Zen

Also known as Zen Buddhism, Thiền, 禅 [Chán], 선 [Seon]

thumb|Eiheiji gate Zen (; from Chinese: Chan; in Korean: Sŏn, and Vietnamese: Thiền) is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka philosophies, with Chinese Taoist thought, especially Neo-Daoist. Zen originated as the Chan school (, , 'meditation school') or the Buddha-mind school (, ), and later developed into various sub-schools and branches.

AI overview

Zen is a form of Buddhism that emerged in China during the Tang dynasty by combining Indian Buddhist philosophy with Chinese Taoist ideas, emphasizing meditation as a central practice. It has become influential across East Asia and matters to millions of practitioners and scholars as a significant spiritual and philosophical tradition that shaped how Buddhism developed and spread throughout the region.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Chinese.rr: Seon
Chinese.title: Zen
Chinese.t: 禪
Chinese.s: 禅
Chinese.p: Chán
Chinese.w: Ch'an2
Chinese.j: Sim4
Chinese.poj: Siân
Chinese.phfs: Sàm
Chinese.kanji: 禅
Chinese.romaji: Zen
Chinese.hangul: 선
Chinese.qn: Thiền
Chinese.chuhan: 禪
Chinese.lang11: Sanskrit
Chinese.lang11_content: ध्यान (dhyāna)
Chinese.Sanskrit name in Devanagari: ध्यान
Chinese.Transliteration of Sanskrit Name: dhyāna

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image: Eiheiji gate.jpg

Show 4 more facts

native label: Thiền
Commons category: Zen Buddhism
OpenStreetMap tag: denomination=zen
Commons gallery: Zen Buddhism

Sources (4)

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~93 min read

Article

52 sections

Contents

Etymology
Practice
Meditation
Meditation in Chinese Buddhism
Zen's sudden approach
Common contemporary meditation forms
Mindfulness of breathing
Silent illumination and Shikantaza
Huatou and Kōan Contemplation
Nianfo Chan
Bodhisattva virtues and vows
Monasticism
Intensive group practice
Chanting and rituals
Esoteric practices
The arts
Physical cultivation
Doctrine
Buddha-nature and innate enlightenment
Emptiness and negative dialectic
Non-duality
Sudden enlightenment and seeing the nature
Traditions
Organization and institutions
Dharma transmission
Scripture
The role of scripture in Zen
Important scriptures
Literature
History
Chinese Chan
Origins
Proto-Chan
Early Chan
Middle Chan
Song Dynasty Chan
Post-Classical Chan
Modern era
Spread outside of China
Vietnamese Thiền
Korean Seon
Japanese Zen
Zen in the West
Narratives
See also
Notes
References
Sources
Printed sources
Web sources
Further reading
External links

Chan is traditionally believed to have been brought to China by the semi-legendary figure Bodhidharma, who was an Indian (or Central Asian) monk. From China, Chan spread south to Vietnam and became Vietnamese Thiền, northeast to Korea to become Seon Buddhism, and east to Japan, becoming Japanese Zen.