You've heard of Zen. You may have had moments of Zen. But what the bleep is Zen?

The popular idea of Zen is that it's, like, Japanese Dada, with kung fu monks. I regret that the popular idea is a tad romanticized.

Korean Zen ink painting - Jens-Olaf/Flickr,

The nerdy answer to the question What is Zen? is that Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that emerged in China about 15 centuries ago. In China it is called "Ch'an" Buddhism. Ch'an is the Chinese rendering of the Sanskrit word dhyana, which refers to a mind absorbed in meditation. "Zen" is the Japanese rendering of Ch'an. Zen is called "Thien" in Vietnam and "Seon" in Korea. In any language, the name could be translated "Meditation Buddhism."

Here I want to provide a bare-bones introduction to Zen. Note that what follows is barely a handshake. I will use the word "Zen" for all schools, just to keep it simple.

This article also assumes you know what Buddhism is. If you aren't sure, read the Introduction to Buddhism.

A Very Brief Zen History

Zen began to emerge as a distinctive school of Mahayana Buddhism when the Indian sage Bodhidharma (ca. 470-543) taught at the Shaolin Monastery of China. (Yes, it's a real place, and yes, there is a historic connection between kung fu and Zen.) To this day Bodhidharma is called the First Patriarch of Zen.

Bodhidharma's teachings tapped into some developments already in progress, such as the confluence of philosophical Taoism with Buddhism. Taoism so profoundly impacted early Zen that some philosophers and texts are claimed by both religions. The early Mahayana philosophies of Madhyamika (ca. 2nd century CE) and Yogacara (ca. 3rd century CE) also played huge roles in the development of Zen.

Under the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng (638-713), Zen shed most of its vestigial Indian trappings, becoming more Chinese and more, well, Zennish. Some consider Huineng, not Bodhidharma, to be the true father of Zen. His personality and influence are felt in Zen to this day.

Huineng's tenure was at the beginning of what is still called the Golden Age of Zen. This Golden Age flourished during the same period as China's Tang Dynasty, 618-907. The masters of this Golden Age still speak to us through koans and stories.

During these years Zen organized itself into five "houses," or five schools. Two of these, called in Japanese the Rinzai and the Soto schools, still exist and remain distinctive from each other.

Zen was transmitted to Vietnam very early, possibly as early as the 7th century. A series of teachers transmitted Zen to Korea during the Golden Age. Eihei Dogen (1200-1253), was not the first Zen teacher in Japan, but he was the first to establish a lineage that lives to this day. The West took an interest in Zen after World War II, and now Zen is establishing itself in North America, Europe, and elsewhere.

Bodhidharma's definition:

A special transmission outside the scriptures;
No dependence on words and letters;
Direct pointing to the mind of man;
Seeing into one's nature and attaining Buddhahood.

Zen is sometimes called "the face-to-face transmission of the dharma outside the sutras." Throughout the history of Zen, teachers have transmitted their realization of dharma to students by working with them face-to-face. This makes the lineage of teachers critical. A genuine Zen teacher can trace his or her lineage of teachers back to Bodhidharma, and before that to the historical Buddha, and to those Buddhas before the historical Buddha.

Certainly, large parts of the lineage charts have to be taken on faith. But if anything is treated as sacred in Zen, it's the teachers' lineages. With very few exceptions, calling oneself a "Zen teacher" without having received transmission from another teacher is considered a serious defilement of Zen.

While we're talking about teachers, I should mention Zen masters. In my experience, the phrase "Zen master" is hardly ever heard inside Zen. Popular notions of "Zen master," however smarmy, roughly correspond to what a Zen teacher is. The title "Zen master" in Japanese, "zenji," is only given posthumously. In Zen, living Zen teachers are called "Zen teachers." An especially venerable and beloved teacher is called "roshi," which means "old man." I'm not sure how that works when the teacher is a woman, however. In any event, if you ever run into someone who advertises himself as a "Zen master," be skeptical.

Bodhidharma's definition also says that Zen is not an intellectual discipline you can learn from books. Instead, it's a practice of studying mind and seeing into one's nature. The main tool of this practice is zazen.

Zazen

The meditation practice of Zen, called "zazen" in Japanese, is the heart of Zen. Daily zazen is the foundation of Zen practice.

You can learn the basics of zazen from books, web sites and videos. However, if you're serious about pursuing a regular zazen practice, I recommend that you sit with others at least occasionally; most people find it deepens the practice. If there's no monastery or Zen center handy, you might find a "sitting group" of laypeople who sit zazen together at someone's home.

As with most forms of Buddhist meditation, beginners are taught to work with their breath to learn concentration. Once your ability to concentrate has ripened -- expect this to take a few months -- you may either sit "shikantaza" -- which means "just sitting" -- or do koan study with a Zen teacher.

Why Is Zazen So Important?

Like many aspects of Buddhism, most of us have to practice zazen for a while to appreciate zazen. At first you might think of it primarily as mind training, and of course it is. If you stay with the practice, however, your understanding of why you sit will change. I can't tell you how it will change, because this will be your own personal and intimate journey, not mine.

One of the most difficult parts of zazen for most people to comprehend is sitting with no goals or expectations, including an expectation of "getting enlightened." Most of us do sit with goals and expectations for months or years before the goals are exhausted and we "just sit." Along the way, you learn a lot about yourself.

You may find "experts" who will tell you zazen is optional in Zen, but such experts are dilettantes. I don't care how many degrees they have or how many books they've written; they are mistaken. This misunderstanding of the role of zazen comes from misreadings of Zen literature, which is common because Zen literature makes no sense to literal readers.

Why Zen Makes No Sense

It isn't true that Zen makes no sense. Rather, "making sense" of it requires understanding language differently from the way we normally understand it.

Zen literature is full of vexatious exchanges such as Moshan's "Its Peak Cannot Be Seen" that defy literal interpretation. However, these are not random, Dadaist utterings. Something specific is intended. How do you understand it?

Bodhidharma said that Zen is "direct pointing to the mind." Understanding is gained through intimate experience, not through intellect or expository prose. Words may be used, but they are used in a presentational way, not a literal way.

Zen teacher Robert Aitken wrote in The Gateless Barrier (North Point Press, 1991, pp. 48-49):

"The presentational mode of communication is very important in Zen Buddhist teaching. This mode can be clarified by Susanne Langer's landmark book on symbolic logic called Philosophy in a New Key. She distinguishes between two kinds of language: 'Presentational' and 'Discursive.' The presentational might be in words, but it might also be a laugh, a cry, a blow, or any other kind of communicative action. It is poetical and nonexplanatory - the expression of Zen. The discursive, by contrast, is prosaic and explanatory. … The discursive has a place in a Zen discourse like this one, but it tends to dilute direct teaching."

There is no secret decoder ring that will help you decipher Zenspeak. After you've practiced a while, particularly with a teacher, you catch on. Or not. Let me just say that the Web is peppered with academic explanations of koans that are painfully and horribly wrong, because the "scholar" analyzed the koan as if it were discursive prose.

So, how do you understand it? If you want to understand Zen, go face the dragon in the cave for yourself.

The Dragon in the Cave

Wherever Zen has established itself, it has rarely been one of the larger or more popular sects of Buddhism. The truth is, it's a very difficult path, particularly for laypeople. I don't think it's for everybody.

On the other hand, for a small sect Zen has had a disproportionate impact on the art and culture of Asia, especially in China and Japan. Beyond kung fu and other martial arts, Zen has influenced painting, poetry, music, flower arranging, and the tea ceremony.

Ultimately, Zen is about coming face-to-face with yourself, in a very direct and intimate way. This is not easy. But if you like a challenge -- check it out.

By Barbara O'Brien - About.com Guide

Source: buddhism.about.com