There is a common misconception that to practice Zen is to practice meditation and nothing else. In truth, traditionally, the practice of meditation goes hand-in-hand with moral conduct. In "Invoking Reality," John Daido Loori, one of the leading Zen teachers in America today, presents and explains the ethical precepts of Zen as essential aspects of Zen training and development.
The Buddhist teachings on morality--the precepts--predate Zen, going all the way back to the Buddha himself. They describe, in essence, how a buddha, or awakened person, lives his or her life in the world....

Zen rituals--such as chanting, bowing, lighting incense before the Buddha statue--are ways of recognizing the sacredness in all of life. A ritual is simply a deliberate and focused moment that symbolizes the care with which we should be approaching all of life, and practicing the Zen liturgy is a way of cultivating this quality of attention in order to bring it to everything we do. Here, John Daido Loori demystifies the details of the Zen rituals and highlights their deeper meaning and purpose. We humans are all creatures of ritual, he teaches, whether we recognize it or not. Even if we don't...

Dharma combat is a practice form unique to Zen in which student and teacher confront each other before a live audience, so to speak. The Zen master takes a seat at the front of the meditation hall and is approached by students, one by one, who challenge the master with questions. The Zen master challenges them in return, and the pithy, energetic exchanges become a teaching for all involved.
"Cave of Tigers" is proof that the ancient practice of dharma combat is alive and well in American Zen. It consists of records of actual dharma combat sessions between John Daido Loori Roshi and his...