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.
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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
Article
52 sectionsContents
- 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
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.
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.