Zen Buddhism - An Introduction
page 2
Zen is fundamentally a school of Mahayana
Buddhism, and shares traditions, sutras, rules, and rituals with other
Mahayanists. However, the Zen Buddhist tradition has veered away from
scholasticism and emphasizes the direct personal experience of enlightenment,
or "Satori." Fostering, deepening, and expressing the experience
of the Buddha-mind is the primary focus of Zen Buddhism.
The aim of enlightenment is the unfolding of the inner mind experience,
as an inherent quality that lies within to be developed through meditation.
Zen is characterized by the doctrines of sunyata (emptiness) and bodhi
(enlightenment); and the direct experience of enlightenment, the Buddha-mind,
is believed to express itself in every detail of nature and in every activity.
At the heart of Zen practice is monasticism. Monastic life combines simplicity
and discipline, and involves the practices of seated meditation (za-zen)
in azendo (meditation hall); instruction from a roshi, or Zen master (sanzen),
manual labor (samu)', recitation of sutras and sometimes religious mendicancy.
In Rinzai sects, emphasis is placed on seated meditation in which the
student's concentration is intensified through the use of an "encouragement
stick," which is applied to the student's back in order to rouse
and deepen one's concentration during meditation. Another tool used in
Rinzai is the koan exercises. An abstract thought, or riddle, is given
to the student to contemplate, such as, "What is the sound of one
hand clapping?" In Soto sects, emphasis is placed on identifying
zazen itself with enlightenment and living in the present moment with
mindfulness. In both disciplines meditation is the key to the practice,
and understanding comes from a direct personal experience with Truth rather
than from an intellectual understanding.
Recommended Reading:
 An
Introduction to Zen Buddhism (or other books) by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki
 Teachings
of Zen, by Thomas Cleary
 The
Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment, by Roshi
Kapleau
Recommended Audio:
 Zen
Bones: On the Spirit of Zen, by Allen Watts
|
