![]() ![]() To help students discover nonduality without relying on thought, Zen teachers use koans- stories that appear nonsensical at first but as objects of contemplation in zazen lead to a shift of perspective from separation to interconnectedness. Nonconceptual understanding refers to insight into “things as they are” that cannot be expressed in words. Zen recognizes, for example, that the body and mind are interconnected: they are neither the same nor completely separate. Nonduality is sometimes described as “not one not two,” meaning that things are neither entirely unified nor are they entirely distinct from one another. ![]() Zen is as diverse as its practitioners, but common features include an emphasis on simplicity and the teachings of nonduality and nonconceptual understanding. ![]() In this context, Chan refers to the quality of mind cultivated through sitting meditation, known as zazen in Japanese, which many Zen Buddhists consider to be the tradition’s most important practice. (Zen is Seon or Son in Korean and Thien in Vietnamese.) When Buddhism came to China from India some 2,000 years ago, it encountered Daoism and Confucianism, absorbing some elements of both while rejecting others. Zen is a Japanese transliteration of the Chinese word Chan, which is itself a transliteration of dhyana, the word for concentration or meditation in the ancient Indian language Sanskrit. Traditionally speaking, “Zen” is not an adjective (as in, They were totally zen ). Zen takes many forms, as each culture that embraced it did so with their own emphases and tastes. Historically, Zen practice originated in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, and later came to in the West. Zen is the Japanese name for a Buddhist tradition practiced by millions of people across the world. | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Harry G. Reading a Sutra by Moonlight by Sokuhi Nyoichi (Chinese: Jifei Ruyi) depicts the Chinese monk Yinyuan Longqi (1592–1673), known for founding the Obaku sect of Zen in Japan. ![]()
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