Skip to main content

Zen


Zen (Chinese: 禪; pinyin: Chán; Japanese: 禅, romanized: zen; Korean: 선, romanized: Seon; Vietnamese: Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (Chánzong 禪宗), and later developed into various sub-schools and branches. From China, Chán spread south to Vietnam and became Vietnamese Thiền, northeast to Korea to become Seon Buddhism, and east to Japan, becoming Japanese Zen.

The term Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese word 禪 (chán), an abbreviation of 禪那 (chánnà), which is a Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit word dhyāna ("meditation"). Zen emphasizes rigorous self-restraint, meditation-practice, insight into the nature of mind (見性, Ch. jiànxìng, Jp. kensho, "perceiving the true nature") and nature of things (without arrogance or egotism), and the personal expression of this insight in daily life, especially for the benefit of others. As such, it de-emphasizes knowledge alone of sutras and doctrine, and favors direct understanding through spiritual practice and interaction with an accomplished teacher or Master.

Zen teaching draws from numerous sources of Mahāyāna thought, especially Yogachara, the Tathāgatagarbha sūtras, the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, and the Huayan school, with their emphasis on Buddha-nature, totality, and the Bodhisattva-ideal. The Prajñāpāramitā literature as well as Madhyamaka thought have also been influential in the shaping of the apophatic and sometimes iconoclastic nature of Zen rhetoric.

Furthermore, the Chan School was also influenced by Taoist philosophy, especially Neo-Daoist thought.


Systematic review of the efficacy of meditation techniques as treatments for medical illness. Arias AJ, Steinberg K, Banga A, Trestman RL. J Altern Complement Med. 2006 Oct;12(8):817-32. doi: 10.1089/acm.2006.12.817. PMID: 17034289.
Health benefits of meditation. Horowitz S. Altern Complement Ther. 2010;16:223–8. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1089/act.2010.16402
Meditation in medical practice: a review of the evidence and practice. Fortney L, Taylor M. Prim Care. 2010 Mar;37(1):81-90. doi: 10.1016/j.pop.2009.09.004. PMID: 20188999.
Meditation: Process and effects. Sharma H. Ayu. 2015 Jul-Sep;36(3):233-7. doi: 10.4103/0974-8520.182756. PMID: 27313408; PMCID: PMC4895748.
A Phase Ib/IIa Study of the Pan-BET Inhibitor ZEN-3694 in Combination with Enzalutamide in Patients with Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer. Aggarwal RR, Schweizer MT, Nanus DM, Pantuck AJ, Heath EI, Campeau E, Attwell S, Norek K, Snyder M, Bauman L, Lakhotia S, Feng FY, Small EJ, Abida W, Alumkal JJ. Clin Cancer Res. 2020 Oct 15;26(20):5338-5347. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-20-1707. Epub 2020 Jul 21. PMID: 32694156; PMCID: PMC7572827.

Popular posts from this blog

Tensegrity and Equilibrium: Understanding the Importance of Fascial Balance for a Healthy Body

Tensegrity and Equilibrium: Understanding the Importance of Fascial Balance for a Healthy Body Tweet Follow @AZSPerformance Maintaining balance is essential for good health, as it enables us to move through our daily activities with ease and grace. However, balance is not just about standing upright or walking steadily - it involves a complex interplay of forces and tensions that are distributed throughout the body. One concept that can help us understand this interplay is tensegrity, which refers to a structural principle in which a system of continuous tension and compression creates a stable and flexible framework. In the context of the human body, tensegrity explains how our bones, muscles, fascia, and other tissues work together to maintain our form and function. One key aspect of tensegrity is the role of fascial tension. Fascia is a network of conn...
Read more

Streptococcus thermophilus

  Streptococcus thermophilus also known as Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus is a gram-positive bacterium, and a fermentative facultative anaerobe, of the viridans group. It tests negative for cytochrome, oxidase, and catalase, and positive for alpha-hemolytic activity. It is non-motile and does not form endospores. S. thermophilus is fimbriated. It is also classified as a lactic acid bacterium. S. thermophilus is found in fermented milk products and is generally used in the production of yogurt, alongside Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. The two species are synergistic, and S. thermophilus probably provides L. d. bulgaricus with folic acid and formic acid, which it uses for purine synthesis. S. thermophilus has an optimal growth temperature range of 35–42 °C, while L. d. bulgaricus has an optimal range of 43–46 °C. At least 26 strains of S. thermophilus have been identified and had their genomes sequenced. Related Articles Effe...
Read more

Limosilactobacillus

  Limosilactobacillus is a thermophilic and heterofermentative genus of lactic acid bacteria created in 2020 by splitting from Lactobacillus. The name is derived from the Latin limosus "slimy", referring to the property of most strains in the genus to produce exopolysaccharides from sucrose. The genus currently includes 31 species or subspecies, most of these were isolated from the intestinal tract of humans or animals. Limosilactobacillus reuteri has been used as a model organism to evaluate the host-adaptation of lactobacilli to the human and animal intestine and for the recruitment of intestinal lactobacilli for food fermentations. Limosilactobacilli are heterofermentative and produce lactate, CO2, and acetate or ethanol from glucose; several limosilactobacilli, particularly strains of Lm. reuteri convert glycerol or 1,2-propanediol to 1,3 propanediol or propanol, respectively. Most strains do not grow in presence of oxygen, or in de Man, Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) mediu...
Read more