Do I need to be a Buddhist to practise Zen meditation?
No, you do not have to be a Buddhist to practise Zen meditation. There is now a widespread secular meditation movement in which people practise forms of sitting meditation without adopting Buddhism as a religion or spiritual path.
However, it is worth asking why we meditate.
If we are looking for some quiet time and an opportunity to unwind from the pressures of everyday life, meditation can certainly provide this, just as walking by a river or enjoying a hobby such as painting can also be restorative.
Meditation as part of Buddhist practice, however, has a different motivation. Its purpose is the cultivation of wisdom and compassion. As mentioned above, in time the Buddha’s teachings themselves may become objects of meditation for this explicit purpose. Meditation then becomes part of a pathway of transformation within the wider framework of the Buddha’s teachings.
The physical and psychological benefits that may accompany meditation are welcome, but from the Buddhist point of view they are not its ultimate purpose.
