Cha'an Buddhism (Zen)

Cha'an Buddhism, sometimes Chan Buddhism, is better known in America as Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism is Buddhism that is adapted from the Chinese, though it became prevalent in Japan. Zen is discipline of enlightenment. It is the religion of jiyu, or "self-reliance," and jizai, or "self-being (Suzuki 6). In metaphysics, Zen absorbed much of Taoist teaching modified by Buddhist speculations, but in its practical conduct of life, it ignored both the Taoist transcendentalism and the Indian aloofness from productive life. Thus, Buddhism has many ingredients shared in Zen.

"Zen" is an abbreviation of the word "zenna" and is the Japanese way of reading the Chinese word "ch'an-na," or in short form, "ch'an." In turn, this is the Chinese word for the Sanskrit term "dhyana," which refers to collectedness of mind or meditative absorption in which all dualistic distinctions, such as I/you, subject/object, or true/false, are eliminated. Zen can be regarded both exoterically and esoterically. Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism, which developed in the sixth and seventh centuries in China from the meeting of Dhyana Buddhism and Taoism. Zen is in this sense a religious sect, the teachings and practices of which are directed toward self-realization leading finally to complete awakening, or enlightenment, as experienced by Buddha after intensive meditative self-discipline under the Bodhi-tree:

More than any other school, Zen stresses the prime importance of the enlightenment experi

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ot students of Zen. The fundamental teachings of Buddhism can be considered in relation to the specific doctrine of prat tyasamutp da, or the twelve nid nas. These are the twelve links in the chain of existence, and they are delineated as follows: 1. avidy , or ingorance, or unenlighenment; 2. sa sk ra, or action, activity, or conception; 3. vij� na, or consciousness; 4. n mar pa, or name and form; 5. ad yatana, the six sense organs--eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind; 6. spar a, or contact, touch; 7. vedan , or sensation, feeling; 8. trsn , or thirst, desire, or craving; 9. up dan , or the laying hold of or grasping; 10. bhava, or being, existing; 11. j ti, or birth; and 12. jar marana, or old age and death (Soothill and Hodus 42). This can be considered the road of gradual awakening, as opposed to the satori of Zen. There are two kinds of truth in the teachings of the Buddha, the truth of this world and the truth which is the highest sense. The highest awareness is needed for the release that is salvation in Buddhism, and this is achieved through prat tyasamutp da, the ultimate affirmation (Streng 27-39). Prat tyasamutp da is seen as the most important method of the Middle Way, the relationship of humanity t

Category: Philosophy - C