Zen Buddhism began in 6th century China where it is known as Ch’an. Zen was brought by a South Indian monk who arrived in China around 520 CE. The philosophical development of Zen is found in the Lankavatara Sutra which was composed in India in the fourth century. It is a sutra of Mahayana Buddhism, the sutra is a narration of the Buddha and the bodhisattva known as Mahamati. Through Zen’s evolution in China it was impacted by Taoist beliefs which are shown in Ch’an’s significant importance surrounding the instability and naturalness of all things. Zen came to Japan in the seventh century but was not completely developed till the twelfth century. Zen became a central influential force in Japanese culture as it reached into more then just Buddhist temples, from gardening and calligraphy to war strategies and practices.
The core of the Bodhidharma’s wisdom is that a person does not need to analyze sacred texts, pray to deities, or preform ceremonies to obtain enlightenment. A person only needs to move beyond the borders of normal thought through the practice of meditation to encounter the world as it really is in the moment for this is how Zen states the Buddha attained enlightenment. Zen explains that every human has the ability to obtain enlightenment because each of us has innate Buddha-nature and that we are by birth enlightened, but our genuine enlightenment is deluded by our unawareness. Many Zen schools teach that this deluudedness can be removed through satori which means “sudden enlightenment’ while in sitting meditation where the real experience of our reality and reality itself is divulged. Zen students and masters practice Zen to obtain enlightenment as the Buddha did, which means to experience the truth of living in the moment. Zen is also practiced to protect oneself from the ignorance that creates suffering in ones life. Various sects of Zen Buddhism, the two largest being Rinzai and Soto have created methods to acquire enlightenment in which both involve zazen or “sitting meditation”. Though Zen is a simplistic religion, training to become a Zen student is demanding and requires instruction from a Zen master or priest. Zen has now spread universally and is currently influencing people in numerous ways all over the world. Zen has grown in popularity in the West from the mid twentieth century on. The Dharma is a list of teachings created by the Buddha to contain his instructions in an attainable way. …show more content…
They are the main doctrines of Zen Buddhism and are all connected to one another. First there is The Triple Gem which is the Buddha, meaning the Buddha himself and a persons own ability to attain enlightenment, the Dharma which are the teachings of the Buddha or the realities of the universe, and Sangha meaning the monastic community. Then there are The Four Noble Truths which are: One, that there is suffering. Two, the origin of suffering is craving. Three, there is an end to suffering. Four, the way to the end of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path concerns wisdom: One, to have the right understanding. Two, to have right thought. Ethical conduct: Three, right speech. Four, right action. Five, right livelihood. And, finally concentration: Six, right effort. Seven, right mindfulness. Eight, right concentration. By following these teachings of the Buddha a person may attain enlightenment and receive good karma. Mindfulness is another central part of the Dharma, and is found in The Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Mindfulness of the body which includes the four elements, Mindfulness of feelings or sensations meaning if something is pleasant or not, Mindfulness of the mind or the state of consciousness, and Mindfulness of objects in the mind or ‘dhammas’ meaning phenomena. To be mindful means to be aware of everything around you and inside of you and is another key aspect a person must recognize consistently to attain enlightenment. When a person is mindful in meditation and everyday life they are able to practice in the right way and therefore follow the Dharma and avoid violating Zen precepts such as to be loving, compassionate, and unselfish. Zen precepts or ethics are an elemental part of Zen Buddhist practices. There are five fundamental precepts that each Zen student is required to
The core of the Bodhidharma’s wisdom is that a person does not need to analyze sacred texts, pray to deities, or preform ceremonies to obtain enlightenment. A person only needs to move beyond the borders of normal thought through the practice of meditation to encounter the world as it really is in the moment for this is how Zen states the Buddha attained enlightenment. Zen explains that every human has the ability to obtain enlightenment because each of us has innate Buddha-nature and that we are by birth enlightened, but our genuine enlightenment is deluded by our unawareness. Many Zen schools teach that this deluudedness can be removed through satori which means “sudden enlightenment’ while in sitting meditation where the real experience of our reality and reality itself is divulged. Zen students and masters practice Zen to obtain enlightenment as the Buddha did, which means to experience the truth of living in the moment. Zen is also practiced to protect oneself from the ignorance that creates suffering in ones life. Various sects of Zen Buddhism, the two largest being Rinzai and Soto have created methods to acquire enlightenment in which both involve zazen or “sitting meditation”. Though Zen is a simplistic religion, training to become a Zen student is demanding and requires instruction from a Zen master or priest. Zen has now spread universally and is currently influencing people in numerous ways all over the world. Zen has grown in popularity in the West from the mid twentieth century on. The Dharma is a list of teachings created by the Buddha to contain his instructions in an attainable way. …show more content…
They are the main doctrines of Zen Buddhism and are all connected to one another. First there is The Triple Gem which is the Buddha, meaning the Buddha himself and a persons own ability to attain enlightenment, the Dharma which are the teachings of the Buddha or the realities of the universe, and Sangha meaning the monastic community. Then there are The Four Noble Truths which are: One, that there is suffering. Two, the origin of suffering is craving. Three, there is an end to suffering. Four, the way to the end of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path concerns wisdom: One, to have the right understanding. Two, to have right thought. Ethical conduct: Three, right speech. Four, right action. Five, right livelihood. And, finally concentration: Six, right effort. Seven, right mindfulness. Eight, right concentration. By following these teachings of the Buddha a person may attain enlightenment and receive good karma. Mindfulness is another central part of the Dharma, and is found in The Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Mindfulness of the body which includes the four elements, Mindfulness of feelings or sensations meaning if something is pleasant or not, Mindfulness of the mind or the state of consciousness, and Mindfulness of objects in the mind or ‘dhammas’ meaning phenomena. To be mindful means to be aware of everything around you and inside of you and is another key aspect a person must recognize consistently to attain enlightenment. When a person is mindful in meditation and everyday life they are able to practice in the right way and therefore follow the Dharma and avoid violating Zen precepts such as to be loving, compassionate, and unselfish. Zen precepts or ethics are an elemental part of Zen Buddhist practices. There are five fundamental precepts that each Zen student is required to