The ZEN Mind
Posted by queenbee on September 30, 2010 at 8:24pm
Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism. The Japanese word Zen
is
derived from the Chinese word Chán, which in turn is derived from
the
Sanskrit word dhyana, which means “meditation” or “meditative
state.” Zen
emphasizes experiential prajna in the attainment of
enlightenment. As such,
it de-emphasizes theoretical knowledge in
favor of direct realization through
meditation and dharma practice.
The teachings of Zen include various sources
of Mahayana thought,
including the Prajnaparamita literature and the
teachings of the
Yogacara and Tathagatagarbha schools. The emergence of Zen
as a
distinct school of Buddhism was first documented in China in the
7th
century CE. From China, Zen spread south to Vietnam, and east
to Korea and
Japan. As a matter of tradition, the establishment of
Zen is credited to the
South Indian prince-turned-monk Bodhidharma,
who came to China to teach a
“special transmission outside
scriptures, not founded on words or
letters”.