Zen Buddhism

Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism.

The word zen is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word chan (禪), which in turn derives from the Sanskrit word dhiana, which means 'meditation'. It should be noted that Japanese teacher Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki equates dhyana with zazen1 (in Chinese 坐禅 zu-chán, 'sitting meditation').

Apart from theoretical or intellectual knowledge, Zen seeks the experience of wisdom beyond rational discourse.2 The teachings of Zen include various sources of Mahāyāna thought, including Prajna-paramitá literature such as the Prajñá-paramitá-sutra and the teachings of Yogacara and the school tatha-gata-garbha.

Zen emerged from different schools of Buddhism and was first recorded in China in the seventh century, then scattered south to Vietnam and east to Korea and Japan. Traditionally it is given the credit of bringing Zen to China to Bodhidharma.

ORIGIN OF BUDDHISM ZEN:

Like any Buddhist school, Zen has its roots in India, although only in China it takes its definitive form. The word zen is the Japanese reading of the Chinese character chán (禪), which in turn is a transcription of the Sanskrit term य्यान dhyāna, usually translated as "meditation". The influence of this school came to Korea, where it is called son, and also to Vietnam, where it is known as thiền. Note that the names mentioned above (except for Sanskrit) are different pronunciations of the same Chinese ideogram.

In the sutras of Mahayana Buddhism, the cultivation of dhyana is recommended as the preferred way of achieving nirvana.3 In its Indian version, a progression was observed in different states of meditation or jhanas4 which occur in a gradual cultivation. The Chinese Chan gives as a novelty the idea of ​​a direct and spontaneous access to the last and superior state of all of them - one that immediately precedes the experience of nirvana - without needing to experience the previous ones, by means of spontaneous access routes. Chan is by far the Buddhist tradition of intuition and spontaneity.

ZEN BUDDHISM IN THE WEST:

Until the nineteenth century little was known of Buddhism in Europe except for the comments that Christian missionaries had made since the sixteenth century. In their descriptions they find the first impressions on the Buddhism of Japan and China. While descriptions of rituals and behavior came through, no more detailed comments on doctrinal issues or meditation practices came. The Inquisition exerted severe control over all this material, although the influence of Zen contemplative practices is visible in prominent figures of Christianity at that time, especially Jesuits.

It will not be until almost the turn of the twentieth century, when the teaching and practice of Zen definitely lands in the West openly. In 1893 the World Parliament of Religions was celebrated in Chicago, where the monk Shaku Soyen gave a talk called "The law of cause and effect as taught by Buddha." This talk was translated by Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki, who would be recommended by Soyen himself to Paul Carús to translate texts from Sanskrit, Pali, Japanese and Chinese. Suzuki would begin a broad diffusion activity of zen, first as professor of university and later like lecturer and writer around the world. He influenced key names of European intelligentsia, from Einstein to Jung, through Heidegger, Picasso, and an innumerable repertoire of indispensable figures in modern history. Suzuki united language lore to personal understanding and realization, which has made his legacy a reference to Buddhism in the West. Some of his highly complex translations, such as the Lankavatara Sutra, continue to be of reference in the academic field, and his most popular works such as Essays on Zen Buddhism have been read by almost all the people who have wanted to enter the knowledge Of this Buddhist tradition. At his death, the main temples throughout Japan burned incense in his honor.

In the middle of the twentieth century, and in the middle of the counterculture of the beat generation, many Western practitioners appear in a more or less massive way both in Europe and in North America. Names like Alan Watts, Shunryu Suzuki or Philip Kapleau, will establish to the zen in the West like an already visible influence. Since then, as in the rest of the Buddhist traditions, Zen in the West travels a path of greater knowledge about its historical origin as well as defining its own aspects to fit better in Western culture. Numerous schools have been established in Europe as well as in the United States and Australia. In Europe, the network of centers founded by the Japanese Taisen Deshimaru, of the Sōtō tradition stands out. In the United States, centers and monasteries have been established.