Zen

The word Zen is the Japanese transcription of the Chinese word Ch'an, which is in turn a transcription of the Sanskrit word Dhyana ("meditation, absorption"). Zen is a spiritual practice and meta-psychological method - and not strictly a religion - based on the essential teachings of Shákyamuni Buddha (Siddhártha Gautama - approx. 566-486 BCE) and the transmitted teachings of the Chinese and Japanese Zen masters. It is considered a school of the Maháyána branch of Buddhism and it emphasizes "mind-to-mind" transmission from teacher to student in an unbroken lineage. Zen traces its lineage back to the Buddha, but its emergence as a school begins with the semi-legendary figure of Boddhidhama (470-543?), an Indian monk who traveled to China, supposedly settled at the Shaolin monastery, and begin teaching as the first patriarch of Ch'an. He summarized Zen's basic principles as follows:

A special transmission outside the scriptures
Not dependent on writings
Directly pointing to the human mind
Realization of [one's own] nature [and] becoming a buddha.

Other major figures in the history of Ch'an/Zen include the sixth patriach Hui-neng (638-713), Ma-tsu Tao-i (709-788), Nan-ch'üan P'u-yüan (748-835), Caho-chou Ts'ung-shen (778-897) and Huang-po Hsi-yün (d. 850). The last was the teacher of Lin-chi (d. 866), one of the forefathers of the Rinzai branch of Zen. Shih-shuang Ch'u-yuan (986-1039) contributed greatly to the revival of Rinzai and his student, Yang-ch'i Fang-hui (992-1049), founded the Yogi school, one of the two further lineages of Rinzai. Some important figures of Japanese Rinzai include Musó Soseki (1275-1351), Myóchó Shúhó (1282-1338), Kanzan Egen (1277-1360), Ikkyú Sójun (1394-1481), and the great reformer and father of modern Rinzai Zen, Hakuin Zenji (1689-1769).
The Soto branch of Zen was founded by Tung-shan Liang-chieh (807-69) and Ts'ao-shan Pen-chi (840-901) and later established in Japan by Dógen Zenji (1200-1253), one of the most important figures of Japanese Zen.

As its name implies, the heart of Zen practice is a particular form of meditation (zazen) performed in a formal posture for approx. half-hour periods. Formal Zen practice includes chanting, zazen, meditative walking (kinhin), and takes place under the guidance of a qualified teacher. In the Rinzai tradition, private interviews (dokusan) and koán-practice (sanzen) with a teacher are also involved. Koáns are paradoxical "riddles" that the student must solve in a non-rational way by transcending conceptual dualistic thinking and realizing "no-mind" (mushin). The "answers" usually take the form of gestures or utterances rather than verbal explanations.

Life in a Zen monastery is highly formalized and, from (early) morning to late evening, almost all activities, including eating, washing and manual labor, are performed in a ritualized form, enforced by a strict hierarchy of master and monks. Even practice at a laypersons' center (zendo) is generally more formal and strict than in other schools of Buddhism. The most intensive Zen practice occurs in regular week-long retreats (sesshin). From early morning (e.g. 3:30) to bedtime (e.g. 22:00) the days are filled with alternating periods of chanting, zazen, kinhin, koán-practice, formal meals and manual labor.

The austerity of Zen practice can be seen as a means to a set of related ends, namely the realization of no-self or no-mind (mushin), emptiness (shúnyatá - the lack of essential or permanent characteristics of all phenomena) and, lastly but not ultimately, enlightenment (kenshó, satori - "seeing one's true nature" i.e. as also empty). These experiences (not ideas!) are the beginning and end of Zen practice. They require the transcendence (though not elimination) of dualistic thinking (discrimination between I/you, subject/object, good/bad, etc.) and of the rationally thinking, ego-bound self. The point of Zen is essentially the same as of original Buddhism, namely liberation from suffering caused to oneself and others by overcoming the insatiable, yet illusory, self/ego through consistent practice. The side effects of Zen practice may include a calmer and more patient personality, the ability to concentrate intensely on (i.e. "lose oneself" in) tasks and experiences, more energy, enjoyment of life, and open interaction with others, and less agitation in the face of adversity.

Zen has had a strong influence on East Asian art and culture, including on painting, theater, music, calligraphy, cuisine, and various martial arts. Zen is not in a strict sense a religion. Like original Buddhism, it is a method or "way of liberation" that dispenses with questions about "God," formal morality, and doctrine ("Nothing holy," as Bodhidharma is said to have told the Chinese emperor). Following the Buddha, belief is considered to be a temporary and never ultimate condition, which much always be tested against one's own experience and then confirmed or abandoned. While Zen ultimately rejects attachment to or dependence on anything, including its own writings, rituals and traditions, it does not necessary dispense with their use, especially as "expedient means" to realization. Hence, Zen contains a number of religious elements. The iconoclasm of Zen is well known, but it is often exaggerated. Nevertheless, the simplicity and directness of Zen can often seem brash, brutal or even outrageous from the standpoint of conventional morality, such as in the statement "If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha!" or in the koán "What is Buddha? - A shit-stick!" Such utterances are not "scandalous" for the sake of being so, but contain deeper levels of meaning and are geared toward shocking not only the student's preconceptions, but her/his concepts in general, especially of her/himself.

Authentic Zen is not a casual activity. It requires discipline and perseverance, but also a deep commitment, faith in the process, humility, and a willingness to gradually relinquish attachment to every pretense and idea one has of the world and oneself by learning to see things as they are, objectively and without emotional involvement. Zen practice may eventually lead to an utterly natural, unpretentious, "nothing special" personality, but the process of giving up the ego is long and arduous and involves intense psychological pain. To quote a modern Zen master, "Paradise is right beneath our feet, but we must go through hell to get there."

Zen continues to spread in the West. Though most of its reception has been in the form of pop-cultural appropriations and superficial borrowings, many authentic centers with qualified teachers have been established amongst the unfortunate, though inevitable, mass of commercial, misguided and/or cultist endeavors. Zen practice should be gradually perceived as a natural process and not, to quote a Zen adage, "stink of Zen."

Zazen meditation is relatively simple and can be practiced without a teacher for stress-relieving and therapeutic effects, but it is by no means the whole of Zen. Because formal Zen practice is essentially mind training that effects lasting neurological changes, it can be dangerous, especially when practiced with an unqualified teacher or when suffering a mental illness that goes beyond mere neuroses. It is therefore advisable to carefully consider the qualifications and lineage of a prospective teacher as well as one's own mental condition before engaging in formal practice. Any teacher or place of practice that doesn't intuitively "feel right" should be avoided.

There is much that could be (and has been) said about Zen, its method, history, writings, traditions, rituals, etc., but such intellectual extrapolation as in this article is always contrary to its spirit, which can only be found in direct insight.

Gasshô