Zen Buddhism - The Land of the Disappearing Buddha Essay

Zen Buddhism - The Land of the Disappearing Buddha - Essay Example As such, this school of Buddhism favors ones direct comprehension through Zazen and the interaction of a believer with an accomplished teacher or spiritual guide. Some of the basic teachings of Zen include various sources of Mahayana thoughts, more so, the Yogyakarta, Huayan, and the Tathagatgarbha alongside an emphasis on issues such as totality, the Buddha-nature, and the Bodhisattva-ideal. Other influential elements in Zen Buddhism are the Madhyamika and the Prajnaparamita. Zen began to develop as a distinct school of Buddhism through the teachings of an Indian Sage, Bodhidharma, who taught at the Shaolin Monastery of China. Due to his efforts in popularizing the school of Buddhism, Bodhidharma is often referred to as the First Patriarch of Zen amongst many believers. Zen Buddhism is also subdivided further into three main sub-schools namely, Rinzai, Soto, and Sanbo Kyodan. Zen Buddhism is different form other traditional forms of the religion. However, the differences exist more in the form rather than the essence of each school of Buddhism. One of the most popular forms of traditional Buddhism in East Japan is Theravada. This type of Buddhism is founded on the initial principles of the religion that Buddha himself practiced. These include careful mediation while observing the rules of conduct, studying the canon of Buddhist scripture, the Vinaya, revering Buddha, and understanding the Sultras as well as its commentaries. For the adherents of this school of Buddhism, the religion is almost a monastic practice of the teachings of Buddha. Zen Buddhism is different from other schools such as the Theravada school because it does on play greater emphasis on scriptures and the Sultras. In fact, Zen Buddhists teach that the school is an intellectual practice that anyone can learn and practices as opposed to being a religion for the selected individual believ ers. In as much as Buddhism began in China, its movement across the continent into other co8ntries and