Zen and the Martial Way

Can a few minutes of silent sitting really turn a martial arts class into Zen practice? Many dojos seem to think so—adding a brief session of zazen before sparring as if meditation were the missing ingredient. But as this episode explores, Zen isn’t something you can simply add. Zazen doesn’t make a class Zen any more than a candle makes a room enlightened. True Zen arises only when every movement—every strike, every breath—is already the expression of stillness itself.