Zen or Ch'an, Buddhist school that developed in China and later in
Japan as the result of a fusion between the Mahayana form of Buddhism
originating in India and the Chinese philosophy of Taoism. Zen and Ch'an are,
respectively, the Japanese and Chinese ways of pronouncing the Sanskrit term dhyana,
which designates a state of mind roughly equivalent to contemplation or
meditation, although without the static and passive sense that these words
sometimes convey. Dhyana denotes specifically the state of
consciousness of a Buddha, one whose mind is free from the assumption that
the distinct individuality of oneself and other things is real. All schools
of Buddhism hold that separate things exist only in relation to one another;
this relativity of individuals is called their "voidness" (Sanskrit
sunyata), which means not that the world is truly nothing but that
nature cannot be grasped by any system of fixed definition or classification.
Reality is the "suchness" (Pali tathata) of nature, or the
world "just as it is" apart from any specific thoughts about it. Doctrines
and Practices Zen
is the peculiarly Chinese way of accomplishing the Buddhist goal of seeing
the world just as it is, that is, with a mind that has no grasping thoughts
or feelings (Sanskrit trishna). This attitude is called
"no-mind" (Chinese wu-hsin), a state of consciousness
wherein thoughts move without leaving any trace. Unlike other forms of
Buddhism, Zen holds that such freedom of mind cannot be attained by gradual
practice but must come through direct and immediate insight (Chinese tun-wu;
Japanese satori). Thus, Zen abandons both theorizing and systems of
spiritual exercise and communicates its vision of truth by a method known as
direct pointing. Its exponents answer all philosophic or religious questions
by nonsymbolic words or actions; the answer is the action just as it is, and
not what it represents. Typical is the reply of the Zen master Yao-shan, who,
on being asked "What is the Way [of Zen]?" answered, "A cloud
in the sky and water in the jug!" Zen students prepare themselves to be
receptive to such answers by sitting in meditation (Japanese za-zen)
while they simply observe, without mental comment, whatever may be happening. Sects The
two main sects of Zen are Rinzai Zen and Soto Zen. The Soto seems to put more
emphasis on the discipline of za-zen, while the Rinzai sect makes use
of meditation problems (Japanese koan) based on the dialogues
(Japanese mondo), similar to the example mentioned previously, between
the old masters and their students. Students are expected to present their
understanding of an incident to the teacher in some nonverbal direct form (by
pointing, for example), in a private interview called in Japanese sanzen. Influence
on Arts and Crafts
Zen
is studied ordinarily in semimonastic communities to which laymen are
admitted for limited periods. However, the Zen monastery is more strictly a
training school combining meditation with a considerable amount of manual
labor. The students in such schools give special attention to the arts and
crafts, notably painting, calligraphy, gardening, architecture, and
ceremonial tea drinking. In Zen
has had a strong influence upon Far Eastern arts and crafts because its point
of view is connected with action rather than theory and with direct vision of
nature rather than interpretation. According to Zen the mind serves properly
as a window glass rather than as a reflector, that is, the mind should give
an immediate view instead of an interpretation of the world. All theories of
nature and reality are considered to interfere with this direct vision. Zen
thereby shows its continuity with the original idea of the Indian philosopher
and founder of Buddhism, Gautama Buddha, that suffering is the result of
grasping desire, for it holds that the mind and feelings frustrate their own
proper functioning when they cling deliberately to the world of experience.
Thus, the subject matter of Zen religious painting consists of natural forms,
such as birds, grasses, rocks, and mountains, presented merely as images in a
style that combines a maximum of technique with a minimum of planning and
deliberation. Such art avoids iconography (illustration or representation by
visual means, such as pictures) and expresses a way of experiencing rather
than ideas based upon experience, for Zen is not committed to any system of
doctrine or belief. History According
to tradition, Zen was introduced into The
two main sects of Zen were brought to Western
interest in Zen dates from the publication of the first authoritative account
of the subject in English, Essays in Zen Buddhism by the Japanese
scholar Daisetz T. Suzuki. After World War II and the occupation of |
