Zen

Zen is the Japanese rendering of the Sanskrit word dhyàna meaning ‘meditation’ and is the name of a sectarian movement in Japanese Buddhism which emphasises meditation.

Zen was introduced into Japan from China in the 12th century and went on to have a profound influence on Japanese life, particularly the arts. The spontaneous, unconventional and sometimes clownish behaviour that became a hallmark of Zen practitioners was probably a healthy reaction against the stiff formality of Japanese monastic culture. The Rinzai sect of Zen uses riddles called koans to cut through the conceptual thought that blocks enlightenment while the Soto sect emphasises the practice of mindfulness meditation, or what it calls shickantaza, ‘just sitting.’ Since the 1950's Zen has become very popular in the West, particularly in America.

References

History of Zen Buddhism, H. Dumoulin, 1963.