Prostration is a generic Buddhist practice. Zen uses prostration, but not to the extent of other Buddhist traditions. In a Japanese monastery, prostration practice is not emphasized, but monks and nuns will prostrate three times before and after services. However, it is up to the individual how he or she wishes to practice during private time. There are four kinds of samadhi practice: sitting, walking, chanting and prostrating; so doing prostrations is a legitimate form of practice.

STUDENT:

Do Zen practitioners do slow walking meditation?

SHIH-FU:

Yes, but not fast walking meditation. In Ch'an monasteries, practitioners fast walk but do not slow walk. At the New York Ch'an Center we do both forms of walking.

There are other differences. Japanese Zen does not use the Buddha's name recitation method. The Chinese tradition does. The Buddha recitation method was taught by the Fourth Patriarch, Tao-hsin (580-651). Today, most people recite Amitabha Buddha's name, but any Buddha's name will do. After the Sung dynasty, many people used this method as part of their Ch'an training. In Japan, reciting the Buddha's name is, however, practiced by the Pure Land sect.

In Zen, people begin to practice with a hua-t'ou or by counting the breath. In general, the Rinzai sect uses koan and hua-t'ou methods. A roshi will give a student a series of koans or hua-t'ous to work on, one after another. The main method used by the Soto sect is shikantaza, which means "just sitting." Really, shikantaza is the method of no method.