An attempt is made to understand the behaviors involved in two different self-control strategies: Zen meditation and behavioral self-management. The first technique is derived from the Eastern "religious-Philosophical" tradition of Zen Buddhism; the other technique is derived from laboratory and field studies in Western settings. Using tools of naturalistic observation and experimental analysis, Zen meditation is conceptualized as a sequence of behaviors involving certain cues and consequences, and thereby being under explicit contingency arrangements. The same tools of experimental analysis are then applied to the behavioral self-management techniques, and a series of comparisons and contrasts are made between the two. After briefly reviewing the clinical outcome literature for both strategies, the paper concludes with a discussion of the rehabilitative and preventive benefits which may be gained from a combination of the two techniques. (Author)