zafu

[ za-foo ]

noun

1. a round cushion used in Zen meditation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of zafu¹

First recorded in 1975–80; from Japanese, equivalent to za “seat” + fu “bulrush, cattail,” commonly mistranslated as “sewn seat”; zabuton ( def )

Example Sentences

Kiriko Zafu Meditation Pillow: This Portland-made cushion wraps Japanese fabric around a supportive millet filling to create a lovely place for her to practice mindfulness.

From Seattle Times

I dutifully crouched on a zafu cushion in a somewhat cramped room as a guide offered pleasant banalities on “letting go” and mentally rowing myself in a visionary canoe.

From Salon

We brought are Zafu cushions to work, and at lunch time closed our office doors and meditated.

From New York Times

“I’d rather stay home on my zafu”—her meditation cushion—“and study the dharma.”

From The New Yorker

For this you sit with crossed legs on a "zafu", or cushion, while you look down at the floor at a 45-degree angle, take a deep and slow breath and meditate.

From Reuters