Introduction to Zen: Zazen and Shikantaza

This book is dedicated to two spiritual practices, connected with Zen Buddhism. Zazen means sitting in a particular position, which allows to gain consciousness and bring it to everyday life. Shikantaza is the highest point of zazen: it means the condition of ultimate openness to the world and willingness to accept all its objects that are equally and indiscriminately perceived by the individual. The book includes theoretic postulates and zazen practices in daily life. The author emphasizes that spiritual practices should enrich one’s reality rather than take the individual out of it. The appendices are dedicated to approaches to reading zazen literature, and tells the readers how religious views can influence our perception of reality.