Zen Buddhism is an Eastern teaching that teaches the attainment of enlightenment. If you take a broader look at this direction, then it is rather a way of life and is beyond the rational. The purpose of the practice is quite broad: it is a spiritual awakening, and revealing the essence of the absolute, and comprehension of oneself.
The first in the Zen line is
Shakyamuni Buddha. It is followed by Mahakashyapa, to whom the Buddha conveyed a special state of awakening, and this happened without the help of words (this was the basis of the Zen tradition of direct transmission of the doctrine “from heart to heart”).
This teaching began in China in the fifth century A.D. It was brought by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. He later became the first patriarch of the Chan in China. Badhidharma is the founder of the famous Shaolin monastery. Nowadays, it is considered the cradle of Chan Buddhism (Chinese).
The followers of the Bodhirharma were five patriarchs. Then the teaching was divided into a southern school and a northern one. South, in turn, was divided into five Zen schools (in our time there are two left: Linji and Tsaodong.
Zen Buddhism reached Europe in the middle of the XIX century, but the first acquaintance of Western people with the teachings took place in 1913, it was then that the book “Samurai Religion” was published, but it did not gain popularity. She became interested in a narrow circle of specialists. The philosophy of Zen Buddhism began to gain fans after the publication of Suzuki D.T. Watts was the first Western author to write about the doctrine. His
first book was called The Spirit of Zen. By the end of the 50s, a lot of literature on this topic began to appear. They were both European and American Zen Buddhists, who already described their experience of immersion in meditation and comprehension of the truth. In these books, the European reader was told everything in an accessible language, clear terms were used. The practical and theoretical aspects of the doctrine were described.
The line of transmission in Zen should be continuous, formed directly from the teacher to the student. This ensures the stability of the learning process. Teachers do not welcome written texts and discussions (“Truth cannot be expressed in words”).
It is known that practitioners are calm and balanced people. Zen classes contribute to a better development of intellectual abilities. The practice is based on meditation. It is noted that in the process of training, disease prevention takes place, and health problems are also solved. The student can easily overcome any stress. Consciousness becomes clear, the mind becomes deep and sharp. The concentration of attention increases many times. Helps fast and confident decision making. Extrasensory abilities develop .
This is Zen Buddhism, a philosophy understood by many today. Even in the most critical situations, learning allows you to feel relaxed and confident. Practitioners can see beauty in the most insignificant things, which may be why this teaching finds more and more fans.