An attempt to describe the meditation techniques used in Japanese Buddhism is faced with the problem of the diversity of Buddhist systems and practices in Japan. While to many Westerners, Buddhism may seem like a universal Asian religion, in fact there are many differences between different Buddhist sects. To better understand the techniques of meditation in Zen Buddhism, then, it would be wise to focus on one particular Japanese sect. From this point of view, the sect of Japanese Buddhism perhaps most useful to study in this essay would be Zen Buddhism.