Expert: Justin Choo - 1/3/2006

Question
Hi, i'm interested in Zen Buddhism, I read somewhere that zen does not use as much of what Buddha said, as in other traditions, is this so?
Also, are Zen beliefs the same as all buddhism, as in the cycle of Rebirth, and Samsara etc.
Thanks
Steve

Answer
Hi Steve,

Thank you for asking me.

The introduction below is from http://www.ibiblio.org/zen/faq.html
Which I quote:
  "What is Zen? (the simple question)
Zen is short for Zen Buddhism. It is sometimes called a religion and sometimes called a philosophy. Choose whichever term you prefer; it simply doesn't matter.
Historically, Zen Buddhism originates in the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Around 500 B.C. he was a prince in what is now India. At the age of 29, deeply troubled by the suffering he saw around him, he renounced his privileged life to seek understanding. After 6 years of struggling as an ascetic he finally achieved Enlightenment at age 35. After this he was known as the Buddha (meaning roughly "one who is awake"). In a nutshell, he realized that everything is subject to change and that suffering and discontentment are the result of attachment to circumstances and things which, by their nature, are impermanent. By ridding oneself of these attachments, including attachment to the false notion of self or "I", one can be free of suffering.

The teachings of the Buddha have, to this day, been passed down from teacher to student. Around 475 A.D. one of these teachers, Bodhidharma, traveled from India to China and introduced the teachings of the Buddha there. In China Buddhism mingled with Taoism. The result of this mingling was the Ch'an School of Buddhism. Around 1200 A.D. Ch'an Buddhism spread from China to Japan where it is called (at least in translation) Zen Buddhism.

What is Zen? (the real question)
This question basically asks "What is the essence of Zen?". It appears in various guises throughout Zen literature, from "What is the meaning of Bodhidharma's coming from the West?" to "Have you eaten yet?". The question cuts right to the heart of the matter and can only be answered by you. Perhaps the best answer is "practice".
Why do people post such nonsense to this group?
One of the central points of Zen is intuitive understanding. As a result, words and sentences have no fixed meaning, and logic is often irrelevant. Words have meaning only in relation to who is using them, who they are talking to, and what situation they are used in. Some postings are indeed nonsense; other postings appear to be nonsense at first but this is because the meaning is all between the lines. Zen and poetry have gone hand in hand for centuries. "  UNQUOTE

The important thing to note here is the historical perspective, that is, where did Zen come from?  It originated from the same source for all Buddhist traditions,  from the teachings of the historical Buddha.  Fundamental doctrines are the same.  It is about the universal truth of suffering and how to escape from this cycle of births and deaths.  The different traditions have incorporated local cultures and rites and rituals into the practice of Buddhism.  What we see most of the time of Buddhism is actually the outward renditions of different rites and rituals in the name of Buddhism, thus creating confusion, misunderstanding, and even embarrassment and ridicule.

This is to answer your follow-up question:
Please refer http://www.buddhanet.net where you may locate the nearest zen centre.

Smile from justinchoo :-)