Thinking's bad rap: the uses and Misuses of Zen Buddhist meditation in psychoanalytic therapy.
American journal of psychoanalysis March 1, 2025 Seiso Paul Cooper
The author distinguishes the Soto Zen practice of shikantaza (just sitting, only sitting), as taught by Eihei Dōgen, from instrumental, facilitative, and quietist contemplative practices. Different contemplative practices reflect the underlying assumptions and goals of their traditions. How clinicians understand a practice influences its effect on the clinical encounter. Instrumental and quietist assumptions can consciously and unconsciously shape practitioners. The discussion reviews, from a psychoanalytic perspective, the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches, focusing on shikantaza in the psychoanalytic encounter.