Description: aardvark
zen heaven buddhist meditation (1)
Zen ( Chinese : 禪 ; pinyin : Chán; Korean: 선 ) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty as Chan Buddhism . Zen school was strongly influenced by Taoism and developed as a distinct school of Chinese Buddhism . From China, Chan Buddhism spread south to Vietnam , northeast to Korea and east to Japan , where it became known as Japanese Zen and known as Seon buddihism in Korea. [1]
The term Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese word 禪 (Chan) which traces its roots to the Indian practice of Dhyana ("meditation"). [note 1] Zen emphasizes rigorous self-control, meditation-practice, insight into Buddha-nature , and the personal expression of this insight in daily life, especially for the benefit of others . [3] [4] As such, it de-emphasizes mere knowledge of sutras and doctrine [5] [6] and favors direct understanding through zazen and interaction with an acc
The teachings of Zen include various sources of Mahayana thought, especially Yogachara , the Tathāgatagarbha sūtras and the Huayan school , with their emphasis on Buddha-nature, totality , and the Bodhisattva-ideal. [8] [9] The Prajñāpāramitā literature [10] and, to a lesser extent, Madhyamaka have also been influential in the shaping of the "paradoxical language" of the Zen-tradition.