NationMaster - Encyclopedia: CHAN

Chán is the Chinese name for the school of Mahāyāna Buddhism known in Japanese as Zen. Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ... Buddhism (also known as Buddha Dharma, Pali: à¤¬à¥à¤¦à¥à¤§ à¤§à¤®à¥à¤®, the teachings of the awakened one) is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a way of life, a practical philosophy, and a life-enhancing system of applied psychology. ... Zen is a form of Mahayana Buddhism that places great importance on moment-by-moment awareness and seeing deeply into the nature of things by direct experience. ...

Bodhidharma (c. 6th century CE) was the Buddhist monk traditionally credited as the founder of Chán (Zen) Buddhism in China. Very little contemporary biographical information on Bodhidharma is extant, and subsequent accounts became layered with legend, but most accounts agree that he was a South Indian monk who journeyed to southern China and subsequently relocated northwards. The accounts differ on the date of his arrival, with the earliest account claiming that he arrived during the Liú Sòng Dynasty (420–479) and later accounts dating his arrival to the Liáng Dynasty (502–557). The accounts are, however, generally agreed that he was primarily active in the lands of the Northern Wèi Dynasty (386–534). Bodhidharma was the Buddhist monk (usually Indian by most accounts) is credited as the founder of Chan/Zen Buddhism in 6th century China. ... Buddhism (also known as Buddha Dharma, Pali: à¤¬à¥à¤¦à¥à¤§ à¤§à¤®à¥à¤®, the teachings of the awakened one) is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a way of life, a practical philosophy, and a life-enhancing system of applied psychology. ... A Buddhist Monk in Sri Lanka In PÄli, a bhikkhu (male) or bhikkhuni (female) is a fully ordained Buddhist monk. ... ChÃ¡n is a major school of Chinese MahÄyÄna Buddhism. ... Zen is a form of Mahayana Buddhism that places great importance on moment-by-moment awareness and seeing deeply into the nature of things by direct experience. ... South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Pondicherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ... Alternative meaning: In geology, North China (continent) and South China (continent) were two ancient landmasses that correspond to modern northern and southern China. ... The Song Dynasty (宋朝, previous spelling Sung) (420-479) was first of the four Southern Dynasties in China, followed by the Qi Dynasty. ... Liang Dynasty (also: Leung in Cantonese,) æ¢æœ (502-557) was the third of Southern dynasties in China, followed by the Chen Dynasty. ... The Northern Wei Dynasty (北魏 386-534) is most noted for the unification of northern China in 440, it was also heavily involved in funding the arts and many antiques and art works from this period have survived. ...

Bodhidharma's arrival in China is dated to the Liu Song Dynasty (420–479) in the Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks (645) and to 527^[1] in the Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall (952). Other versions of his life-story exist. The Song Dynasty (宋朝, previous spelling Sung) (420-479) was first of the four Southern Dynasties in China, followed by the Qi Dynasty. ...

Over the centuries, Chan became increasingly adapted to the Chinese intellectual environment. From China it eventually spread to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam (and elsewhere), and emerged as a distinct East Asian school of Buddhism that is known for its reluctance to rely on written texts. East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ...

Chan is also known for its emphasis on meditation and everyday life ahead of philosophical and scriptural pursuits, although not to the point of abandoning serious study completely. The word Chán is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word Dhyana.^[2] A large statue in Bangalore depicting Shiva meditating The term Meditation describes a variety of practices with a variety of goals. ... Transliteration is the practice of transcribing a word or text written in one writing system into another writing system. ... The Sanskrit language ( , ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. ... DhyÄna is a term in Sanskrit which refers to a type or aspect of meditation. ...

History

Bodhidharma's arrival in China is variously dated to the Liu Song Dynasty (420–479) in the Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks (645) and to 527^[3] in the Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall (952). The Song Dynasty (宋朝, previous spelling Sung) (420-479) was first of the four Southern Dynasties in China, followed by the Qi Dynasty. ...

Bodhidharma ultimately settled in the kingdom of Wei where he took as disciples Daoyu and Huike. Northern Wei Buddha Maitreya, 443 AD. A Buddhist stela from the Northern Wei period, build in the early 6th century. ...

Bodhidharma is recorded as having come to China to teach a "special transmission outside scriptures" which "did not rely upon words". His insight was then transmitted through a series of Chinese patriarchs, the most famous of whom was the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng. Huineng (æ…§èƒ½, 638 - 713) was a Chinese Chan (Chinese Zen) monastic who is one of the most important figures in the entire tradition. ...

After the time of Hui Neng (circa 700 CE), Chan began to branch off into numerous different schools, each with their own special emphasis, but all of which kept the same basic focus on meditational practice, personal instruction and grounded personal experience. During the late Tang and the Song periods, the tradition truly flowered, as a wide number of eminent teachers, such as Mazu, Baizhang, Yunmen and Linji developed specialized teaching methods, which would become characteristic of each of the "five houses" of mature Chinese Chan. In the 12th century, particularly due to masters such as Dahui Zonggao, this crystalised as a technique unique to Chan Buddhism known as gong'an (koan) practice, a method where the practitioner inquires into a seemingly paradoxical recorded dialogue between teacher and student, by raising "The Great Doubt" to engender awakening. Later on this was further developed into the simpler Hua-tou technique, which often integrated insight practices into Pure Land Buddhist training, by having the practitioner inquire "who is reciting the Buddha's name?" // Events Saint Adamnan convinces 51 kings to adopt CÃ¡in AdomnÃ¡in defining the relationship between women and priests. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Matsu can refer to: Matsu, a goddess of sea. ... Baizhang Huaihai (Chinese: ç™¾ä¸ˆæ‡·æµ·; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Pai-chang Huai-hai; Japanese: Hyakujo Ekai) (720-814) was a Chinese Zen master during the Tang Dynasty. ... The Zen Master Ummon. ... Japanese painting of Linji Yixuan (Jap. ... A koan (pronounced ) is a story, dialog, question, or statement in the history and lore of Chan (Zen) Buddhism, generally containing aspects that are inaccessible to rational understanding, yet that may be accessible to intuition. ... The Buddha Amitabha, 13th century, Kamakura, Japan. ...

The teaching styles and words of these classical masters were recorded in such important Chan texts as the Biyan Lu; (Blue Cliff Record) and the Wumenguan; (Gateless Passage), recording classic teaching gong'an cases which would be studied by later generations of students down to the present. The Blue Cliff Record (Chinese: 《碧巖錄》 Bìyán Lù; Japanese: Hekiganroku) is a collection of Zen Buddhist koans originally compiled in China during the Song dynasty in 1125 (宋宣和七年) and then expanded into its present form by the Chan master Yuanwu... The Gateless Gate (無門關, Zh. ...

During the Tang dynasty, Chan Buddhism grew to become the largest sect in Chinese Buddhism and has over the years, and, despite its "transmission beyond the scriptures", produced the largest body of literature in Chinese history of any sect or tradition.

Chan continued to be influential as a religious force in China, although some energy was lost with the syncretist Neo-Confucian revival of Confucianism starting in the Song period. While traditionally distinct, Chan was taught alongside Pure Land Buddhism in many Chinese Buddhist monasteries. In time much of this distinction was lost, and many masters taught both Chan and Pure Land. Chan Buddhism enjoyed something of a revival in the Ming Dynasty under luminaries such as Hanshan Deqing (憨山德清), who wrote and taught extensively on both Chan and Pure Land Buddhism; Miyun Yuanwu (密雲圓悟), who came to be seen posthumously as the first patriarch of the Obaku Zen school; as well as Yunqi Zhuhong (雲棲株宏) and Ouyi Zhixu (藕溢智旭). Neo-Confucianism (理學 Pinyin: Lǐxué) is a term for a form of Confucianism that was primarily developed during the Song dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang dynasty. ... Confucian temple in Jiading district, Shanghai. ... ÅŒbaku (Japanese. ...

After further centuries of decline, Chan was revived again in the early 20th century by Hsu Yun, who stands out as the defining figure of 20th century Chinese Buddhism. Many well known Chan teachers today trace their lineage back to Hsu Yun, including Sheng-yen and Hsuan Hua, who have propagated Chan in the west where it has grown steadily through the 20th and 21st century. Hsu Yun in meditation Venerable Master Hsu Yun (Traditional Chinese: è™›é›²å¤§å¸«, Simplified Chinese: è™šäº‘, Pinyin: XÅ« YÃºn Da Shi, empty cloud) (1840-1959) was a renowned Chan master and one of the most influential Buddhist teachers of the 19th and 20th centuries. ... Venerable Master Sheng-yen (è–åš´æ³•å¸«) (1931-) is one of the more famous living teachers of Chan (Japanese: Zen) Buddhism. ... Venerable Master Hsuan Hua 1918-1995 Venerable Master Hsuan Hua (Traditional Chinese: å®£åŒ–ä¸Šäºº; Hanyu Pinyin: XuÄn HuÃ ShÃ ng RÃ©n; Vietnamese: HÃ²a ThÆ°á»£ng TuyÃªn HÃ³a) (April 16, 1918 â€“ June 7, 1995) was an important figure in Western Mahayana Buddhism. ...

It was severely repressed in China during the recent modern era with the appearance of the People's Republic, but has more recently been re-asserting itself on the mainland, and has a significant following in Taiwan and Hong Kong and among Overseas Chinese. PRC redirects here. ... Overseas Chinese are Chinese people who live outside China. ...

Disputes

Recent opinions concerning the Song Dynasty have questioned the common "Period in Decline" belief. This is due to the Historiography of the Song Dynasty. Many important texts that convey Tang Dynasty stories were written during the Song Dynasty. Because of this, most scholars study Chan through the lens of Song Dynasty understandings. The Song Dynasty also produced the most stable forms of Chan practice, which are still being used today.

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