A zafu (座蒲 in Japanese or 蒲团 in Chinese) is a round cushion, about 35 cm (14 inches) in diameter, and often about 20 cm (8 inches) high, when fluffed. Although in U.S. English, zafu is often translated as "sewn seat", that isn't the meaning of the Japanese kanji. "Za" (座) means "seat", and "fu" (蒲) means cattail. As a word, "zafu" means a seat made out of cattails. The origins of the Japanese zafu (座蒲) came from China where these meditation… (More on Zafu)