Zen Buddhism and its philosophy

Zen Buddhism is the eastern teaching that teachesthe attainment of enlightenment. If we look more broadly at this direction, it is rather a way of life and is beyond the rational. The purpose of the practice is quite broad: it is a spiritual awakening, and the disclosure of the essence of the absolute, and the comprehension of oneself.

The first in the Zen line is the Buddha Shakyamuni. He is followed by Mahakashyapa, to whom the Buddha transmitted a special state of awakening, and this happened without the help of words (this was the basis of the Zen tradition of direct transmission of the doctrine "from heart to heart").

The beginning of this teaching was received in China in the fifthcentury AD. He was brought by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. Later, he became the first patriarch of the Ch'an in China. Badhidharma is the founder of the famous Shaolin monastery. Nowadays it is considered the cradle of Ch'an Buddhism (Chinese).

The followers of Bodhirharma were five patriarchs. Then the teaching was divided into a southern school and a northern one. South, in turn, divided into five schools of Zen (in our time there are two: Linji and Tsaodong.

Zen Buddhism reached Europe in the middle of the XIX century,but the first acquaintance of Westerners with the teachings took place in 1913, just then the book "The Religion of the Samurai" was published, but it was not popular. She was interested in a narrow circle of specialists. The philosophy of Zen Buddhism began to gain admiration after the publication of books by Suzuki DT, this served as an impetus for the growth of Zen's popularity. Watts was the first Western author who wrote about the teachings. His first book was called The Spirit of Zen. By the end of the 50-ies began to appear a lot of literature on this topic. They were both European and American Zen Buddhists who described their experience of immersion in meditation and comprehension of the truth. In these books, the European reader was told everything in an accessible language, clear terms were used. The practical and theoretical aspects of the teaching were described.

The transmission line in Zen must be continuous,form directly from teacher to student. This ensures the stability of the learning process. Teachers do not welcome written texts and discussions ("Truth can not be expressed in words").

It is known that practitioners are calm andbalanced people. Zen classes contribute to a better development of intellectual abilities. The basis of practice is meditation. It is noted that in the process of education, diseases are prevented, and health problems are also addressed. A student can easily overcome any stress. Consciousness becomes clear, the mind is deep and sharp. Attention concentration increases many times. Helps you quickly and confidently make decisions. Extrasensory abilities develop.

This is Zen Buddhism, a philosophy that is understandablemany in our day. Even in the most critical situations, teaching makes you feel liberated and self-confident. Practitioners can see beauty in the most insignificant things, perhaps that is why this doctrine finds more and more admirers.