Brief history of Zen Buddhism
India, China and Japan Shakyamuni Buda
The history of Zen begins in India. In Buddha’s lifetime, yoga was wider spread, as a practice of concentration of spirit. In its nature, yoga was destined to concentrate the spirit on one point: the achievement of serenity through seated meditation. In fact, yoga methods were reduced at this time to food deprivations, fasting, and certain vows like for example standing on one leg for a long time.
Through such ascetic practices and a whole array of exercises, the yogi trained himself in indifference to external stimuli and in the control of the slightest movement of his own spirit.
Buddha practised this kind of yoga for twelve years, from the moment that he decided to renounce the mundane life. He visited saints and interviewed wise men, travelling throughout the country. But finally Buddha did not find in Yoga an answer to two essential questions: What is man? How should man live?
Buddha abandoned ascetics, sat down quietly, crossed his legs and concentrated on his breathing. During the dawn of the eighth day of Zazen he attained a higher level of consciousness when he observed the brightness of a star and he awakened the Buddha within. Buddha discovered his true nature in the Universe and found a rule for the existence of all men.
Bodhidharma Boddhidharma introduced Zen in China. He represented the twenty eighth generation of Buddha’s disciples. At that time China was divided into rival states. Chaos reigned everywhere owing to the upheaval caused by the struggle for power. The country was oppressed by tyrants and bloodied by rebellions. The Liang dynasty reigned over one of the states of ancient China. The emperor Wu-Ti, head of this dynasty and a fervent Buddhist, heard of Boddhidharma and invited him to his palace. In response to Wu-Ti’s question: "What is the basic principle of Buddhism?". Boddhidharma replied: "An immense emptiness. A clear sky. A sky that does not distinguish between the enlightened, and the ignorant. The world exactly as it is." Although he was a fervent Buddhist, Wu-Ti did not understand Boddhidharma’s message and he realised that the time for spreading Zen in China have not arrived yet. For this reason, he crossed the Yang-Tse river and retired to the Shorin temple in the northern mountains.
Dôgen Zenji
In Japan the Rinzai and Soto schools took firm roots, the former due to Eisai and the latter due to Dogen and Keizan. The Rinzai tradition is based on a strict discipline destined to disarticulate mental creations. The Koan or enigmatic question difficult to solve got great importance and its solution, beyond the realms of the intellect, leads directly to the experience of Satori and Awakening.
The Soto tradition aims to concentrate on Buddha’s Way, that is to say, follow Buddha’s daily life, advancing continually in achievement due to daily practice, without expecting anything extraordinary. The essence of Soto is Shikatanza, sitting, only sitting.
Due to Master Dôgen (1200-1254) the Soto tradition and the Buddhism itself reached a maturity and precision not often found level in other times. His masterpiece, Shôgobenzo, it is essential to understand Buddhism and oriental civilization.
Zen has deeply influenced daily life in Japan. We can see it in all aspects of the Japanese way of living: eating, dressing, painting, calligraphy, architecture, theatre, music, gardening, decoration, etc.
Nowadays, although a lot of Japanese people do not know what is Zazen, one can notice in their behaviour the mark that the Buddha teaching has left on the Japanese soul.
India, China and Japan Shakyamuni Buda
The history of Zen begins in India. In Buddha’s lifetime, yoga was wider spread, as a practice of concentration of spirit. In its nature, yoga was destined to concentrate the spirit on one point: the achievement of serenity through seated meditation. In fact, yoga methods were reduced at this time to food deprivations, fasting, and certain vows like for example standing on one leg for a long time.
Through such ascetic practices and a whole array of exercises, the yogi trained himself in indifference to external stimuli and in the control of the slightest movement of his own spirit.
Buddha practised this kind of yoga for twelve years, from the moment that he decided to renounce the mundane life. He visited saints and interviewed wise men, travelling throughout the country. But finally Buddha did not find in Yoga an answer to two essential questions: What is man? How should man live?
Buddha abandoned ascetics, sat down quietly, crossed his legs and concentrated on his breathing. During the dawn of the eighth day of Zazen he attained a higher level of consciousness when he observed the brightness of a star and he awakened the Buddha within. Buddha discovered his true nature in the Universe and found a rule for the existence of all men.
Bodhidharma Boddhidharma introduced Zen in China. He represented the twenty eighth generation of Buddha’s disciples. At that time China was divided into rival states. Chaos reigned everywhere owing to the upheaval caused by the struggle for power. The country was oppressed by tyrants and bloodied by rebellions. The Liang dynasty reigned over one of the states of ancient China. The emperor Wu-Ti, head of this dynasty and a fervent Buddhist, heard of Boddhidharma and invited him to his palace. In response to Wu-Ti’s question: "What is the basic principle of Buddhism?". Boddhidharma replied: "An immense emptiness. A clear sky. A sky that does not distinguish between the enlightened, and the ignorant. The world exactly as it is." Although he was a fervent Buddhist, Wu-Ti did not understand Boddhidharma’s message and he realised that the time for spreading Zen in China have not arrived yet. For this reason, he crossed the Yang-Tse river and retired to the Shorin temple in the northern mountains.
Dôgen Zenji
In Japan the Rinzai and Soto schools took firm roots, the former due to Eisai and the latter due to Dogen and Keizan. The Rinzai tradition is based on a strict discipline destined to disarticulate mental creations. The Koan or enigmatic question difficult to solve got great importance and its solution, beyond the realms of the intellect, leads directly to the experience of Satori and Awakening.
The Soto tradition aims to concentrate on Buddha’s Way, that is to say, follow Buddha’s daily life, advancing continually in achievement due to daily practice, without expecting anything extraordinary. The essence of Soto is Shikatanza, sitting, only sitting.
Due to Master Dôgen (1200-1254) the Soto tradition and the Buddhism itself reached a maturity and precision not often found level in other times. His masterpiece, Shôgobenzo, it is essential to understand Buddhism and oriental civilization.
Zen has deeply influenced daily life in Japan. We can see it in all aspects of the Japanese way of living: eating, dressing, painting, calligraphy, architecture, theatre, music, gardening, decoration, etc.
Nowadays, although a lot of Japanese people do not know what is Zazen, one can notice in their behaviour the mark that the Buddha teaching has left on the Japanese soul.
Last modified: Monday, 1 June 2009, 12:43 PM