Sixty-Second Sokuzan: Fifty-two, one-minute Zen Buddhist teachings

More than a year ago, Zim Chicaiza, one of my East Coast meditation students and successful TikTok creators for his personal hair salon, offered to help introduce my way of meditation by posting brief clips from my lengthy YouTube dharma talks onto my TikTok channel. The expected flood of new viewers did not materialize, and even today if you search for me—Sokuzan—on TikTok, you will find only a modest following.Admittedly, meditation isn’t nearly as appealing as animal activities, humorous clips, hair styling like on Beckerchicaiza’s channel, disasters, dancing, or thousands of other themes—nor does the way I teach meditation appeal to everyone. However, this “shorts” format, refined by Păo Shan for this Sixty-Second Sokuzan book and for ongoing posts on our sokukoji.org website/YouTube channel, gives you a taste of my primary teaching: “Just observe. Train your mind! It’s all about Awareness! There is nothing to fix!”So, as you read these fifty-two brief teachings, my desire is that you are inspired enough to take some time each day to sit down, hold still, and observe what continues to move in your mind stream. This is the essence of sitting meditation as I teach it. This is training your mind. Simple. Straightforward. Uncomplicated. A good start in finding out who you are so you can see what is true for yourself and live a sane and uplifted life! Try it—then let me know how you are doing. Good luck!Sokuzan, April 2024 Read more