen meditation in a Buddhist monastery. vs zazen →
- seiza 62% match — A traditional formal way of sitting in Japan, by kneeling with the legs folded underneath the thighs and the buttocks resting on the heels, with ankles turned outward. vs zazen →
- zen 62% match — Of or related to Zen Buddhism. vs zazen →
- kinhin 57% match — In Zen practice, the walking meditation practiced between zazen sessions. vs zazen →
- zabuton 57% match — A Japanese cushion for sitting. vs zazen →
- zenonism 53% match — The philosophy of Zeno of Citium; stoicism. vs zazen →
- beditation 52% match — Meditation performed on a bed. vs zazen →