An Introduction to Zen Training

An Introduction to Zen Training is a translation of Sanzen Nyumon, a key text by one of the foremost Zen teachers of the twentieth century.

Written to provide a solid introduction to the physical nature of Zen training, this text discusses breath, pain, posture, drowsiness, state of mind, and physiology, as well as the context in which this training takes on meaning.

An Introduction to Zen Training also addresses many of the questions that arise naturally when Zen training begins—ranging from how long to sit at one time to how to keep mindfulness when not sitting—and concludes with commentaries on two fundamental Zen texts, Zazen Wasen (Song of Zazen) and the Ox-Herding Pictures.