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Zen Buddhism Enlightenment Through Experience. Zen: Stress on Meditation. Is one of the schools in Mahayana. It takes its name from the seventh step of the Eight Fold Path--Meditation dhyana. In Chinese this word is “chan” in Japanese, “zen”
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Zen: Stress on Meditation • Is one of the schools in Mahayana. • It takes its name from the seventh step of the Eight Fold Path--Meditation dhyana. • In Chinese this word is “chan” in Japanese, “zen” • The Chan movement preferred Siddhartha’s technique of attaining enlightenment through seated meditation.
Schools Within the School • Within Chan (Chinese) Buddhism there were two schools: Northern and Southern. • Northern School taught gradual enlightenment. • Southern School taught advocated sudden enlightenment. • The northern school died out. • Two main schools, Rinzai and Soto, in Zen (Japanese) today are descendents of the southern school.
Enlightenment • The enlightenment experience call “satori” brings an awareness of the unity oneself with the rest of the universe. • Zazen or sitting meditation is the basic way in which enlightenment is achieved.
The Technique • The meditation involves sitting in silence with one’s back straight and centered, keeping the body still, and taking deep and regular breaths. • It is demonstrated by the following site. • The site
Techniques continued • Another technique for attaining enlightenment is called a “koan.” • The name is from the Chinese gong-an (kung-an) and is translated as “public discussion.” It demands that a person think or ponder • Manual labor also helps one to focus and concentrate and so many of the Zen monastery do various tasks such as kitchen cleaning, minor repairs, etc.