Zazen gi

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Zazen gi, also known as The Standard Method of Zazen or Principles of Zazen, is a book in Eihei Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō. Dōgen was a 13th‑century Soto Zen monk. Zazen gi is the 10th fascicle in the 75‑fascicle edition and the 58th in the later 95‑fascicle Honzan edition.

Dōgen presented it to his students in November 1243 at Yoshimine Shōja, a small temple where he and his group practiced briefly after moving to Echizen Province from Kōshōhōrin-ji earlier that year, before they founded Eihei-ji.

Unlike many other Shōbōgenzō writings, Zazen gi is less a commentary on Chinese Chan literature and more a practical guide to practicing zazen (seated meditation).

The title comes from earlier Chinese texts with the same purpose; a well-known example is the Chanyuan qinggui, which Dōgen quotes extensively. His famous Fukan Zazengi and the Bendoho chapter of Eihei shingi are also heavily influenced by this Chinese source and are closely related to Zazen gi.