1. ZEN
(CH’AN)
BUDDHISM
1

2. • Both the words "Zen" (Japanese) and
"Ch'an" (Chinese) derive from the Sanskrit
word Dhyana, meaning "meditation." Zen
Buddhism focuses on attaining
enlightenment (bodhi) through meditation as
Siddharta Gautama did. It teaches that
all human beings have the Buddha-nature, or
the potential to attain enlightenment, within
them, but the Buddha-nature been clouded
by ignorance.
2

3. • To overcome this ignorance, Zen rejects
the study of scriptures, religious rites,
devotional practices, and good works in
favor of meditation leading to a sudden
breakthrough of insight and awareness of
ultimate reality. Training in the Zen path is
usually undertaken by a disciple under the
guidance of a master.
3

4. BUDDHISM
COMES TO EAST ASIA
• “Silk Road” merchants and
missionaries transmit
Buddhism to China by 65 CE
• As Han 漢 dynasty (202
BCE-220 CE) declines,
Chinese elites turn away from
Confucianism to Daoism and
Buddhism, often combining
elements of each in
syncretistic mix
• By Tang 唐 dynasty (618-907
CE), Buddhism reaches zenith
of its popularity in China
• From China, Buddhism
spreads to Vietnam, Korea,
and Japan 4

5. 5

6. CHALLENGES TO
BUDDHISM IN CHINA
• Geographic: difficulty of
India-China travel
• Linguistic: translation of
foreign texts and concepts
• Political: conflicts between
rulers and sangha; separation
between north and south during
“Period of Disunity”
• Religious: competition with
and/or dilution by
Confucianism and Daoism
• Social: traditional Chinese
distaste for foreign ways (e.g.,
celibacy, monasticism, Sanskrit
terminology, karma theory)
6

7. ROOTS OF EAST ASIAN
BUDDHISM
• Buddhists in Tang China
develop theory of “Last Days
of the Dharma” (Chinese
mofa, Japanese mappo 末法)
– view of present as
degenerate era in which
former methods of teaching
do not suffice for
enlightenment
• “Desperate times call for
desperate measures” –
tendency to focus solely on
one text or practice
• Chan 禪 = Sanskrit dhyana
(“meditation” – Japanese:
Zen)
• Chan goal: Chinese jianxing,
Japanese kensho 見性 (seeing
one’s true nature) – sudden
enlightenment
• Based on Theravāda concept
of individual effort (Chinese
zili, Japanese jiriki自力) and
Tantric meditation techniques
• Enlightenment verified by
“mind-to-mind” transmission
from master to disciple,
beginning with Bodhidharma
(Indian, 400s CE?) 7

8. SOURCES OF
JAPANESE BUDDHISM
• Buddhism (Tantric, Chan,
Pure Land) introduced during
500s CE by Korean
immigrants, missionaries, and
diplomats
• Functions of Buddhism in
early Japan:
1. Instrument of diplomacy
2. Vehicle of civilization
3. Symbol of political power
• Shintô-Buddhist syncretism:
1. theory of honji suijaku 本地
重跡 (original reality,
manifest traces)
2. Buddhas and bodhisattvas
are honji, kami are suijaku 8

9. 9

10. DEVELOPMENT OF THE
CHAN/ZEN TRADITION
• Degeneration of dharma
justifies rejection of devotion
and scriptures in favor of
meditation as sole or primary
method of attaining
enlightenment
• Reality must be seen as it is
(nondualistic, spontaneous,
“empty”)
• Two major sects:
1. Chinese Linji, Japanese Rinzai
臨濟 – uses riddles (Chinese
gong’an, Japanese koan 公案),
verbal abuse and meditation
2. Chinese Caotong, Japanese Soto
曹狪 -- uses meditation only 10

11. LEGACIES OF THE
CHAN/ZEN TRADITION
• Cements syncretism of
indigenous and imported
elements (Buddhism/Daoism,
Buddhism/Shintô) in East
Asian Buddhism
• Hugely influential on East
Asian cultures:
1. Calligraphy
2. Cuisine (e.g., tea)
3. Drama (especially in Japan)
4. Martial arts (e.g., fencing)
5. Painting
6. Philosophy
7. Poetry
8. Ritual (e.g., tea ceremony) 11

12. 12