Ch'an and Zen Buddhism

This is a bare-bones introduction to Zen Buddhism for those who don't know Zen from spinach. It includes a brief history of the school and the Zen definition of Zen.

There are truckloads of books about Zen, but many assume the reader already knows something about Zen, and unfortunately many other were written by people who don't know Zen. If you are a genuine beginner and don't know a zabuton from zucchini, here are some books for you.

A brief overview of the origin an use of koans in Zen Buddhism

The koan Mu is one of the most famous Zen koans. What is Mu?

The written work of Zen master Eihei Dogen has been collated, compiled and collected in several ways. This essay is a brief overview of the major collections.

There were women Zen masters from the earliest days of Zen in China. Here are five women from the early history of Zen

Chado, or Chanoyu, began as a Zen practice. Called in English the "tea ceremony," in fact is it not so much a ceremony involving tea as it is just this moment, fully experienced and appreciated.

Fusatu is one of the most beautiful ceremonies of Zen Buddhism. It is a ritual of atonement, purification, and renewal of vows.

"The mystery (and pain!) of our lives is that we are where we need to be, but we don't know it," Zen Teacher Norman Fischer writes in his book Sailing Home. How do we know it? In this interview, Fischer discusses the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and how they direct, or misdirect, our course.

This is about Zen and me (or should I say, not-me?). If you don't mind some rambling personal reflections, then welcome to my world. Kick off your shoes and take a seat.

Photo gallery of images of China's Shaolin Monastery and its martial arts monks. The 15-century-old monastery is the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and of its own style of kung fu. Today it's a center of martial arts training and a successful commercial enterprise. But is it still a monastery?

Bodhidharma founded Ch'an Buddhism in the 5th century.

Zazen is a particular kind of meditation, unique to Zen, although it is derived from the same ancient meditation practices of early Buddhism. Zazen is the very heart of Zen practice.

A brief introduction to the influence of Zen on painting and other arts of Japan, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.