Zen is the Japanese name for a Buddhist tradition practiced by millions of people around the world. Historically, the practice of Zen originated in China , Korea, Japan and Vietnam, then spread to the West. Zen takes many forms, as each culture that has adopted it has done so with its own characteristics and preferences. Because teachers play such an important role in Zen, the tradition emphasizes respect for "dharma ancestors," or lineage, influenced by Confucianism's teaching of filial piety. At the same time, throughout Chinese history, Zen challenged other Confucian ideas by emphasizing the absolute equality of all beings and the ability of women to achieve enlightenment.
Traditionally, the term "zen" is not an adjective. Zen is a Japanese transliteration of the Chinese word Chan (禪) , which itself is a transliteration of dhyana, the word meaning concentration or meditation in the ancient Indian language, Sanskrit . (Zen is Seon or Son in Korean and Thiền in Vietnamese.) When Buddhism arrived in China from India about 2,000 years ago, it encountered Taoism and Confucianism , some of which it absorbed. elements while rejecting others. Chan is the tradition that comes from it. In this context, Chan refers to the quality of mind cultivated through sitting meditation, called zazen (座禅) in Japanese, which many Zen Buddhists consider the most important practice in the tradition.
Zen is as diverse as its practitioners, but its common characteristics include an emphasis on simplicity and the teachings of non-duality and non-conceptual understanding. Nonduality is sometimes described as "neither one nor two," meaning that things are neither entirely unified nor entirely distinct from one another. Zen recognizes, for example, that the body and mind are interconnected: they are neither identical nor completely separate. Non-conceptual understanding refers to the understanding of "things as they are" that cannot be expressed in words.
Zen Buddhism in a few words
Zen can be a little difficult to understand, because people have a lot of predefined concepts about what it is and what it is not. Here's a quick overview of what Zen Buddhism is.
- Zen cannot be explained, it must be experienced .
- In Zen Buddhism, enlightenment is not a particular state of mind, it is only the return to your original nature, your Buddha nature.
- Zen doesn't care too much about rebirth or metaphysics and prefers to focus on the present moment .
- Zen tries to go beyond thoughts, beyond logic and theories.
- Zen is not a philosophy or a religion, it is the spirit of man .
- Zen is not a philosophy or a belief system, it is a practice.
- Without the practice of meditation , there is no Zen.
- The goal of Zen is to prevent your mind from creating a separation between subject and object.
- Like any form of Buddhism, prayer does not exist in Zen.
- Zen is beyond religion, you can be a Christian or an atheist and be a Zen Buddhist.
Definition of Zen
Defining Zen is like trying to describe the taste of honey to someone who has never tasted it. You can try to explain the texture and scent of honey or you can try to compare and correlate it with similar foods. However, honey is honey! Until you taste it, you are in the illusion of what honey is.
The same goes for Zen, because Zen Buddhism is a practice that must be experienced , not a concept that you can intellectualize or understand with your brain. The information we give here does not cover everything Zen is, but it is a starting point for experiencing Zen.
So, what is Zen?
At the heart of Japanese culture is Zen, a school of Mahayana Buddhism . Zen is above all a practice transmitted without interruption from master to disciple and which dates back to the awakening of a man named Siddhārtha Gautama (Shakyamuni Gotama in Japanese) - the Buddha - 2500 years ago in India. Historically speaking, Bodhidharma is considered the founder of Zen Buddhism in China.
The practice of Zen meditation or Zazen (座禅- za meaning sitting and zen meaning meditation in Japanese), is the heart of Zen Buddhism: without it, there is no Zen. Zen meditation is a path of vigilance and self-discovery that is practiced sitting on a meditation cushion. It is the experience of living from moment to moment, in the here and now. It was through the practice of Zazen that Gautama was enlightened and became Buddha.
Zazen is an attitude of spiritual awakening which, when practiced, can become the source from which all actions of daily life flow - eating, sleeping, breathing, walking, working, speaking, thinking, etc.
Zen Buddhism is not a theory, an idea, or a piece of knowledge. It is not a dogma or a religion; It’s more of a hands-on experience . We cannot understand Zen intellectually, because human intelligence and wisdom are too limited - the dojo (the room in which Zazen is practiced) is different from the university.
Zen is not a moral teaching and, because it is dogma-free, it does not require belief in anything. A true spiritual path does not tell people what to believe, but rather shows them how to think or, in the case of Zen, what not to think.
Zen Buddhism is not concerned with metaphysical theories and rituals and focuses entirely on the conscious practice of Zazen. Zen is very simple . It is so simple, in fact, that it is very difficult to grasp.
In the silence of the dojo or temple, sit quietly, stop moving and let your thoughts flow. Focus only on your Zazen posture and your breathing. Keep your back straight. Let your ego and your unconscious melt, merge with the universe.
This is zen.
Beliefs of Zen Buddhism
Since the dawn of time, man has been searching for the truth. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors sat under the stars and around the campfire, discussing and asking each other the same questions we ask ourselves today.
Who am I ? Why am I here? Is there a God? Is there life after death? Are we alone in the universe ?
Zen is very pragmatic and down to earth. It is essentially a practice , an experience, and not a theory or dogma. Zen does not adhere to any specific philosophy or faith and has no dogma that its followers must accept or believe in, but it traditionally accepts the concepts of karma and samsara. For Westerners, it is very different from the Christian religion which is full of dogmas.
Furthermore, Zen firmly believes that no one knows the answers to these questions and that they are impossible to answer due to our limited condition. Life is a dream, a great illusion that we perceive through the filter of our personality, our experiences, our ego. It is a great play in which we do not see all the actors and in which we barely understand the roles of those we see.
Zen readily accepts the idea that men are just men and nothing more. Man, being what he is, cannot answer the impossible questions of life without falling into the trap of illusion. No one knows the answers to the deep questions about life and death .
"Zen does not seek to answer subjective questions, because these are not important questions for Zen. What really matters is the here and now: not God, not the afterlife, but the present moment, here and now."
It is impossible to answer these questions, given the limited sphere of knowledge that comes with being a human being. As Master Taisen Deshimaru said, "It is impossible to give a definitive answer to these questions unless you suffer from a major mental disorder."
Does this mean that Zen closes the door to metaphysical phenomena? Absolutely not ! Zen can neither confirm nor deny them. Therefore, it is best to remain silent and simply live in the moment .
Zen does not seek to answer subjective questions related to God, life after death, reincarnation and spiritualism.
So what does Zen think of religious beliefs? As a great Zen master once said, "Faith is like painting the walls of your room with mud, then trying to convince yourself that it's beautiful and smells good." Faith is an illusion , a dream that we strongly believe is real, but which in reality only impoverishes the true spirituality of man. The strength of our faith and belief has nothing to do with whether a belief is true or not. The truth of our faith is in us alone, nowhere else.
Religions feel obligated to give answers to everything as a sign of their "great wisdom", but for Zen, not giving an answer at all is in fact the great wisdom.
A true religion shows man how to think, not what to think. Therefore, we must learn to ask big questions rather than looking for big answers.
Ultimately, Zen Buddhism offers practitioners ways to heal their hearts and minds and connect to the world. These means have varied over time and from one culture to another. In medieval Japan, for example, Zen monks served as doctors to the poor, distributing medicine and magical talismans, and also served as pastors, offering funerals and memorial services. Today, in the West, many practitioners turn to Zen to find peace of mind and mental clarity through meditation. Like all schools of Buddhism, Zen starts from the principle that human beings suffer and offers a solution to this suffering by recognizing the interconnectedness of all beings and learning to live in a way consistent with this truth.
