Soto Zen is one of the two major Zen Buddhist traditions (along with Rinzai), focusing on shikantaza ("just sitting") or silent, goal-less, seated meditation (zazen).
Founded in the 13th century by Dōgen Zenji, it emphasizes daily mindfulness and the integration of enlightenment into everyday activities.
- Zazen (Seated Meditation): The core practice, where practitioners sit in an alert, relaxed posture, allowing thoughts to arise and pass without attachment.
- Shikantaza: "Just sitting" a form of meditation that does not use specific objects or techniques for meditation.
- Everyday Zen: The belief that daily life—eating, working, cleaning—is practice.
Dōgen Zenji
The founder who brought this lineage from China to Japan, emphasizing that practice and enlightenment are one
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Soto Zen Buddhist Association (SZBA): A professional organization supporting Soto Zen in North America.
With roughly 14,000 temples in Japan, Soto is the largest sect of Zen Buddhism. It is characterized by its quiet, reflective approach and its focus on living mindfully in all areas of daily life.
to Zen, we seek to know this emptiness. To do so, we practice meditation and we find that it is revealed to us. We believe that an individual who sits in meditation is already in the world of emptiness or enlightenment, but has not yet become aware or experienced it.