A Note to Readers:
From May, 1999 to the present day, I have had many opportunities to talk to about five hundred persons who are interested in learning and practicing what the Buddha and Zen masters teach, and given answers to their questions about Buddhism and Zen on this website [Zenguide.com] on daily basis.

I saw the need for an introductory guideline on zazen practice that would help. Therefore, I have tried to put some words down here as a guideline for those who would like to see into their own nature or Buddha-nature, to free themselves from suffering caused by our own greed, anger, and ignorance, and would provide a guide to practicing the very first steps.

If he or she would like to help others wanting to achieve the same things, these guidelines will allow them to do this. Actually, most of what I put them together here already appear in the answers mentioned above.

What I put down in these guidelines, in the main part, I received from my own Zen teacher Thong Lac, under whom I practiced, and by his compassion and skillful teachings, my mind's eye opens at some degree. I deeply bow my thanks to him here.

This was about twenty-five years ago and I have kept doing it by myself so far. The other part I have gleaned from different books on Zen and zazen practice by other Zen teachers of both old and recent times, and also from the Buddhist Scriptures (Sutras and Sastras). So, it might be said that nothing here is my own.

As you already see, this guideline may be described as, 'Scratching the surface.' Therefore, it may be revised and added as and when needed. Any comments or suggestions from anyone of you will be welcomed and appreciated. You can forward them to me with the E-mail address below. Thank you in advance.

Finally, I would like to deeply say thanks to my friends John Charlson (U.K), Joeri Van den Broeck (Belgium), each of them with great heartedness and talent, helping in editing my English. All of these make this guide easier to read, understand, and practice to our readers. And I also deeply thanks to all the authors, the translators, and the editors of the sources that I quote and cite in this guide.

Bodhidharma (ca. 470 - 543?) Founder of Zen Buddhism.

"Not establishing words and letters, Teachings transmitted outside the Scriptures. Directly pointing to humans' mind, To see into their own nature and attain the Buddhahood."

Master Thong Lac (photo 1985) Chon Tri's Zen Teacher

If you are planning on purchasing any product from amazon.com, you can help us out by using the search box to the right or by clicking on this link to begin shopping.