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Zen

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Table of contents

1 Spread of Zen 2 Zen in Japan 3 Zen teachings and practices 3.1 Zazen 3.2 Koan practice 4 "Zen" in Western pop-culture 5 See also 6 External links 7 Further reading

Spread of Zen

Traditionally, Zen traces its roots back to Indian Buddhism, where it was known by "dhyā na" (ध्यान), a Sanskrit term for meditation. This name was transliterated into Chinese as Chán; (禪); "Chán" was later transliterated into Korean as Seon, and then into Japanese as "Zen."

According to these traditional accounts, an Indian monk named Bodhidharma brought Zen Buddhism to China in the fifth century. Later, Korean monks studying in China learned of Zen and spread it as far as to Japan around the seventh century.

Zen in Japan

The following Zen traditions still exist in Japan: Rinzai, Soto, and Obaku. Originally formulated by the eponymous Chinese master Linji (Rinzai in Japanese), the Rinzai school was introduced to Japan in 1191 by Eisai. Dogen, who studied under Eisai, would later carry the Caodong, or "Soto" Zen school to Japan from China. Obaku was introduced in the 17th century by a Ingen, a Chinese monk.

Zen teachings and practices

Zen teachings often criticize textual study and worldly action, concentrating primarily on meditation in pursuit of an unmediated awareness of the processes of the world and the mind. However, these teachings are themselves also deeply rooted in the Buddhist textual tradition, drawing primarily on Mahāyāna sutras composed in India and China, and on the recorded teachings of masters in the various Zen traditions themselves.

Zazen

Zen meditation is called zazen. Zazen translates approximately to "sitting meditation", although it can be applied to practice in any posture. During zazen, practitioners usually assume a lotus, half-lotus, burmese, or seiza position. Rinzai practitioners typically sit facing the center of the room, while Soto practitioners sit facing a wall. Awareness is directed towards complete cognizance of one's posture and breathing. In this way, practitioners seek to transcend thought and be directly aware of the universe.

In Soto, shikantaza meditation, sometimes translated as "just-sitting," i.e., a meditation with no objects, anchors, "seeds," or content, is the primary form of practice. Considerable textual, philosophical, and phenomenological justification of this practice can be found in Dogen's Shobogenzo.

Koan practice

"Zen" in Western pop-culture

Many modern students have made the mistake of thinking that since much of Zen sounds like nonsense, especially in translation and out of context, any clever nonsense is also Zen. This is not the case, but see Discordianism and the Church of the SubGenius for modern semiserious religions influenced by this idea.

See also

• Chan
• koan
• Seon
• Buddha-nature;

• Zen meditation - what is it?
• Google Directory - Zen Centers
• Zen Buddhism from LookSmart
• Zen Buddhism from the Open Directory Project
• Zen Buddhism from Yahoo
• Digital Dictionary of Buddhism
• Daily Zen
• E-Sangha Buddhism Portal

• The Compass of Zen (ISBN 1570623295), Zen Master Seung Sahn
• Three Zen Masters: Ikkyu, Hakuin, Ryokan (Kodansha Biographies) (ISBN 4770016514; 1993, John Stevens
• Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (ISBN 0834800799), Shunryu Suzuki. A good introduction to the practice of Zen.
• Zen Keys (ISBN 0385475616) and Heart of Buddha's Teaching (ISBN 0767903692), by Thich Nhat Hanh
• The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment, Philip Kapleau (ISBN 0385260938). A comprehensive guide to the practice of Zen
• Empty Mirror: Experiences in a Japanese Zen Monastery (ISBN 0312207743), Glimpse of Nothingness: Experiences in an American Zen Community (ISBN 0312209452) and After Zen: Experiences of a Zen Student Out On His Ear (ISBN 0312272618), the Zen trilogy by Janwillem van de Wetering

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