Green Gaia
Veteran Member
Zen is the Japanese name of a well known branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism, practiced especially in China, Japan, Vietnam and Korea. It stresses the role of meditation in pursuing enlightenment. But besides this, it has been termed, by one Western commentator, "a way of life, work, and art ." Because Zen is the common name for this branch in Japanese as well as in English, this article will concern itself both with Zen as practiced in Japan and with Zen as an international phenomenon.
Spread of Zen
Traditionally, Zen traces its roots back to Indian Buddhism, where it was known by "dhyāna" (ध्यान, a Sanskrit term for meditation. This name was transliterated into Chinese as Chán (禪 "Chán" was later transliterated into Korean as Seon, Vietnamese as Thien 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 Japan around the seventh century. Bodhidharma has also been linked to the spread of the East Asian martial arts traditions by popular history and mythology. However, little information supports this idea, and most students of martial history classify it as legend, not fact. Many of the martial systems that are identified with Zen practices tend to have more of a foundation in Taoist thought and design.
The Japanese Zen scholar D.T. Suzuki maintained that a Zen satori (understanding) was the goal of the training, but that what distinguished the Zen tradition as it developed in China, Korea, and Japan was a way of life radically different from that of Indian Buddhists. In India, the tradition of the mendicant (holy beggar) prevailed, but in China social circumstances led to the development of a temple and training-center system in which the abbot and the monks all performed mundane tasks. These included food gardening or farming, carpentry, architecture, housekeeping, administration, and the practice of folk medicine. Consequently, the enlightenment sought in Zen had to stand up well to the demands and potential frustrations of everyday life.
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 Ingen, a Chinese monk.
Zen teachings and practices
Zen teachings often criticize textual study and the pursuit of worldly accomplishments, concentrating primarily on meditation in pursuit of an unmediated awareness of the processes of the world and the mind. Zen, however, is no mere quietistic doctrine: the Chinese Zen master Baizhang (720-814 CE), (Japanese: Hyakujo), left behind a famous saying which had been the guiding principle of his life, "A day without work is a day of no eating." When Baizhan was thought to be too old to work in the garden, his devotees hid his gardening tools. In response to this, the master then refused to eat, saying "No working, no living."
These teachings are in turn deeply rooted in the Buddhist textual tradition, drawing primarily on Mahāyāna sutras composed in India and China, particularly the Heart Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, the Lankavatara Sutra, and the Samantamukha Parivarta, a chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The body of Zen doctrine also includes the recorded teachings of masters in the various Zen traditions.
Zen is not primarily philosophy of an intellectual variety. In explaining the Zen Buddhist path to Westerners, Japanese Zen masters and authorities have frequently pointed out, moreover, that Zen is a way of life and not solely a state of consciousness. D.T. Suzuki thought the aspects of this way of life were: a life of humility; a life of labor; a life of service; a life of prayer and gratitude; and a life of meditation.
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 sitting 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.
The teacher
Because the Zen tradition emphasizes direct communication over scriptural study, the role of the Zen teacher is crucial. Generally speaking, a Zen teacher is a person ordained in any tradition of Zen to teach the dharma, guide students of meditation and perform rituals; in some cases, especially in modern Zen movements, a person not formally ordained may be able to fulfill some or all of these roles. Honorific titles associated with Zen teachers typically include, in Chinese: Fashi or Chanshi; in Korean, Sunim; in Japanese: Roshi or Sensei; and in Vietnamese, Thich adopted in place of a surname. Note that many of these titles are common among Buddhist priests of all schools.
The term Zen master is often used to refer to important teachers, especially ancient and medieval ones. However, there is no specific criterion by which one can be called a Zen master. The term is less common in reference to modern teachers, because they are generally reluctant to proclaim themselves "masters."
Spread of Zen
Traditionally, Zen traces its roots back to Indian Buddhism, where it was known by "dhyāna" (ध्यान, a Sanskrit term for meditation. This name was transliterated into Chinese as Chán (禪 "Chán" was later transliterated into Korean as Seon, Vietnamese as Thien 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 Japan around the seventh century. Bodhidharma has also been linked to the spread of the East Asian martial arts traditions by popular history and mythology. However, little information supports this idea, and most students of martial history classify it as legend, not fact. Many of the martial systems that are identified with Zen practices tend to have more of a foundation in Taoist thought and design.
The Japanese Zen scholar D.T. Suzuki maintained that a Zen satori (understanding) was the goal of the training, but that what distinguished the Zen tradition as it developed in China, Korea, and Japan was a way of life radically different from that of Indian Buddhists. In India, the tradition of the mendicant (holy beggar) prevailed, but in China social circumstances led to the development of a temple and training-center system in which the abbot and the monks all performed mundane tasks. These included food gardening or farming, carpentry, architecture, housekeeping, administration, and the practice of folk medicine. Consequently, the enlightenment sought in Zen had to stand up well to the demands and potential frustrations of everyday life.
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 Ingen, a Chinese monk.
Zen teachings and practices
Zen teachings often criticize textual study and the pursuit of worldly accomplishments, concentrating primarily on meditation in pursuit of an unmediated awareness of the processes of the world and the mind. Zen, however, is no mere quietistic doctrine: the Chinese Zen master Baizhang (720-814 CE), (Japanese: Hyakujo), left behind a famous saying which had been the guiding principle of his life, "A day without work is a day of no eating." When Baizhan was thought to be too old to work in the garden, his devotees hid his gardening tools. In response to this, the master then refused to eat, saying "No working, no living."
These teachings are in turn deeply rooted in the Buddhist textual tradition, drawing primarily on Mahāyāna sutras composed in India and China, particularly the Heart Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, the Lankavatara Sutra, and the Samantamukha Parivarta, a chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The body of Zen doctrine also includes the recorded teachings of masters in the various Zen traditions.
Zen is not primarily philosophy of an intellectual variety. In explaining the Zen Buddhist path to Westerners, Japanese Zen masters and authorities have frequently pointed out, moreover, that Zen is a way of life and not solely a state of consciousness. D.T. Suzuki thought the aspects of this way of life were: a life of humility; a life of labor; a life of service; a life of prayer and gratitude; and a life of meditation.
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 sitting 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.
The teacher
Because the Zen tradition emphasizes direct communication over scriptural study, the role of the Zen teacher is crucial. Generally speaking, a Zen teacher is a person ordained in any tradition of Zen to teach the dharma, guide students of meditation and perform rituals; in some cases, especially in modern Zen movements, a person not formally ordained may be able to fulfill some or all of these roles. Honorific titles associated with Zen teachers typically include, in Chinese: Fashi or Chanshi; in Korean, Sunim; in Japanese: Roshi or Sensei; and in Vietnamese, Thich adopted in place of a surname. Note that many of these titles are common among Buddhist priests of all schools.
The term Zen master is often used to refer to important teachers, especially ancient and medieval ones. However, there is no specific criterion by which one can be called a Zen master. The term is less common in reference to modern teachers, because they are generally reluctant to proclaim themselves "masters."