Sitting in Silence: A Course in Miracles and Zen Shikantaza

Sitting in Silence: A Course in Miracles and Zen Shikantaza

At first glance, A Course in Miracles and Zen Buddhism seem worlds apart. One speaks of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit; the other rests in silence without reference to deity. Yet if we look closely at the later Workbook lessons in ACIM and compare them with Zen’s practice of shikantaza—“just sitting”—the resemblance is striking.

In the early Workbook lessons, ACIM often gives structured thoughts to repeat, gently retraining the mind to see differently. But as the lessons progress, words fall away. The instructions shift toward stillness: “Simply be quiet.” “Do nothing.” “Wait in silence.” The practice becomes less about repeating a phrase and more about resting in a Presence already here.

This is very close to the heart of Zen’s just sitting. In shikantaza, you take your seat and release all effort to manipulate the mind. Thoughts, sensations, and feelings come and go, but nothing needs to be grasped or pushed away. There is no mantra, no visualization, no striving—only the bare act of being present.

Both practices invite the same inner gesture: stop trying, let go, rest in what already is.

The difference lies mostly in interpretation. ACIM frames this stillness as entering God’s presence, a merging into love. Zen frames it as encountering reality as it is, ordinary and complete. But experientially, the silence feels nearly identical: a spaciousness beyond words, where striving drops away and a deeper ground of awareness reveals itself.

Whether we call it “God’s peace” or “just this,” both paths converge in the same doorway: sitting quietly, doing nothing, and remembering the completeness of now.

#acim

#workbook

#zen

#shikantaza

#justsitting