Zen
Meditation-based school of Mahāyāna Buddhism / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Zen (Japanese;[note 1] from Chinese "Chán"; in Korean: Sŏn, and Vietnamese: Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty as the Chan School (禪宗, chánzōng, "meditation school") or the Buddha-mind school (佛心宗, fóxīnzōng),[1] and later developed into various sub-schools and branches. From China, Chán spread south to Vietnam and became Vietnamese Thiền, northeast to Korea to become Seon Buddhism, and east to Japan, becoming Japanese Zen.[2]
Zen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 禪 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 禅 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vietnamese alphabet | Thiền | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chữ Hán | 禪 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Korean name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hangul | 선 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hanja | 禪 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kanji | 禅 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kana | ぜん | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Zen emphasizes meditation practice, direct insight into one's own true nature (見性, Ch. jiànxìng, Jp. kenshō), and the personal expression of this insight in daily life for the benefit of others.[3][4] Some Zen sources also de-emphasize ritual and doctrinal study, favoring direct understanding through zazen and interaction with an accomplished teacher (Jp: rōshi, Ch: shīfu).[5][6][7]
With an emphasis on Buddha-nature thought, intrinsic enlightenment and sudden awakening, Zen teaching draws from numerous Buddhist sources, including Sarvāstivāda meditation, the Mahayana teachings on the bodhisattva, Yogachara and Tathāgatagarbha texts (like the Laṅkāvatāra), and the Huayan school.[8][9] The Prajñāpāramitā literature,[10] as well as Madhyamaka thought, have also been influential in the shaping of the apophatic and sometimes iconoclastic nature of Zen rhetoric.[11]
Furthermore, the Chan School was also influenced by Daoist philosophy, especially Neo-Daoist thought.[12]