Zen Buddhism was first introduced to China by an Indian man called Bodhidharma in around the sixth century. According to tradition, Bodhidharma was a guy so epic that to win a staring contest with a rock wall, he removed his own eyelids. Zen’s essence is trying to comprehend life’s significance straight, without being misled by logical thinking or language. Zen methods are consistent with other religions and are often used by Christians seeking a mystical comprehension of their faith.
Zen often appears paradoxical, requiring an intense discipline that results in complete spontaneity and ultimate freedom when correctly practiced. It is not necessary to confuse this natural spontaneity with impulsiveness.Main sets of Zen Buddhism Zen Buddhism has two major sects: Rinzai and Soto. Rinzai is the older of the two colleges, both Rinzai and Soto Zen Buddhism stress the significance of meditation in achieving satori, or enlightenment, over logic and careful consideration. Soto Zen was brought to Japan by Dogen. Dogen encourages the practice of zazen to attain enlightenment in his teachings on Zen BuddhismTeachings of Zen Buddhism Zen’s primary teaching is that of zazen, or sitting meditation, and that one can attain enlightenment only through meditation and action rather than cogitation. As a means of teaching, Zen Buddhists pay less attention to scripture than they do to different techniques of Zen practice.
The most popular way to teach is to communicate enlightenment directly from master to pupil. Zen practices aim to remove the rational and intellectual mind from the mental loop so that the student can become more conscious and realize his own Buddha nature. Even physical violence is sometimes used to prevent the student from intellectualizing or stuck in a different manner. Zen students strive to attain enlightenment through their manner of life and through mental actions that approach the reality without philosophical thinking or intellectual effort.
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Zen Emphasis The emphasis of Zen Buddhism on simplicity and the significance of the natural world gave rise to a unique aesthetic articulated by the wabiand sabi terms. These two amorphous ideas are used to convey a feeling of rusticity, melancholy, loneliness, naturalness, and age, so that the jar of a malformed, worn peasant is deemed more beautiful than a thoroughly made, pristine plate. While the latter pleases the senses, the former encourages the mind and feelings to contemplate reality’s nature. This artistic sensitivity has had an enormous effect up to contemporary times on Japanese culture.
