Zen: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Bankeitumblr lm43mrAJZc1qzgealo1 1280Sakyamuni&Maitreya.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Sakyamuni, Maitreya and the ''ensō'' symbol, Zen calligraphy by Bankei Yōtaku (1622–1693). The ensō circle is a Zen symbol hand-drawn in one or two brush strokes, representing enlightenment, the universe, or the void.]]

[[File:Bankeitumblr lm43mrAJZc1qzgealo1 1280Sakyamuni&Maitreya.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Sakyamuni, Maitreya and the ensō symbol, Zen calligraphy by Bankei Yōtaku (1622–1693). The ensō circle is a Zen symbol hand-drawn in one or two brush strokes, representing enlightenment, the universe, or the void.]]

The history of Zen Buddhism begins with the coming of [[Bodhidharma]] from India to China in about 520 A.D. Tradition says that Bodhidharma brought a special message from India to China, which encapsulates Zen philosophy.

The history of Zen Buddhism begins with the coming of [[Bodhidharma]] from India to China in about 520 A.D. Tradition says that Bodhidharma brought a special message from India to China, which encapsulates Zen philosophy:

* A special transmission outside the scriptures.

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<blockquote>It is said that once, when the Buddha was seated with his Bhikkhus [his monks], a Brahma-Raja came to him and, offering him a golden flower, asked him to preach the Dharma. The Enlightened One accepted the flower, and holding it aloft, gazed at it in silence. After a while the Venerable Mahakasyapa smiled. Such is the origin of Zen Buddhism, for it is said that this smile was handed down by twenty-eight successive Patriarchs, the last being the Indian philosopher Bodhidharma.<ref>Christmas Humphreys, ''Buddhism: An Introduction and Guide'' (London: Penguin Books, 1990) p. 181.</ref></blockquote>

The word ''Zen'' is Japanese for the Chinese ''Ch’an'', which comes from the Sanskrit ''Dhyana''. ''Dhyana'' is commonly translated as “meditation.” The ''Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion'' says it refers to collectedness of mind or meditative absorption.<ref>''Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion'' (Boston: Shambhala, 1994), s.v. “Zen.”</ref>

The meaning of the word ''Zen'', according to Bodhidharma, cannot be understood even by those possessed of wisdom—it implies a mystery which can only be revealed to those who have achieved it.

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D. T. Suzuki says that while Zen professes to be the spirit of Buddhism, “in fact, it is the spirit of all religions and philosophies.”<ref>D. T. Suzuki, quoted in Laurence G. Boldt, ''Zen and the Art of Making a Living: A Practical Guide to Creative Career Design'' (New York: Penguin, 1999), p. xix.</ref>

How do we awaken to our inner reality and discover our Real Self? Zen teaches that we have to “pass beyond the intellect,” writes Humphreys. “The process of Zen is a leap from thinking to knowing, from second-hand to direct experience.”<ref>Humphreys, ''A Popular Dictionary of Buddhism'', pp. 180, 182–83.</ref>

== Methods ==

Dr. David C. Yü explains that “suspicion of words was characteristic of Zen. Ma-chu, an eighth-century master, stressed non-verbal communication in order to help students gain the insight that leads to enlightenment. Once a disciple asked him about the essence of Buddhism. Ma-chu responded by giving him a box on the ear. The non-verbal method is a reminder that logical or philosophical scrutiny, which emphasizes the use of words, is an obstacle to reality.”<ref>Ronald J. Wilkins, ''Religions of the World'' (Dubuque, Iowa : Wm. C. Brown, 1974), p. 593.</ref>

Dr. David C. Yü explains that “suspicion of words was characteristic of Zen. Ma-chu, an eighth-century master, stressed non-verbal communication in order to help students gain the insight that leads to enlightenment. Once a disciple asked him about the essence of Buddhism. Ma-chu responded by giving him a box on the ear. The non-verbal method is a reminder that logical or philosophical scrutiny, which emphasizes the use of words, is an obstacle to reality.”<ref>Ronald J. Wilkins, ''Religions of the World'' (Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown, 1974), p. 593.</ref>

One of the methods Zen uses to enable the student to get beyond the human, reasoning mind is the ''koan''. Rice says the koan is a verbal jolt, “an enigma or puzzle that forces the student’s mind outside normal thought processes in order to gain instant enlightenment.”<ref>Edward Rice, ''Eastern Definitions'' (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1978), p. 418.</ref>

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The Zen master Taisen Deshimaru expressed the Zen ideal of living every moment and every movement fully when he said, “You must concentrate upon and consecrate yourself wholly to each day, as though a fire were raging in your hair.”<ref>David Schiller, ''The Little Zen Companion'' (New York: Workman Publishing, 1994), p. 365.</ref>

“Get up and do something useful,” the Zen master Hakiun enjoined, “the work is part of the koan!”<ref>Schiller, ''The Little Zen Companion'', p. 294.</ref> In other words, the puzzle of life is solved by living.

“In the spirit of Zen,” wrote Deshimaru, “everyday life becomes the contest. There must be awareness at every moment—getting up in the morning, working, eating, going to bed. That is the place for mastery of the self.”<ref>Taisen Deshimaru, ''The Zen Way to the Martial Arts'' (New York: Arkana), p. 38.</ref>