Buddhism Mini Encyclopedia -- Chan School

Author: Pan Guiming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Without relying on written texts, it records the transmission of millennia, with the secret transmission of the sect passed down through generations. Zen Buddhism is one of the many schools of Chinese Buddhism and is one of the most vibrant ones; to this day, it still represents the mainstream of Chinese Buddhism. The establishment of Zen Buddhism occurred against the backdrop of the decline of aristocratic political and economic power and the frustration of traditional Buddhist thought. In the face of the crisis of traditional Buddhism, Zen Buddhism initiated a movement for ideological liberation within the Buddhist community. Under specific historical conditions and social environments, Zen Buddhism relied on its inherent production methods and the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi, drawing on the Mahayana Buddhist theory of the Buddha-nature of Tathagata, advocating the idea of "original enlightenment" of mind and nature, emphasizing the self-awareness of the subject, breaking free from various external force beliefs, and delivering a powerful blow to the stagnant Buddhist community. Zen Buddhism possesses a unique ideological system, distinct in character, and unafraid of convention. During its widespread historical dissemination, its philosophical teachings 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 impact on national culture. Its traces can be seen everywhere in poetry, prose, and painting art after the Tang Dynasty. 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.