Buddhism Mini Encyclopedia Zen Buddhism

Author: Pan Guiming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Without writing lanterns, the record of a thousand years of tradition is passed down, with the sect of the outside teaching being inherited from generation to generation. Zen Buddhism is one of the many schools of Chinese Buddhism and is one of the most vibrant schools; to this day, it still represents the mainstream of Chinese Buddhism. The establishment of Zen Buddhism was set against the backdrop of the weakening of the aristocratic political economy and the frustration of traditional Buddhist thought. In the face of the crisis of traditional Buddhism, Zen Buddhism initiated a movement of ideological liberation within the Buddhist community. Under specific historical conditions and social environments, Zen Buddhism relied on its inherent production methods and the philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi, using the theory of the Tathagata's nature in the Mahayana scriptures, to promote the idea of the "original enlightenment" of mind and nature, emphasizing the self-awareness of the subjective spirit, breaking through various beliefs in external forces, and giving a powerful impact to the long-dormant Buddhist community. Zen Buddhism has a unique ideological system, distinct personality, and is not afraid of the conventions. In the historical process of the widespread spread of Zen Buddhism, its ideological doctrines were not only absorbed and transformed by scholars such as Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Shouren, forming the Xinxue system in Neo-Confucianism, but also had a profound and lasting influence on national culture. After the Tang Dynasty, its traces can be seen everywhere in poetry, prose, and painting. It is extremely difficult to make a comprehensive evaluation of the historical status of Zen Buddhism and its thought. This book provides a knowledge-based introduction to the basic views of Zen Buddhism and its thought, enabling ordinary readers to gain a certain level of understanding of Zen Buddhism after reading it.