Zen and Zen Buddhism: An Overview

Zen and Zen Buddhism have a long history. A consensus among Zen Buddhism practitioners and scholars is that Zen Buddhism began with Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism (Dumoulin 2005), who incorporated dhyana (i.e., a form of Zen meditation with Indian origins) into his training. As Zen meditation can be traced back to India prior to the time of Gautama Buddha, the history of Zen Buddhism actually began before Buddhism itself. For a moment, imagine the tropical climate of India: It must have been quite natural for the students of diverse spiritual traditions to meditate tranquilly under a tree or on a stone as they explored the meaning of the way. The term Zen (禅) itself sits upon a rich history. It can be used to describe similar but varying concepts or practices depending on the context and culture with which it is used. The term Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chan (禪), which came from the Sanskrit word dhyana or the Pali word jhana. In Japanese Zen Buddhism, the term is often considered synonymous with yoga (瑜 伽) or samadhi (三昧, an ultimate state of concentration achieved through meditation). In practice, Zen is often understood as the act of adjusting one’s mind by seeing and reflecting the true nature of the universe. As such, Zen is also called Zenjo (禅定) because the Sanskrit dhyana also emphasizes the adjustment, settlement, and concentration of the mind, which is roughly translated as jo (定) in Japanese. Prior to his awakening or enlightenment, Gautama Buddha was said to seek teachings from two sages, Ajara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta. According to Keitoku Dentō-roku (景徳傳燈録 in Japanese; The Record of the Transmission of the Lamp), one of the most widely read ancient Chan texts, Gautama Buddha sought the samadhi of nothingness (i.e., nondiscrimination) and the samadhi of neither-perception-nor-nonperceptions from these teachers (see Daoyuan and Whitfield Translated and Edited by Akihiko Masuda and Kayla Sargent.