History of Zen
Like many other religions, Zen Buddhism was passed along to various cultures through travel and trade routes. During the 5th century the Indian Buddhist monk, Bodhidharma, traveled to China to spread Buddhist teachings. Before reaching Japan, Zen (referred to as ‘Chan’ in Chinese) began in China. Despite many historical trials and tribulations, including a civil war, Zen prevailed due to its simplistic nature and focus on meditation. Eventually, Zen traversed to Japan through Eihei Dogen (1200–1253 CE), who founded the largest school of Zen Buddhism, Soto Zen.
Zen came from the Chinese word Chan, which originates from the Sanskrit term dhyāna. All of these terms, regardless of their transliteration, point to the same idea: meditation. Zen became the meditation school of Buddhism because Gautama Buddha " achieved enlightenment (nirvāna) through the practice of meditation" (Nagatomo, 2023).
The patriarch of Soto Zen, Dogen, wrote a foundational text called the Shobogenzo. The Shobogenzo, also known as The Eye and Treasury of the True Law or The Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, is a complex and rich text that underscores the most important practices, beliefs, and concepts of Zen Buddhism that still hold true today.
Schools of Zen Buddhism, such as Zen Mountain Monastery, emphasize and focus on Dogen's teachings as the core of their practice and beliefs. One of the core beliefs, according to the founder and former Abbott of Zen Mountain Monastery, John Daido Loori (2002), writes
To study the Buddha Way is to study the self, and to study the self, ultimately, is to forget the self (p. 18).
This pithy statement is the core of Zen beliefs and attitudes.
- Tricycle Magazine: What makes a Buddhist a Zen Buddhist?
Format: Webpage
Publication Date: 2023
Covers the history of Zen Buddhism, the major sects of Zen, major figures, key texts, and sociological inquiries on contemporary Zen Buddhism.
Treasury of the True Dharma Eye by ISBN: 9781590304747Publication Date: 2011-07-12Beloved Soto Zen text from the Zen patriarch, Dogen Zenji. Highly influential, yet vastly complex and difficult Zen text. Foundational to all Zen practices, translated into English.
Core Beliefs of Zen
Bodhidharma, an ancient Zen Master from China, summarizes the core beliefs of Zen in three key aspects:
- Zen is a "special transmission outside the scriptures" (Loori, 2002, p. 17). In other words, the Zen tradition is passed through mind-to-mind transmission via experience and direct action.
- Zen does not rely on words and letters. Enlightenment, or nirvana, cannot be grasped through descriptions, language, words, nor text. It must be realized through experience.
- Zen is a "direct pointing to the human mind" (Loori, 2002, p. 17). This aspect refers to the emphasis on meditation, or zazen. Zazen is the key to understanding all forms of reality, Buddhahood, and nirvana, and thus is the foundational practice of Zen Buddhism (Loori, 2002).