Zen Buddhism

Zen Buddhism is perhaps the most widely recognized form of meditation in the United States. Zen traces its origins to India, but the philosophy was formalized in China between the 6th and 7th century.

The word Zen was derived from the Sanskrit word Dhyana meaning "meditation." Zen is translated from the Chinese word Ch'an to Japanese when it took root in Japan in the 13th century.

Zen Buddhism is rooted in the philosophy that all humans have a "Buddha nature" inside of them and that self-knowledge is the key to attaining enlightenment. A Buddha nature can be characterized by compassion for all beings and true freedom. Zen Buddhist believe that ignorance (the ego) is the veil that separates humans from Buddahood and that ignorance can be silenced if one can clear their minds through the strict religious discipline of meditation. Meditation is the most important aspect in attaining enlightenment according to the Zen philosophy. To know thy true self, is to be a Buddha.

Zen Buddhism differs from the many traditional forms of Buddhism as it is the only sect that does not take it's name from sacred scriptures such as the Lotus sect, and the Consciousness-only sect which are more historically religious as opposed to philosophical.

The history of Buddhism dates back to around 595 BC when, according to the legend, in a city 160 miles northeast of Benares, India a 29-year-old man named Prince Gautama Siddhartha first discovered the path to enlightenment while meditating under a tree. As a seeker of Truth, Gautama honestly wanted to find the answer to why humans suffer and what can be done to stop it. During his exploration, Gautama tried to immerse himself in wordly pleasures but found no peace. He then did the exact opposite and denied himself of all wordly pleasures which still produced no true answers. After many years of searching, he finally gave up. Exhausted and frustrated Gautama collapsed underneath a tree and he declared that he wouldn't move an inch until he understood the solution to human suffering.

According to legend, several days later, as he glanced up at the morning star his mind became clear and he was enlightened. From this, he postulated the Four Noble truths of Buddhism:

1. Human life is suffering. This is referred to as Dukkha.

2. The reason our lives are filled with suffering is because we are ignorant. This cause can be abated. This is referred to as Avidya.

3. There is a path one can take to get rid of suffering, it is to end human desire. This is referred to as Margo Yoga.

4.) Desire can be ended by following the "Eightfold Noble Path" which includes

1)right understanding

2) right thought

3) right speech

4) right action

5) right livelihood

6) right effort

7) right mindfulness

8) right concentration.

The reason we do not know who we are is because we are blinded by our egos which doesn't allow us to see beyond our selfish selves. Yoga, contemplation, and self-examination are ways to remedy this. Once we are able to remedy this through discipline, we are to become just as enlightened as Gautama was that day under the tree. This awakening can come gradually or it can come as a flash of insight.

Zen practice emphasizes zazen, or seated meditation, as the primary means to realize the teachings of the Buddha. Zen practice also includes walking meditation, bowing, chanting, and working closely with a teacher.

Because I'm always a bit skeptical of information that comes from the internet, I have done my best to "fact check" several sites with other books and online resources to see if they're all saying the same thing. Sometimes the versions differ a bit but I found the following resources all claim that the above data is "true" so take that for what it's worth.

Eastern Definitions: A Short Encyclopedia of Religions of the Orient published in 1980 by Edward Rice

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/zen/

http://www.ciolek.com/WWWVL-Zen.html

http://www.zenguide.com/