Strict Adherence to Form is Not True Zazen or True Dharma

By: Sekkei Harada Roshi

But it isn’t necessary to stick to this form [prescribed by Dogen in the Fukanzazengi]. It is fine to switch over and put the right foot on the left thight. It is also all right to sit the way women do in Japan, with their feet tucked under them. Or to use various kinds of seats or benches. In any case don’t worry too much about the outer form. I would simply like you to find a position so you can sit comfortably for a long time, without feeling too much pain in your legs.

In some of the bigger monasteries in Japan, if a monk could not sit zazen in the full-lotus position, he was not allowed to stay. In recent years, though, there has been a realization that this was an error, and slowly things have changed. I think this is good.

Why is it that only the outer form has become emphasized in this way? The reason is that the essential Dharma has been lost, and in order to at least pass down something, a lot of emphasis has come to be placed on form.

We hear of people who think that Buddhist practice involves faithfully following the rules that Dogen prescribed. This is a great misinterpretation. This is to practice in a very narrow, militaristic sort of way. There may be some people here who think that practice means strictly adhering to the form, with no deviation allowed whatsoever. They may like to do it this way and thing it cannot be done in any other manner. I would like you to understand, however, that it is clearly taking place in a context where true zazen and true Dharma have disappeared. For that reason, only the form is emphasized and rigidly followed.

Note: Sekkei Harada Roshi (1926-2020) was the abbott of Hoshin-ji, a Soto Zen training monastery in Fukui Prefecture, near the coast of central Japan. The above quote is taken from his book, The Essence of Zen: The Teachings of Sekkei Harada.