What are 3 characteristics of Zen Buddhism?
Zen Buddhism is a school of East Asian Buddhism that originated in China and emphasizes meditation as a way to obtain enlightenment. The word “Zen” comes from the Sanskrit phrase dhyana, which means “meditation”. Zen Buddhism is a mixture of Indian Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism, and it have become the primary college of chinese Buddhism after the Mid and past due Tang Dynasty. It unfold to Korea and Japan, and became popular in the West in the mid-twentieth century.
Zen is carrying water and firewood
The state of Zen cannot be explained through language, words, or thinking, so it is called the heart method that does not rely on words, points directly to the human heart, and is passed on outside the teachings. The past, future, and present in time, and the front, back, left, right, and up and down in space are all symbols, without a definite meaning, and do not represent real things. However, the existence of the universe, apart from these, becomes an empty concept. But it depends on how we experience it. If it is, it is everywhere, and if it is not, it is not everything. This can also be seen in many examples in the public cases of Zen Buddhism, that is, the state of Zen practitioners who do not leave the direction, but do not attach to the direction; do not leave time and space, but do not attach to time and space.
Zen is a lively life
In ancient times, the life of a Zen practitioner was even simpler than that of a scholar. No one even provided firewood and water, so they had to be self-sufficient. Therefore, everyone needed to work, and in the daily routine, there would definitely be “slope work” such as carrying water and firewood. Therefore, in Zen language, there is a saying by lay Buddhist Pang Yun: “Supernatural powers and wonderful uses, carrying water and carrying firewood.” This is a portrayal of the life of a Zen practitioner. This means that for a Zen practitioner, there are Zen opportunities everywhere in daily life, and there is Zen in everything when dealing with people.
Zen is the unity of inside and outside
The so-called unity of inside and outside is the harmony of the whole. This can be achieved in three steps:
First, when you sit in meditation or do massage, the so-called Daoyin of Taoism, or the asanas of Indian yoga, you can make the body’s qi and meridians unblocked, and feel relaxed and peaceful as the body and mind are united.
Second, by sitting in meditation, praying, etc., we can experience the external environment and the inner mind as one, which is the so-called state of unity between heaven and man.
Third, use the effort of Zen meditation to concentrate on the focus of the practice method, and gradually make the previous thought and the next thought continuous and unchanged, without any distracting thoughts. That is the state of concentration, being fixed on one state or one thought, and it becomes an inner unity.
What is Zen Buddhism and Its Aspects
