Zen Buddhism

Zen (names)

Dhyana (India)

Ch’ an (China)

Zen (Japan)

= **meditation**

developed out of Mahayana Buddhism and its spirit of enlightenment. Went from China to Japan - Dhyana (India), Ch’an (China)- **experience of enlightenment**, Zen (Japan)

Mahakasyapa

* “Flower Sermon”
* Buddha held up a flower and all were confused but ______ who understood and became Buddha’s successor.

Bodhidharma

* He brought Buddhism to China about 1000’s years after the Buddha’s life ended
* Buddhism to China c. 520

Hui-neng

* Patriarch under whom Chinese Zen flourishes
* Came to the monastery of the fifth patriarch when he was merely a poor boy selling firewood. His mastery of Zen quickly showed through, and he was named successor
* Big impact on Ch’an
* he put an end to the traditional position of patriarchs by refusing to name a successor
* since then, authority in Zen has been distributed among those who are competent to teach others, referred to as masters (roshi in Japan).

Japanese Zen

Two sects:

“Sudden Awakening” >
Rinzai

“Gradual Awakening” > Soto

Zen Teachings

no words → no rational thought → pure experience

zen is nothing

zen is no thing

zen is “waking up”

Zen mind= beginner’s mind

Satori (kensho)

experience of enlightenment; a flash of insight in which the true nature of one’s being is known directly

“Pure”/direct experience
beyond thought, feeling,
words, names (all
ego-projection)

**Not permanent/ “one-time”
(as w/ Nirvana)**

Emphasized most in Rinzai
school

Koan

verbal puzzle designed to short circuit the workings of the rational, logical mind; used especially in Rinzai Zen as a means of triggering satori

designed to frustrate the thinking process

Riddle/Puzzle that evades
logic

Not anti-rational, but
non-rational, or …
meta-rational

Emphasized in Rinzai Zen

Dokusan= session to discuss
koan (Zen counseling session)

Dokusan

* session to discuss koan (Zen counseling session)

meeting with “roshi”

* periodic meeting with the master where the disciple offers an answer to assigned koan

Zen Monastic Life

Practices:

Zazen: seated meditation

Kinhin: walking meditation

Dokusan: meeting with “roshi”

Samu: all daily activity (eg. work,
tasks, arts, crafts) done with
mindfulness

Benefits/”fruits” of zen practice

Zen Mountain Monastery:

Example of actual Zen monastery here
in U.S., offering retreats and zen
training.

Zazen

* seated meditation


* basic method of meditation seated in lotus position in a meditation hall

Kinhin

walking meditation

Samu

all daily activity (eg. work, tasks, arts, crafts) done with mindfulness

Rinzai Zen

* sudden awakening brought by zen master Eisai and emphasizes satori and uses koans
* the school of sudden awakening, brought to Japan in the twelfth century AD by Eisai; on of the two major sects of Zen

Soto Zen

* gradual awakening brought later than Rinzai by zen master Dogen to Japan, day to day practice of Zazen; one of the two major sects of Zen

Roshi

zen masters who are deemed competent to teach others

D.T. Suzuki

* he points to the paradoxical nature of Zen teachings
* japanese monk who spread zen to the west
* Zen teaches nothing

Haiku

* 5,7,5
* Zen’s influence on literature is recognized throughout the world in a poetic form known as this
* These poems elegantly display Zen’s celebration of simplicity
* Zen is a kind of poetry, presenting methods and messages that prompt the mind to seek truth for itself

**Sumie**

* Japanese ink painting
* the most famous example of Zen influence in the visual arts
* place great significance on empty spaces, conveying Zen’s simplicity

**Ch’an**

The Chinese sect of Buddhism that focuses on the experience of enlightenment; it began to flourish under the direction of Hui-neng in the seventh century AD

Similarities between Rinzai and Soto

* The koan is not shunned completely by the Soto sect, and zazen is a basic method in Rinzai too. It is common for Zen Buddhists to be involved with both sects.

Dhyana

* Sanskrit word for Zen
* Zen traces its origins directly back to India, to the Buddha

Zen (Japanese)

* was first brought to Japan with lasting impact by two masters who had spent some years living in China
* Zen master Eisai brought Rinzai (emphasizes satori and experience of awakening)
* Zen master Dogen brought Soto (emphasizes zazen and gradual awakening)

Zen Mind as “Beginner’s Mind”

* So the master poured his guest a cup. The cup was filled, yet he kept pouring until the cup overflowed onto the table, onto the floor, and finally onto the scholar’s robes. The scholar cried “Stop! The cup is full already. Can’t you see?”

“Exactly,” the Zen master replied with a smile. “You are like this cup — so full of ideas that nothing more will fit in. Come back to me with an empty cup.”

I think of this story often because it reminds us that we need to stay humble, open ourselves to new ideas, and be willing to change our preconceptions.

1. Why is it often said that a zen mind is a beginner’s mind?
2. Offer an example of a koan and explain the purpose of koans in Zen training.
3. Someone who has not studied the world’s religions claims that Zen is a negative, world-denying religion. Explain why you agree or disagree with that statement.
4. Briefly describe Zen monastic life and some of its elements. How is Zen practiced outside the monastery? What appeals to you most about Zen practice?
5. Name and explain the difference between the two sects of Zen, and describe how your own personal spiritual experience fits more closely with one or the other.

Wise Words

1) Never let go of these three things, faith, hope, and love. And know that the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:13

2) It is right in your face. This moment the whole thing it handed to you. - Yoan Wu

3) Do not seek the truth, only cease to cherish your own opinions. n/a

4) If you want to be happy, don’ t try, just be in love, and all else will follow.

1. Offer an example of a koan and explain the purpose of koans in Zen training.

In the last Koan, with Master Shuzan, he discusses how the monks should neither name or not name the staff. This means we should see things for how they are and not try to put a name to them. This also means that we should not try to take a name away from something, but sit with how it is.

verbal puzzle designed to short circuit the workings of the rational, logical mind; used especially in Rinzai Zen as a means of triggering satori

experience of enlightenment; a flash of insight in which the true nature of one’s being is known directly

designed to frustrate the thinking process

Riddle/Puzzle that evades logic

Not anti-rational, but non-rational, or … meta-rational

Emphasized in Rinzai Zen

Dokusan= session to discuss koan (Zen counseling session)