Buddhism, Zen

History

Zen first emerged as a distinct school of Buddhism in China in the 7th century CE. From China, Zen spread southward to Vietnam and eastward to Korea and Japan by the 13 th century. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Zen also established a distinct presence in North America and Europe. The two main sects of Zen were brought to Japan by Japanese monks who studied in China. The Buddhist monk Eisai (1141–1215) introduced Rinzai Zen in 1191, and the Buddhist monk Dogen (1200–1253) introduced Soto Zen in 1227. Both sects still flourish today, along with some smaller movements.

Because of a worldview that lives in the moment, Zen has had a strong influence on Far Eastern arts and crafts. Haiku poetry, ceremonial tea drinking, painting, calligraphy, gardening, and architecture were all influenced by the practice of Zen. Mountains, birds, plants, rocks, and other natural subjects were ideally suited to a point of view that reflects immediate direct vision (like a window) rather than an interpretation of a subject (like a mirror).

It is difficult to trace when the Western world became aware of Zen, but a Japanese Zen monk named Soyen Shaku did attend the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. In Europe, Expressionist and Dada movements in the art world of the early 20th century shared many themes with Zen. The British-American philosopher Alan Watts took a close interest in Zen Buddhism and lectured on it extensively through the 1950s. Jack Kerouac published a book in 1959 titled The Dkarma Bums, illustrating how a fascination with Buddhism, and Zen in particular, was being absorbed into bohe-mian lifestyles, especially along the western coast of the United States. In the decades since that time, schools in the mainstream forms of Zen have been established around the world.

Zen Practice

In other forms of Buddhism, an individual achieves enlightenment through a combination of training, meditation, and the study of religious texts. Zen, in contrast, focuses solely on seated meditation (zazen) as the means of gaining enlightenment. Meditation practices differ in Zen schools. Soto Zen teaches sbikantaza, which is strictly sitting in a state of alert attention completely free of thought. In practicing shikantaza over time, insight is gradually achieved. Rinzai Zen uses koans during meditation to achieve enlightenment in a sudden flash. Koans are riddles with no solutions or paradoxical anecdotes or questions that demonstrate the uselessness of logical reasoning, such as “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” Zen tradition emphasizes direct communication over the study of scripture, so the Zen teacher plays an important role. The Zen teacher is a person ordained in any Zen school to teach the Dharma (teachings of the Buddha) and to guide students in meditation. Zen is a way of life that has paradoxically produced a large body of literature.

...