Caodong (house)

One of the "Five Houses of Chinese Chan" descended through Dongshan and Caoshan: known for the dialectic of the Five Ranks and a quieter, "just sittingShikantaza (只管打坐, shikan ta za) — "just sitting," or more precisely, "nothing but wholeheartedly sitting" - is the zazen practice central to Soto Zen Buddhism. It is objectless, goalless, method-free meditation: open awareness without a focus point, without striving toward any particular state. Read more about just sitting »" style of practice.  Caodong was carried to Japan by Dōgen as Sōtō Zen: Caodong and Sōtō are the same line, read in two different languages.