Table of Contents

For many spiritual seekers, Zen is a word that evokes mystery — sparse temples, seated monks, and paradoxical koans. Yet the actual practice of Zen, especially its seated meditation (zazen), often feels elusive. How do we sit? What are we aiming for? Is enlightenment a sudden flash or a long cultivation? If you’ve ever wrestled with these questions, Zen Training by Katsuki Sekida may offer the grounded, practical guidance you’ve been seeking.

In this article, Buddhism Way explores Zen Training — a respected manual that unpacks the subtle mechanisms of Zen meditation with rare clarity. Sekida, both a seasoned practitioner and a high school teacher of English literature, brings a unique blend of Eastern insight and Western explanation. Whether you’re a beginner just trying to establish a sitting practice or a long-time meditator looking to deepen your zazen, this book provides rigorous yet compassionate instruction.

🧘 What This Book Is About

Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy by Katsuki Sekida, first published in 1975, is a comprehensive manual on the physical, mental, and philosophical aspects of Zen meditation. The book combines firsthand experience with scientific curiosity, aiming to bridge the gap between traditional Japanese Zen and Western understanding.

Sekida’s background as a Rinzai Zen practitioner and an educator gives the book a unique tone. It is at once methodical and intimate, instructional and reflective. The core focus is zazen — the formal sitting meditation that lies at the heart of Zen — and the author delves deeply into its practice, physiological underpinnings, and ultimate spiritual goal: awakening to one’s true nature.

The book is structured into detailed chapters that include:

  1. Introduction to Zen and Zazen
  2. The Physiology of Sitting and Breathing
  3. The Development of Concentration (Samadhi)
  4. Thought, Awareness, and the Koan Practice
  5. The Nature of Kensho (Awakening)
  6. Stages of Spiritual Progress
  7. Practical Instructions and Personal Reflections

Sekida offers both abstract philosophy and detailed bodily instructions — how to sit, how to breathe, how to manage the mind. What emerges is a view of Zen as a rigorous training of both body and consciousness.

☸️ Core Teachings in the Book

1. Zazen as Psycho-Physical Training

Sekida emphasizes that zazen is not just a mental exercise but a whole-body discipline. Proper sitting posture, diaphragmatic breathing, and physical stillness are essential. He devotes much space to how to breathe — not just to relax, but to fuel the energetic intensity required for samadhi.

“Zazen is the re-education of the body as well as the mind. We sit with the whole of our being.”

Unlike some interpretations that present zazen as passive or soft, Sekida introduces it as energetic and precise — a dynamic tension that stabilizes the mind. He refers to “kiai,” a term used in martial arts, to describe the inner force one brings to meditation.

2. Samadhi: The Power of One-Pointed Concentration

The cultivation of samadhi — deep meditative absorption — is central. Sekida breaks down how one can progress from initial restlessness to deeper and deeper levels of concentration, using the breath as a focal point.

He classifies samadhi into stages and introduces the term “stage of quietness,” where mental chatter stills and the mind begins to stabilize.

“In samadhi, there is no self-consciousness. The body is forgotten, and only awareness remains.”

This progression is not mystical but accessible. By outlining step-by-step what it feels like as one drops into samadhi, he makes profound states seem reachable through diligent practice.

3. The Function of Thought and the Mind

A surprising part of Sekida’s teaching is his scientific and psychological lens. He examines how thoughts arise and how they can be observed — not suppressed, but studied. He introduces the concept of “one-thought”, where awareness rests in a single mental event without splitting into observer and observed.

“The mind must be unified. Thought is not an enemy. It becomes our friend when disciplined.”

This perspective is helpful for meditators who struggle with wandering thoughts. Instead of battling the mind, Sekida suggests training it — much like a muscle or an instrument.

4. Kensho and the Nature of Enlightenment

Sekida addresses kensho (seeing into one’s true nature) with careful reverence. He doesn’t promise dramatic mystical visions but instead points to subtle shifts in perception — moments when self drops away and awareness opens.

He describes his own kensho, but not to impress; rather, to explain how it arises naturally from training.

“Kensho is not something apart. It is the natural flowering of a prepared mind.”

Rather than romanticizing enlightenment, Sekida presents it as the logical outcome of deep, consistent meditation.

5. The Use of Koans

As a Rinzai practitioner, Sekida includes a chapter on koans — the enigmatic riddles used to jolt the mind out of habitual patterns. However, he warns that koans are not puzzles to be solved intellectually. They are experiential tools best used after foundational samadhi is established.

“The koan is not meant to be ‘understood.’ It is meant to be lived.”

He views koan work as a way to test the robustness of one’s insight and to deepen one’s intuitive grasp of emptiness.

🪷 Why This Book Matters

For the Serious Student of Zen

Zen Training is ideal for practitioners who want more than surface-level inspiration. If you’ve read poetic Zen texts or enjoyed dharma talks but feel unsure how to actually sit or how to measure your meditative progress, Sekida offers a rare clarity.

This book can:

For the Contemplative Mind

Though rigorous, the book is not cold. Sekida’s reflections on his own spiritual journey are sincere, and his love for the path is evident. This makes the book suitable not just for monks or scholars, but for anyone who longs for transformation through deep practice.

Bringing the Teachings Into Daily Life

Here are three ways you can apply Sekida’s teachings:

  1. Practice sitting daily with full attention to your breath. Focus not on peace, but on vital presence — the “kiai” Sekida describes.
  2. Observe your thoughts as movements of the mind. Don’t push them away. Learn their patterns and gently draw attention back to the breath.
  3. Commit to discipline. Zen, in this book, is not always comfortable — but it is honest. Showing up, day after day, is itself the path.

🧾 Strengths and Challenges of the Book

Strengths

Considerations

Still, these are not flaws so much as features. Sekida does not dilute the practice — and for the right reader, this makes Zen Training a rare treasure.

🪶 Your Journey Through This Book Begins Here

In Zen Training, Katsuki Sekida offers not just a book but a path — a way to train the body and mind toward deep stillness, clarity, and awakening. It is not easy reading, but neither is Zen easy living. This book rewards those who return to it with patience and curiosity.

If you are looking for a how-to guide that respects the mystery of practice while giving you the tools to walk it, Zen Training is an invaluable companion.

“Only when the whole body is one with the mind can the gates of truth begin to open.”

Begin slowly. Sit each day with intention. Let Sekida’s words settle like rain into dry earth — quietly transforming your field of practice.

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May your discipline be gentle and your insight deep.