page_title: Zen
section_title: Doctrine
hierarchical_section_title: Zen / Doctrine
caption_attribution_description: English: A Dharma talk by Daehaeng Kun Sunim at the Jinju, South Korea, Hanmaum Seon Center
context_page_description: Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, there known as the Chan School, and later developed into various schools. The Chan School was strongly influenced by Taoist philosophy, especially Neo-Daoist thought, and developed as a distinct school of Chinese Buddhism. From China, Chán spread south to Vietnam and became Vietnamese Thiền, northeast to Korea to become Seon Buddhism, and east to Japan, becoming Japanese Zen.
  The term Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese word 禪, an abbreviation of 禪那, which is a Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit word of dhyāna. Zen emphasizes rigorous self-restraint, meditation-practice, insight into the nature of mind and nature of things, and the personal expression of this insight in daily life, especially for the benefit of others. As such, it de-emphasizes mere knowledge of sutras and doctrine and favors direct understanding through spiritual practice and interaction with an accomplished teacher or Master.
context_section_description: Zen teachings can be likened to "the finger pointing at the moon". Zen teachings point to the moon, awakening, "a realization of the unimpeded interpenetration of the dharmadhatu". But the Zen-tradition also warns against taking its teachings, the pointing finger, to be this insight itself.
caption: A Dharma talk by Seon nun Daehaeng Kun Sunim, Hanmaum Seon Center, South Korea
exif: {"Image Software": "Picasa", "Image DateTime": "2014:05:04 14:46:16", "Image Artist": "Picasa", "Image ExifOffset": "96", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "364", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "9052", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2013:12:27 09:55:51", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1024", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "758", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "Interoperability RelatedImageWidth": "1024", "Interoperability RelatedImageLength": "758", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "228", "EXIF ImageUniqueID": "533fc9d63c06e4a338c67b570026f5e9"}