What is Zen?

The term Zen carried a number of different shades of meaning, but first and foremost it is a branch of Buddhism.

Buddhism can be divided up into branches in much the same way that Christianity can be thoguht of in terms of demoninations. In Buddhism, the two main branches of the religion are Theravada and Mayayana Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism is the most traditional and oldest form; it takes its teachings only from the original Pali Texts of Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism sees Buddhist scripture as open ended and growing. As a result, the many different sub-branches of Mahayana Buddism have added to the original Pali Texts other sutras and writings that they thought useful. While Theravada Buddhism is fairly homogeneous, Mahayana Buddhism is diverse.

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Zen is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism. It was started in China (where it is called //Chán//). Zen emphasizes spiritual awakening and meditation. It reduces the dependence on religious texts and discussions of metaphysical issues. Instead, it promotes introspection as the path to enlightenment and awakening.

Zen is more popular in Japan, but it is common in East Asia. Aspects of Zen Buddhism have become popular in Western countries, as well, where they are blended with pop psychology.

Weblinks for Zen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen

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

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

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