Zen Buddhism Essay -- essays research papers

Chan and Zen BuddhismThroughout the early years in some(prenominal) East Asian countries, there were umteen volume who were spirit for answers to this valet de chambres, and otherworldly, questions. When Gotama became enlightened, and began preaching the practices of Buddhism, it came at such a time when the Han dynasty was collapsing, citizens were drop of Confucianism and looking for a sweet ideology that they could put there police van and souls into. Over the years, Buddhism proved to be much more than just a religion it became a way of life. But over time, the powerful orthodoxy trans realiseed, and numerous different Buddhist sects emerged. One of the more popular sects, Chan, or Zen, Buddhism, has pose champion of the near influential religions in China and japan, and is remedy flourishing today.In the year 220 AD, as the Han dynasty was collapsing, Confucianism, then the state ideology, began to lose its popularity. This, on with the demise of the Han order, se t up a situation in which the people of China were hungry for new ideas. There were also many dignitaries deep down the Chinese government that were looking to gain good political priming in order to ensure staying power. These factors all opened up the furnish for Buddhism to enter Chinese society and gain popularity with the Chinese culture. At first, Buddhism was contractable 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 add up of sutras were available in both north and south China, and the Chinese were scratch line to realize the immensity of Buddhist literature. Buddhism did not reach Japan, however, until October 13th, 538, from the Korean demesne of Paekche. At this point in time, there were two major schools of Buddhism in China. The first form to emerge was known as H inayana, or Theravada Buddhism. This in the main translated means, The Lesser Vehicle. Theravada Buddhism was mainly concerned with reaching individual enlightenment how one could rise above the cycle of samsara and reach nirvana. Mahayana Buddhism, or, The Great Vehicle, became the popular form practiced in most of China, Japan and Korea. The followers of Mahayana believed that the entire world could reach salvation, and that those who f... ... other religions. many another(prenominal) of the new centers atomic number 18 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 without our country and atomic number 63 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 hundred years are the hardest. This statement seems to be true so far, with modern Zens popularity growing and subsiding. There is an old Zen adage that of fers some of the new Zen teachers encouragement Though the bamboo forest is dense, Water flows through it freely. Many people believe that the water is beginning to make its way through the forest, opening peoples eyes and hearts to the reality of Zen.Japan and China have always remained very similar in most everything that is done within the countries. Borrowing from each other, the two countries have share 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.