Zen - meditation

The name Zen is derived from the Sanskrit word 'dhyana' meaning 'meditation'. Through meditation Zen students still their thoughts and become aware of the empty mind that contains them. Just as the particles in a glass of muddy water settle to the bottom when the glass is no longer shaken and the water becomes transparent, so thoughts settle down when the mind is not agitated and consciousness becomes clear. But Zen is not meditation. Becoming a macho meditator who can sit in an upright posture for days on end is not Zen. It is just a new spiritual self. Zen is no-self.

- TIMOTHY FREKE, THE WISDOM OF THE ZEN MASTERS