Zen Buddhism Essay -- essays research papers

Chan and Zen BuddhismThroughout the previous(predicate) years in galore(postnominal) East Asian countries, there were many people who were looking for answers to this worlds, and otherworldly, questions. When Gotama became enlightened, and began p eliminateing the practices of Buddhism, it came at such a time when the Han dynasty was collapsing, citizens were tired of Confucianism and looking for a new ideology that they could endow there paddy wagon and souls into. Over the years, Buddhism proved to be untold to a greater extent than just a religion it became a way of life. But all over time, the powerful orthodoxy transformed, and many different Buddhist sects emerged. One of the more democratic sects, Chan, or Zen, Buddhism, has become one of the most influential religions in mainland China and Japan, and is still flourishing today.In the year 220 AD, as the Han dynasty was collapsing, Confucianism, then the demesne ideology, began to lose its popularity. This, along with the demise of the Han order, set up a web site in which the people of China were hungry for new ideas. There were as well many dignitaries within the Chinese government that were looking to gain well behaved political footing in order to ensure staying power. These factors all unresolved up the gate for Buddhism to enter Chinese society and gain popularity with the Chinese culture. At first, Buddhism was transmitted to the different East Asian countries via the Silk Road, but as its domination grew, many people began to interpret their own meaning of the Buddhist doctrines that had been translated from Indian to Chinese. By the fourth century AD a much greater number of sutras were available in both north and second China, and the Chinese were beginning to realize the immensity of Buddhist literature. Buddhism did not reach Japan, however, until October 13th, 538, from the Korean kingdom of Paekche. At this point in time, there were ii major schools of Buddhism in China. The first form to emerge was known as Hinayana, or Theravada Buddhism. This loosely translated means, The Lesser Vehicle. Theravada Buddhism was mainly concerned with reaching psyche enlightenment how one could rise above the cycle of samsara and reach nirvana. Mahayana Buddhism, or, The bulky Vehicle, became the popular form practiced in most of China, Japan and Korea. The following of Mahayana believed that the entire world could reach salvation, and that those who f... ... other religions. Many of the new centers be combinations of Soto and Rinzai from Japan, Chan from China, and Son from Korea. It is still too soon to tell if these new factions end-to-end our country and Europe will be as much of a success as those of the Eastern Asian countries proved to be as one Japanese Zen master recently stated, The first blow years are the hardest. This statement seems to be true so far, with new(a) Zens popularity growing and subsiding. There is an old Zen saying that offers some of the new Zen teachers encouragement Though the bamboo forest is dense, water system flows through it freely. Many people believe that the water is beginning to lease its way through the forest, opening peoples eyes and hearts to the reality of Zen.Japan and China have always abideed in truth similar in most everything that is done within the countries. Borrowing from each other, the twain countries have shared quite a lot in common. So it comes as no surprise to learn that Chan and Zen Buddhism are very similar. While many people were not sure if these two factions of Buddhism would remain strong in both countries, followers of the two religions have proved the skeptics wrong.