za·zen (zä?z?n?)n. The primary form of meditation in Zen Buddhism, practiced while sitting cross-legged.[Japanese : za, to sit down (from Early Middle Chinese dzwa’; also the source of Mandarin zuò) + zen, silent meditation; see Zen.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.zazen (z?z?n) n (Buddhism) (in Zen Buddhism) deep meditation undertaken whilst sitting upright with legs crossedCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014