Buddhism Mini Encyclopedia (Zen Buddhism)

Author: Pan Guiming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Without writing, the lamp records the thousand years of tradition, 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. 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 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 religious community. Under specific historical conditions and social environments, Zen Buddhism relied on its inherent production methods and the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi, using the theory of the Buddha-nature of Tathagata from the Mahayana scriptures, to promote 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 long-dormant religious community. Zen Buddhism has a unique ideological system, distinct personality, and is not afraid of the conventions. In the historical process of its widespread dissemination, 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 impact 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 viewpoints of Zen Buddhism and its thought, enabling ordinary readers to gain a certain level of understanding of Zen Buddhism after reading it.