Zen

Zen is the Japanese reading of Chinese Chan (禪), itself from Sanskrit dhyāna — meditation. The tradition emphasizes direct experience of mind through seated meditation (zazen), encounter dialogue, and everyday activity as practice.

Chan flourished in Tang and Song China and spread to Korea (Sŏn), Vietnam (Thiền), and Japan (Zen). Japanese schools such as Sōtō and Rinzai shaped much of how Zen is known in the West, though Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese lineages are equally vital. Hallmarks include silent illumination, kōan introspection, and a suspicion of mere intellectualism without embodied realization.

Western Zen includes large residential centers, small sitting groups, and hybrid sanghas. Related pages cover Sōtō, Rinzai, Ōbaku, Chan, Sŏn, Thiền, Sanbō Zen, and Dharma Drum.