The Development of Zen Buddhism

文章主要介绍了禅宗的起源与发展。禅宗是佛教的一个分支，起源于中国，是中国古代佛教中的一个中国社会规则和现实的混合体，是中国佛教在中国古代的原始佛教教义。禅的焦点是信徒们的宁静冥想过程，通过冥想可以达到最终的平静状态。唐末至宋末，禅宗发展到中国社会的各部门。禅在日本得到发展和繁荣。

Zen Buddhism is a branch of Buddhism religion originated from China. It is a mix of Chinese social rules and realities and the original Buddhism doctrine created specifically for Chinese Buddhist in ancient China. Originally speaking, the branch should be named in English as “Chan”, a direct translation from Chinese; while the term “Zen” is actually the Japanese term for “Chan”, invented by the Japanese after the branch spread from China to Japan.

Zen Buddhism focuses on the tranquil meditation process of the believers, stating that through meditation one can achieve the ultimate tranquil state of mind, getting rid of all desires and grasping the truth of the world. Zen Buddhism believes that the power of language is circumstantial and incomparable to the mind and thought, one cannot get Zen intelligence by speaking or listening to other people’s speech; rather, it depends on the comprehension of the process of meditation and the understandings of human nature acquired by Zen practices. Zen Buddhism also practices collective “silent illumination”, which means the practitioners will sit together to practice Zen in order to achieve the ultimate tranquil mentioned above.

The early stage of Zen Buddhism in China witnessed the merge of traditional Chinese value and Buddhism theory that originated from India. The Bodhidharma came to China in 5th century A.D. to carry the initial thoughts of Zen to China. From then on to the middle Tang Dynasty, Zen Buddhism passed from Bodhidharma to other five so-called “patriarchs” of the sector. By the middle Tang Dynasty, a very prestigious disciple of the fifth patriarch by the name of Huineng took over the position of the former one and started to push Zen Buddhism to the whole country, making it a popular local Chinese Buddhism theory in the next few centuries.
From the end of the Tang Dynasty to the end of the Song Dynasty, Zen Buddhism has developed into various branches and sectors, as put forward by several Zen masters of China, including Dahui Zonggao, Hongzhi Zhengjue and many others. The famous Linji School of Zen Buddhism also reached its apex of development during the Song Dynasty, which also influences the development of Japanese Zen Buddhism, another important sector of the whole theory.

The overall, systematic of Japanese study of Zen Buddhism started in 1192, when Myoan Eisai went to China to get some of the core value of Linji and Caodong school of Zen Buddhism back to Japan; however, his effort did not pay off until Nanpo Shomyo, another famous Japanese monk who studied more thoroughly of Linji Zen Buddhism and spread it among the Japanese ruling class, samurai and aristocrats in particular. Since then, Zen Buddhism became a popular belief held by almost all social classes in Japan; it developed into 24 local sectors at its apex and each of them gained much prosperity during their times.

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