History of Zen Buddhism: Paradox and Tension

Many people come in to Buddhist belief and practice through Zen, but not many people have an appreciation for its history. In this video we'll take a look at both its more and less legendary history, as well as the internal strains that led to the development of the two major schools of Zen.
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-----------------------------
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[@DougsDharma]

Check out my new free-mini course and other courses on early Buddhism, at onlinedharma.org/

[@justaguy6100]

I'm looking into this, and I've done this before. One of my personal bugaboo's in the "nonconceptual" learning. Holding up a flower, and having this one person "get it," then he transfers this "get it" moment forward, and so on. My issue, this is not really verifiable. Person one's "teaching" may not be person two's "understanding," just a assumption of what it might be. If it really is a learning at all, or just the adoption of a practice without true transfer of substantive awakening. I wonder if you've ever read Tom Robbin's "Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas." He has a few interesting, and I considered to be somewhat enlightening, takes on a koan or two, without being insulting btw. Now, I don't know if it's just clumsy nomenclature to try and translate into English words what the consideration of our "pre-enlightenment" state is, though it is pretty roundly maligned as ignorance. Maybe that's fair to say we're somehow ignorant of this one notion of Buddha nature, however it doesn't always come across that way. Thinking in conceptual terms has resulted in cures to disease and afflictions, along with many other advances to improve the human condition. Now, you can argue there are negative conditions that all this has contributed to, but we do live longer with less disease, and fewer people go hungry, than was experienced by generations past. It might not be this pinnacle of enlightenment that bears the fruit of peace, and perhaps a certain wisdom in some ways, but it's also not ignorance, really. In fact, I can argue that cosmology, astrophysics, and other studies, have revealed exceptional detail about all of nature that, fairly, no religious practice has ever revealed. We tend as humans to seek spiritual peace. A foundation that we're comfortable with for those unanswerable items that can perplex us. For some that includes simply eschewing spirituality altogether, but for me I've found at least much of the conceptual notions I've looked at in Buddhism is at least the most satisfying for someone that has no feeling for the existence of a "higher power" external to myself that has the ego to require a specific kind of obeisance in order to bestow blessings. I can appreciate the apparent egoless nature of Buddhism. Hence I will look deeper. But I may also continue to question, including questioning whether there's honestly a way to know if this transfer of teaching can even be verified as understood the same way by the teacher to the student. Assuming that matters, I guess. I tend to see claims...

[@chinyolo5664]

Q

[@cheyopimienta]

Rays of light all around A squirrel passes by Does not care about Doug

[@DougsDharma]

😄 In general the squirrels don't care much about me. 😄

[@bartfart3847]

Rays of light all around A squirrel passes by Does not care about Cheyo

[@enzeda]

It was a zen squirrel

[@animanoir]

yo noice

[@TheThirdThrice]

I have spent my whole life as a zen Buddhist without knowing it... I mean at least in my main thought processes and philosophy that is. Now realizing that there is a whole world of like-minded people I can wait to learn more. Thank you so much for your channel Doug, it has been so incredibly helpful.

[@DougsDharma]

That's great to hear Daniel. Fortunately if you are inspired by Zen teaching and practice there are many good places around the world where you can go and find sangha. 🙏

[@lll2282]

Zen is corrupted Sanskrit word dhyan which when went to China becomes Chan and Zen in Japan. It a meditative yoga practice of ancient Indian temples.

[@Nerukenshi1233]

@@lll2282 "corrupted" packs a negative connotation. "Zen" is not a revoicing of "Chan", though the practice is of the same lineage. Zen is the Japanese word for meditation itself. Conflating Buddhism and Yoga is oversimplification to say the least. There was interaction between the Buddha and his native India's Hindu belief systems, but calling Zazen Yoga is like calling English Kione Greek, or calling a cousin by the wrong name because his great great aunt has some similar features.

[@nowornever07]

@@lll2282 little knowledge is a dangerous thing😁😅

[@danielwaters6001]

Anagrams from my name spells it out Daniel Hazelton Waters All zen ET he own a TARDIS All zen DrWho set a net AI He notarize Dan's wallet She tantalize lore dawn Realized who lent Satan

[@mikekeyes6102]

The best summary of Zen I've ever come across - comprehensive and clear.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Mike! Yeah I was trying to make the kind of intro that I would have wanted but couldn’t find.

[@AbdullahMikalRodriguez]

Zen itself is anything but comprehensive and clear lol

[@gregorybrian]

I am Soto. I short circuit my mind by choice when I sit and allow myself to be aware of everything happening. And when I don’t sit. I see conflict and paradox. It educates me as I observe.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Gregory, yes that fits my experience with Zen meditation as well.

[@philipdubuque9596]

Your presentation was nicely done. As a Zen practitioner of 55 years my approach has been of the Rinzai variety. I've subscribed and look forward to seeing further expositions.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for your kind comment, I hope you enjoy the other videos as well!

[@lll2282]

Zen is corrupted Sanskrit word dhyan which when went to China becomes Chan and Zen in Japan. It a meditative yoga practice of ancient Indian temples.

[@user-ic4ce8xb5v]

@@lll2282 It is translated, not "corrupted." Chinese and Japanese have different phonology (sound system) from Sanskrit. Chan is an abbreviation of the word chan'na 禪那 which is just the Chinese pronunciation of sanskrit dhyana (pali jhana). The same sutras in the Pali canon were translated into Chinese and have been well preserved for thousands of years.

[@Lee-Van-Cle]

@@lll2282 The early Chinese translation from Sanskrit had been correct in the North, and was “corrupted” after transmission to the South, particularly area around Guangdong (aka Canton, with differently phonology) where the monumental Sixth Patriarch settled. Apparently, Japanese learnt from there and propagated as Zen to the world.

[@Lee-Van-Cle]

@@user-ic4ce8xb5v The early Chinese translation from Sanskrit had been correct in the North, and was “corrupted” after transmission to the South, particularly area around Guangdong (aka Canton, with differently phonology) where the monumental Sixth Patriarch settled. Apparently, Japanese learnt from there and propagated as Zen to the world.

[@martynsnan]

Thanks Doug. This was an excellent explanation of Zen inasmuch as it can be described. When the fifth patriarch asked the monks to submit a poem about their realization of their original nature (Buddha Nature), the main contender wrote about cleaning the mirror of the mind. Hui Neng, an uneducated kitchen worker, responded by writing that, since all is empty from the beginning, the mirror doesn't exist. He was chosen as the sixth patriarch, We can easily lose ourselves in the complexity of philosophy when the answers are a lot simpler than some of us realize. The Taoist approach of Wu Wei, effortless action, is like a river flowing around a rock without trying to force it out of the way. The rock eventually crumbles even though the water is softer than it. There was no specific time when I saw that my path moved through Tao into Zen. The awareness dawned gradually and felt more like realizing that I was at home. If I could pass on any understanding, it would be about letting go.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for your insights, Martyn's Nan. Yes, it is quite subtle and interesting isn't it. 🙂

[@martynsnan]

Thanks for your reply. You're right. This is in the Platform Sutra but I believe I first discovered it in a book of Zen quotations leading me to investigate further,. One translation gives the full account as follows. Shenxiu: The body is the bodhi tree, The mind is like a bright mirror’s stand. Be always diligent in rubbing it Do not let it attract any dust. Huineng: Bodhi is fundamentally without any tree; The bright mirror is also not a stand. Fundamentally there is not a single thing Where could any dust be attracted. McRae 2008

[@Obeijin]

" Be like water " Bruce Lee

[@Obeijin]

@Rock Python Maybe that's why "they " killed him ....

[@garcdonald]

John Mc Rae was a linguist and historian and followed DT Suzuki's rendition and a later ed. of the Platform Sura. You can read the earliest (Tun-huang ed.) in English by Yampolsky, Columbia Univ. press., which appears to be embellished in a number of interesting ways. Instead of `From the beginning, nothing exists,' the Tun-huang text has two different verses: 1. 'Original nature is originally clean and pure. Where is there room for dust?' 2. ' The mirror is originally clean and pure. Where can it be stained by dust.? (p.132) The problem is that `from the beginning not one thing exists' indicates the Lankavatara view of linguistic transcendence which Shen-hsiu's verse extols. What if the whole Platform Sutra is a Prajna-paramita response to the Yogacarins. Alohas and keep up the good work.@@martynsnan

[@TheUniversalAtheist]

I found your channel now😢 it's really great Namo Buddhay ☸️🙏

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks and welcome!

[@namename-kq8wt]

Super informative, Doug. Great to get these overviews of the various incarnations of Buddhism. You've such an engaging and accessible style of delivery - awesome work!

[@DougsDharma]

Very kind of you to say Jorri, thanks for watching! 🙏

[@TB-dw8gz]

Awakening in Zen in relationship to practice, in both Soto and Rinzai, is illustrated by the story of Chiyono, a servant at a nunnery who experienced enlightenment when the bottom fell out of a bucket of water she was drawing at a well. Without the repeated practice of drawing water that gradually wore out the bucket, there never would have been this "sudden" awakening when the bottom fell out.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes in that sense, "sudden" is really gradual. I did a video on that difference here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmHXemSQn858h5Y

[@idrissamorehouse5776]

Lovin the flow and spirit brother -keep up the great work -this truly helps make the world a better place

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Idrissa! I hope so. 🙏

[@NepalShaman]

Blessing from Nepal, Land of Himalayas and Birth Place of Gautam Buddha. (Lumbini).

[@romeliaisabelnaderbarcelo3395]

I'm super new to Buddhism and Zen Buddhism to be more specific and there's so much information which can sometimes be overwhelming because one can never know where to start but your channel has definatley been of so much help for me as a beginer and to kind of guide my way into this beautiful practice. Thank you so much Doug, i'm sending you love from Mexico.

[@DougsDharma]

So glad to hear it, thanks for your comment. Mexico is beautiful!

[@xijinping9024]

You should thank india from where zen Buddhism originated and culturally dominated over china and Japan 😂😂 Bodhidharma was the founder of zen Buddhism. He was a pallava king from South india

[@TinhHoaThanhTinhThien]

@@xijinping9024 👋

[@ElBrandenBrazil]

I absolutely love your channel, Doug! We have much in common, but your videos are so much better. Have a wonderful 2023! 🙏🏻

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks so much and have a great 2023 as well!

[@ElBrandenBrazil]

@@DougsDharma And to you, too!

[@kitmaclean5478]

I love this channel. Keep up the good work Doug! You are fulfilling your dharma and tending a great swath of the cosmic garden

[@DougsDharma]

I appreciate that Kit, thanks!

[@binkybunsssss]

Thank you for this, Sir Doug! 🌿💛 Great content!

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure Ann!

[@fredletel7276]

great video! summed up Zen really nicely. Thank you for this.

[@DougsDharma]

You’re very welcome Fred, thanks for the comment!

[@melodieland1451]

Excellent and enlightening video experience. Zen art, calligraphy and aesthetics are , indeed, incredibly beautiful. Definitely want to watch your video on that. I am so glad that I found your channel!

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Melodie, glad you found it useful! 🙏

[@wargriffin5]

"If you see the Buddha on the road, kill the Buddha." - Well, that escalated quickly.

[@DougsDharma]

😄

[@alkanista]

It just means if you come across a video on KZbin about the Buddha or Buddhism, you should disconnect from the internet.

[@vassilismentalist2377]

You, sir, are the king of comments! :D :D

[@zen_surfer]

《金剛經》云：「若以色見我．以音聲求我．是人行邪道．不能見如來」

[@zenink2654]

The instructions are clear. When you *think* you've become able to perceive the Buddha nature, strike down the thought, the perception, and the misconception will follow.

[@Octoberfurst]

Wonderful and informative video! I subscribed because I liked this video so much. Good job!

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks so much Octoberfurst. Glad you enjoyed. 🙏

[@xiaomaozen]

Thanks a lot for the video. The best Zen introduction I can imagine. 🙏🏻

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure xiao mao! 🙏🙂

[@suomisongsstirrup7590]

I have been writing a paper about non-conceptual awakening in Zen Buddhism for a religions class i’m in. This video had been very helpful and allowed me to gain an understanding of Zen Buddhism that has helped me in my research. Thank you so much for making such a clear and concise video about this deep and rich philosophical tradition.

[@DougsDharma]

Glad to hear it, SuomiSongs. Thanks for the news! 🙏

[@donjorgenson9906]

2:42 The chipmunk/squirrel came to say Hi! I hope you all are having a great day. Thanks for the nice video as well!

[@DougsDharma]

Ha! Yes thanks Don, that's a red squirrel, they like to come around and chat from time to time. 😄

[@nathancadot5168]

Again a great video. One of the things I love in buddhism is that with all the very differents school with their differents approachs, everybody can find something that will suit him. And finally, even though the doctrines are a little different the results are the same, a better life. Thank you for all your great teachings I like your particular point of view on buddhism. May you continue this channel a long time.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for your kind words Nathan. I'm glad you're finding the videos useful! 🙂

[@ConexionHumanaOficial]

Thanks a lot my wonderful teacher, this is my favorite class. I love ZEN. Lotus for you. Your explanation is marvelous. Evangelina Cortes.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, Zen is a beautiful practice Evangelina!

[@ChiisaiTenshii]

Thanks for the vid! I'm here for school, but I'm also personally very interested in zen buddhism and shintoism. This video was very clear and understandable about what can be a complex set of ideas.

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome ChiisaiTenshii! I'm glad you found it clear and useful. 🙏

[@seamushealy1535]

A single drop of rain Falling from the leaf of a tree Trickles down my neck And makes me smile On our way down to the sea. Seamuseen an filioct boct.

[@DougsDharma]

Excellent! 🙏

[@illsuive]

You da man Doug! Thanks for sharing the info and history! Cheers

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure!

[@JulioWandekoken]

Thanks! I love your videos! Much love from brazil!

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome JC, thanks for watching! 😀

[@sompong2482]

Excellent Doug very informative

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for the kind words Alfred. Glad you found it useful. 🙏

[@ProjectResident]

Thanks for enlightening me on that. After visiting Kamakura’s Zen Buddhist temple of Engakuji I started learning more about this subdivision of Buddhism.

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome, thanks for stopping by. 🙏

[@chericruz7937]

This is an excellent expository teaching on Zen,concepts that I couldn't understand before have been made crystal clear,tq so much Dr.Doug. Richard D CRUZ,Malaysia.

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure, Richard. 🙏

[@anthonysaracho1537]

After watching this video. I started getting into Zen. Thanks Doug. I am already a Buddhist but I think Zen would be for me.

[@DougsDharma]

Sounds good Anthony, each of us has to find our own way ahead with the dharma, so it's good that there are many different approaches available to us. Zen is one I have also found very appealing.

[@mnik8501]

I lived in Japan I my teen years, and knew a very prominent Zen Buddhist priest, he was so kind, he tried to teach me to meditate but I was such a religious Catholic, I was too scared to learn. I regret till now, at 67! I’m so glad to listen to you! Thank you!

[@carlcheng2185]

Thanks Doug for sharing.

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome Carl, thanks for the comment!

[@sonamtshering194]

I feel that through presenting the history of Zen, you have also revealed it's essence

[@DougsDharma]

🙏😊

[@rongxianglin3528]

Thank you Doug.

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure. 🙏

[@djmileski]

Thanks for this video. I was originally drawn to Zen through the appreciation of the paintings, poems and mostly the idea of direct perception/going beyond abstractions and seeing without distortion. But for me I eventually needed to pursue Buddha’s teaching as well such as seeing and not using unskillful thoughts. To me Zen is a magical idea but Buddha’s instruction brought the necessary practical instruction/application....

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, I also find the practical instruction of the early teachings to be very useful. Thanks DJ!

[@wenwyn105]

This is my third video of yours to watch. So informational! My knowledge of Buddhism is so fragmented, but you are really starting to connect the dots for me. I also bought the Pali Canon per your recommendation. Just what I needed. Thank-you!

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome Wendy, that's great to hear. I hope you find what you need!

[@Gammadian]

Thank you an impeccable job. A lot of accurate and concise information, well delivered. I really enjoyed it. Tantra to my idea came about by individual experimentation, which was rife around the time of the Buddha and grew from Shamanic practices. India was covered mostly in forest inhabited by wild animals, even when I first went there. Aesthetics faced fear by going into the jungle and experimenting and practicing, with diets, fasts, dance, singing, drumming, mantra, strange breathings and concentrations , meditations, herbs and power plants amongst many techniques. There is a world beyond the world seen with these physical eyes. It becomes available in trance. When the mind silences habitual thoughts, new realisations are offered or born in it. In trance we obtain information from the spirit world. This became systemised. The use of art, like mandala and power words taught by deities, were taught along with tasks to order the mind, visualise and create. We are fortunate to have the Tibetans who's country didn't lose a lot of its arcane knowledge [until the Red Army appeared] and are willing to teach it, providing you go within the Sanga. In India so much of this knowledge was lost to the Muslim invasion. Like the Catholic church who destroyed what could be known aswestern Tantra or arcane knowledge.

[@DougsDharma]

You’re very welcome Gammadian, glad you found it interesting and useful. 🙏🙂

[@victoramador5877]

You are a gifted teacher. Thank you.

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure! 🙏

[@arun.kahaduwaarachchi]

Ah! That's the talk very much inspirational to me . Zen is tha most easiest way to practice 🙏🏾 the Buddha Dharma. Thank you Sir❤

[@DougsDharma]

Wonderful!

[@mariaelisabettasesselego9607]

Doug thanks for your teachings

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure. 🙏

[@frankducett9]

Thanks again Doug.

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome Frank!

[@SamBellGuitar]

Doug, You're awesome! I'm new to the channel. The way you explain things is inspiring. I am very much drawn into Zen/Taoism myself, having always been fascinated by Buddhism since I was a teenager. Recently I've been making some changes in my own life which I've somehow ended up here! It's all new to me, your channel is really helpful, its helping me understand the background and concepts nicely. Thank You.

[@DougsDharma]

You’re very welcome Sam, glad you are finding the material useful! 🙏

[@frankducett9]

You do wonderful work.

[@DougsDharma]

Thank you so much Frank! 😀

[@jakkritphanomchit]

You're on fire in this one Doug

[@DougsDharma]

Glad you enjoyed! 😄

[@davidmehling4310]

Recently joined a local Zen temple which combines Soto and Rinzai. Have been watching their videos and listening to their podcasts

[@DougsDharma]

Great, glad to hear!

[@joshturner5165]

Thank you. I feel at ease.

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome Josh, glad to hear.

[@RecordableID]

Thank you for the summary :) 🙏

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure!

[@TimothyBeane2]

I've been looking into this because I had a friend who is a theistic Buddhist who told me more about Zen and I noticed that I share a lot of beliefs on enlightenment. I'm ready to see where this channel leads!

[@DougsDharma]

🙏😊

[@vercinahollis7916]

Hi. I just discovered a zen buddhist temple in my hometown of Detroit Michigan.... I am planning to make a visit there soon. Looking forward to my first visit. Once again thank you so much for your videos. They are very informative. Be well.

[@DougsDharma]

Oh, very nice news Vercina. I hope you enjoy it. 🙏

[@roycejohnson8189]

Try Detroit Zen Center in Hamtramck🙏🏽. Ask for Myung-ju.

[@mikemksuk8301]

Thank you for sharing.

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure, Mike!

[@prodiptoroy830]

I truly appreciate your videos on the Jhanas and formless realms which are difficult for me to imagine with respect to what is the being/mind who inhabits that realm. We study these in Abhidharma and Abhisamayalankara of Asanga-Maitreya and the translations into English aren’t very lucid. I’m sorry I can’t support your great work as I’m in India and don’t have foreign exchange payment possibilities right now. Just wanted to express my gratitude to you. Joya Roy, New Delhi

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for your comment, and no worries! 🙏😊

[@glachloser]

New fav channel

[@DougsDharma]

🙏😊

[@lucilovecraft1621]

Excellent and informative. I feel like a good groundwork has been laid for me to build on with your videos. The best.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Billy, very kind of you to say. I'm glad you found it useful. 🙏

[@shamsundarnimbhorkar7565]

Very good explanation I liked it very much.

[@DougsDharma]

Glad you found it useful Shamsundar. 🙏

[@sarahwoolley3897]

I love your channel. Lately I have been wanting to learn about the so called 28 patriarchs of Zen, and I appreciate your introduction to the lineage. I have also been wanting to learn more about the contributions of women in Buddhism and would greatly appreciate your perspective on this topic. Thank you!

[@DougsDharma]

You’re very welcome Sarah, thanks for watching! I will be coming out with a video about women in Buddhism soon, so keep an eye out for that.

[@trevorjones8737]

Hi Sarah check out the books “Transmission of the Lamp” and “Buddhism after Patriarchy” by Rita Gross

[@arjantenbroecke9477]

Thank you!!

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome Arjan. Thanks for watching. 🙏

[@radzo1675]

Impressive that you discovered Zen in grade school. My Triple Gem at that point was KISS, AC/DC and The Ramones.

[@sohamsanyal7624]

Very nice classification of origin stories...legendary to mundane....easily understandable analysis😁

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Soham, glad you found it useful. 🙏

[@johntaylor5512]

I find your talks to be very helpful and straight to the point without opinionated leanings. You are a good teacher. Thank you.

[@DougsDharma]

You’re very welcome John! Glad to be of service. 🙏

[@LOVEALLLOVEALLLOVEALL]

Thank you ❤❤❤

[@DougsDharma]

You're welcome! 😊

[@cwboytop]

This was REALLY good.

[@DougsDharma]

🙏😊

[@Nightmerica]

I very much enjoyed this video, and I very much enjoyed the one you did that was a brief look at the three schools of Buddhism. As time has gone by, of all the Buddhist literature I’ve read, I’ve found myself more and more sort of subconsciously creating a hybrid of secular Theravada (simplicity of early Buddhist message and practice) with Dogen’s direct experiential approach to tearing down concept and rationality without other Mahayanan elements. I’m not sure how I arrived at that point, I just sort of realized it one day. So…. I like Theravadan simplicity combined with Zen’s “let’s break it and see if you’re still standing” challenge in the Dogan style, if that makes sense.

[@DougsDharma]

Sure, that makes sense to me, I'm drawn to similar routes. What's most important is that you find a congenial approach that works for you, whether it's a mixture of other ideas or not.

[@zexfafa2794]

Same man

[@Lee-Van-Cle]

Thanks for the video. That is concise, and precisely brings out the subject. Even in Early Buddhism, the enlightenment is sudden, for instance, Sariputta’s realization of Dhamma. (Though the practice is gradual, but the end-result is unthinkable, which implies whatever occurring in one’s left brain is wrong.) The Buddha defined Dhamma (in D16 mirror of dhamma) as having the properties of “visible here and now, timeless,” and also “onward leading.” Zen master symbolized the last property as a finger pointing towards the moon. Disciples must not stick to the finger and takes it as the moon itself. Zen Buddhism might have more sameness in essence to Early Buddhism than people usually think.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, it depends on how one holds it.

[@FBelletati]

Hi, Doug! Great video, as always. Thank you for that!! I'd love to hear your opinion about Alan Watts. What do you think of his speeches??

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Flávia! I've actually never read or watched Alan Watts though I know he's spoken a lot about Zen.

[@jayrinsenweik3960]

Doug - I'm enjoying your efforts here, thank you for them. One small correction from the perspective of a fully transmitted Zen teacher and Abbot within the Soto and Harada/Yasutani Koan tradition - its not 'What is the sound of one hand clapping?" rather it is "What is the sound of the single hand?" This makes a difference in the Dokusan room where student and teacher meet to work with the Koan. Also, one further point, I don't look to my students to 'solve' the koan, rather its about 'responding' to them in a way that aligns with the awakened Dharma eye as passed down in the lineage. My transmitting teacher James Ford Roshi has a recent book titled 'Introduction to Zen Koans: Learning the language of Dragons" which along with the introduction to the text 'Zen Sand: The Book of Capping Phrases for Koan Practice" are worthy for anyone interested in the subject. Great videos, thank you for creating them!

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Jay! 🙏

[@madeswaranmaduraigreen9115]

Good I am implementing zen in my schools

[@danielsecara]

Thank you!

[@DougsDharma]

You’re very welcome, Daniel!

[@andregonzalez1496]

Thank you so much 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@DougsDharma]

You're most welcome Andre! 🙏

[@gregwallace552]

Another thing I thought of is that the concept of enlightenment seems to be different in Zen than it is in early Buddhism. The Buddha's enlightenment was the realization of the four noble truths whereas it seems to me that when they talk about enlightenment in Zen it's the realization that the self is identical with the self of the universe which is more like what is taught in Vedanta than what the Buddha actually taught. I wonder what he would have thought of that.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes there are significant differences in how the final goal is framed in different schools.

[@leebrockbank5813]

I see the shadow of the raised flower. Thank you x

[@DougsDharma]

You’re welcome Lee! 🙏

[@vesnalemm4974]

i am so greatfool to be able to andesten this, pleas do more of this vidios, the best of buidisam i heard

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Vesna, I'm glad you found it useful!

[@bobpickens1]

Thank you.

[@DougsDharma]

You're welcome Robert!

[@gregwallace552]

Maybe you've already done it but I think it would be interesting to have a video that compares different types of Buddhist meditation. Currently I practice with a Zen group and I do Zazen daily. But in the past I have practiced Vipassana, Anapanasati, Metta & Shamata. When I do Zazen my practice is informed by the other practices I have done, especially the first two. I'm not even sure that Shamata is a practice itself or just the result of practicing mindfulness though I have been told that both mindfulness of breath and Metta Bhavana are forms of Shamata. But the way I practice Zen meditation includes mindfulness of the breath but doesn't have the tight focus on the breath that I have had when practicing Anapanasati, so it's more of a broad awareness of feeling, perception, sensory experience, & mental formations (thoughts) as they come and go. I find that if I practice for long periods like an hour or so, sometimes even just a short thirty minute sit, it is almost like experiencing a jhana in that there can arise a kind of bliss and feeling of expanded consciousness. The bliss is more subtle than the bliss I have experienced during the few times that I have attained the first jhana but I actually prefer it because I don't experience the craving for it that became a problem for me when working with the jhanas.

[@DougsDharma]

Great, yes. I've done a number of videos comparing different sorts of meditation, but there's always room for more. I'll put it on the list! 🙏

[@pasqualegalante3349]

Hi Doug, I have studied zen, practiced with 4 plus Roshis, and studied Soto and Rinzai. I studied with Dharma master Hua, and I have a master's degree in religious studies with a great emphasis on Buddhist doctrine. I am sure the Kensho is the first or second fruit of Arhantship Stream entry and a once-returner and possibly beyond. I think some might be not real, but for the most part, I think the specialty of the zen school, especially the Korean, is the transmission of how to recognize the true view. Part of the problem is, of course, there is a cultural influence and the virtue level of the Buddha's own presentation in India is so much purer than the later transmissions. Finally the earliest Buddhist followers, at the time of the Buddha practiced purity and goodness together. I think as distance of time and location increased, plus the cultural differences added up to less complete transmission. I have not mentioned the 10 Bhumis or Pratyaka Budda or the three bodies of Buddha, but human nature is vast and each living being is unique. So I think the zen schools, In general, have transmitted the view of the Sanctification of the Buddha, but partially. That seems to be what the great masters have realized. I have studied extensively with Tibetan Buddhist masters and Trungpa Rinpoche, on his visit to Suzuki Roshi at the S.F . Zen Center, said to us that We must respect Suzuki Roshi's attainment of Arhantship, which is difficult with the practice resources he had. At the same meeting, Suzuki Roshi said, I do not understand him, but I respect him, Referring to Trungpa Rinpoche. This was during a presentation to our group, by both teachers, in the 1970s. Please, Let me know what you think.

[@DougsDharma]

I think that's all very interesting! Thanks Pasquale. 🙏

[@spiritFleshed]

Yeah, context counts. Many thanks.

[@helmsylvanian]

such a great video! i am learning much more on Mahayana Buddhism and Zen Buddhism. What my main problem is now is what i should approach, Mahayana or Zen? i recently started doing Zazen for the past day and it felt great and very tough to get used to. You are right, i am drawn onto the aesthetic of Zen, its history, and its influence with Taoism. But i am starting to question which i should follow, Mahayana Buddhism or Zen? more importantly, does it really matter? my family wont accept me for my journey onto Buddhism and Buddhist lifestyle, so i am practicing in secret and individually. so far, your videos helped me a lot with understanding Buddhism and i am grateful, thank you Doug!

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome Kono! To be clear, Zen is a version of Mahāyāna Buddhism. But Mahāyāna encompasses a lot of other schools as well.

[@DJSTOEK]

Good talk

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks DJ Stoek! 🙏

[@99desi9n]

Awakening is having a constant and present awareness in every moment, every action and every thought that may arise enabling us, through our unfettered original nature that is facilitated through practice, to experience every moment without prejudice that arises from influence and circumstance. It is simply seeing the world as it, free from distraction or opinion.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, this is one way to look at it, Anton. Thanks.

[@sidstovell2177]

Excellent, informative talk. In the late '70's I entered a famous Zen Center for an introductory teaching. While it was interesting, the rigidity turned me off. (Ah, the beginning of cherry-picking.) Vipassana awaited. Thank you, Doug, as always.

[@DougsDharma]

Very welcome Sid!

[@livewellbasics]

Thank you for such an insightful video! I first got into Zen Buddhism from thich nhat hanh but then got into the depths with Alan Watts’ book. I am still trying to reconcile the Buddhist precepts with Dao’s wu-wei wu-wai and general immoral stance. I would love to hear your take!

[@DougsDharma]

Yes that would take a bit of research! I agree there are some parallels, and perhaps borrowings.

[@Snggaikwd]

I want to learn every thing about buddhism 🌍🙌😍

[@DougsDharma]

🙏😊

[@yoursubconscious]

the craving part really hit me. I know better, yet still expect. anyway, thanks for the reminder.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes craving is so important ...!

[@c.7959]

A thoroughly fascinating talk Doug... Many thanks! I am a soto guy although before finding a sangha I spent my first 2 years considering myself a Rinzai guy, basing my practice on books and the Internet. So I'm kinda not 'against' either school. You hit the nail on the head for me near the end of your talk when you said if you are not I to rebirth, for example, it makes no difference. You can still go along and practice. This openness along with the sentiment of The Buddha's last words was one of the 2 things that initially attracted me to zen. It was so at odds to other religions where belief /faith was a must. Also I became very aware of the operation of 'karma' in my own life. 15 years on I understand teachings that seemed gobbledegook early days. But just that permission to only take on board things that one could prove to oneself was the open door I needed to... stick at it. I was going to ask a question from something you said way back at the beginning. But you talk so fast 😁 I would have lost the place. I'm glad I just watched. Thank you again. Stuart

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome Stuart, sorry I talked too fast. If you remember what it was that interested you, let me know! 😄

[@c.7959]

@@DougsDharma I will sir... And again thanks!

[@davidorth5326]

Thank you for a great video! I started exploring Daoist philosophy a couple of years ago, which has lead me to further explore Zen Buddhism. Your video provided a lot of great context to help a beginner, like me, to understand nuances with which I've been struggling. I've been trying to locate a places in my region that teach Zen Buddhism in order to start my further learning, but i wasn't sure if they fit me. Your video helped me to immediately understand some of the differences in the organizations that I've found. I do have a couple of lingering questions though. Are teachings of the Soto and Rinzai sects fairly compartmentalized from one another? Do the teachings of the respective sects overlap enough where a Soto student can have fellowship with a Rinzai student? I realize it may be a strange question since meditation is central to both. The closest analogy that I can think of is the contentiousness between Christian denominations; is that a thing in Zen Buddhism?

[@DougsDharma]

Hi David and thanks for the question. Unfortunately it’s not one I can answer easily. I imagine it will differ from center to center, how much overlap you might find. That said I doubt you would for example get Kōan training in a Sōtō center. I haven’t heard of real contentiousness between US Zen centers, though I would also imagine each one feels it has the true interpretation of the practice. Generalities won’t help you though. I’m afraid the only way forward is to go to your local centers and feel them out. Ask questions, and see how you relate to the people who practice there. I hope you find one to your liking! 🙏

[@Nikobert]

Thank you for the great explanation! Could you recommend any video on the differences between Daoism and Buddhism, or even make a video of your own eventually?

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Niklas! It's something that I've had on my list for awhile but will require some further research, since I'm not an expert on Daoism.

[@Randafari]

@@DougsDharma Yes! I would love to listen to your teachings on Taoism. It would also be interesting if you could compare and contrast early Buddhism or Secular Buddhism with Taoism. Thanks for your videos!

[@macdougdoug]

The "heroic effort" (of doubt due to Koan practise) is only useful in as much as it leads to surrender - which hopefully means a breakdown in the separation between subject and object (or observer and observed)

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for that Douglas!

[@SharkMinnow]

I am currently in Luoyang, China. I went to the white Horse temple yesterday and Shaolin temple. If you're into Chan/Zen Buddhism, you should go there...

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for the suggestion Panada Bear!

[@dratiniegg5492]

Thank you for yet another thought-provoking talk. This helped me gain a better understanding of the Zen schools. Do you have any videos about Pure Land Buddhism?

[@DougsDharma]

Not yet, though I may do one eventually.

[@dratiniegg5492]

I will definitely keep my eyes open, in case then! I appreciate you taking the time to reply. Keep up the great work! So glad for your channel.

[@ConexionHumanaOficial]

My gratitud to you my great teacher, your wisdom have helped me a lot. Today I have recived information about you are in Patreon, as soon as possible I'l be there too. Lots of hugs. Evangelina Cortes.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for your interest Evangelina. I’m glad you’re receiving benefit from the teachings. 🙏

[@MrZenGuitarist]

Thanks again for yet another great explanatory video. I also 'kind of' started out with Zen...but, quickly shifted focus to Theravada since I also found it to be too confusing. I still have tried to get a grip of Zen, even after switching to Theravada...but to no avail! I don't want to offend anyone - but I must admit that I have come to the conclusion that all the schools that crossed into China as well as all the ones that grew out and migrated from there more or less have been crossfertilized with other native religions/philosophies, such as for ex. Confucianism and Daoism. So much so that it to me at least have become too 'foreign' to be able to grasp. Also, I guess it doesn't really agree with my temperament - such as for ex.: I have always struggled with a rather 'crippling' tendency towards perfectionism. And particularly Zen, even though the Zen gardens and temples are very beautiful and seems like very serene places - as far as I've been able to gather at least, the practices within those temples seem to be very stylized and perfectionist. Which I believe is something that I need to 'fight against' rather than embrace - despite, or perhaps rather because it would agree too much with my ingrained personality. Either way, great and informative video - as always! And, even though Zen practice might not be for me, at least not for now - I want to thank you for the tip on the books on Zen. (since I still like to read about both the history and development of Buddhism...and who know - maybe someday I'll be able to better understand the tradition...you never know! ;-) )

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Matt, yes I think it's good to know the history and context whether or not we find the particular practice to our liking.

[@livewellbasics]

Perfectionism and such-as-ness is two sides of the same coin - abandoning duality may be your awakening 😉 But also Alan Watts’ essays speak on this topic. To achieve Zen’s accidental perfection paradoxically requires years of training and expertise.

[@hhschrader8067]

Very lucid and educative video. I think I will listen to it a second and a third time and maybe even more often. Of course it's completely conceptual. It is, as far as Zen is concerned, non-Zen. Isn't this already an indirect explanation "why so many words are spilled about Zen"? I practice the non-conceptual Soto. When I am asked: "What actually is Zen?" I usually reply "It is a physical exercise where you sit and breathe." A religion or philosophy or worldview should, in my opinion, be as accessible as possible to everyone. What is more simple than just sitting? "Just sitting and breathing" has in itself the appearance of a koan. Because it is a very hard thing to do. For a "starter" it comes down to a riddle and you do not find an answer easily. You are told to "just" do something you certainly cannot do. It takes a lot of effort and discipline and strong will to advance with this simple effortless thing - which is among other things a "contradiction" (which it actually is not). This "koan" - I think I may compare it to a koan - is incorporated into our lives the moment we start meditating. I find it more attractive than an "artificial question" without a solution. Though in the end there is no real difference between the two paths. I do not see it.

[@Zombie_Hunters_Ink]

Love.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks J Sybo!

[@himaldew]

Apa Dipa vhaba!!অপ দ্বীপ ভব। be your own light!

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, be your own island or light, let the dharma be your island or light.

[@bobg.7976]

Thanks for the interesting tal, Doug. I love the aesthetics of Zen as well - more than I’m drawn to many of the doctrines. Monday night I heard a noted Buddhist teacher here in the Bay Area say that when he studied Rinzai in Japan he was much more drawn to the Roshi - his incredible presence and manner - than any of the koans that were proffered. Koans were just ok, but to spend any time with the roshi you had to work them. But my question has to do with Taoism. I’ve heard it said the Chan schools were the result of Indian Buddhism meeting the indigenous Chinese Taoism and its mystical practices. Do you know much about that? Thanks.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Bob. As for Taoism, I've heard the same thing informally but haven't been able as yet to pin down any good scholarly material on it. I have a book on Buddhism and Taoism that's on my reading pile, which I'll get to eventually. Meanwhile all the material I've found seems to indicate that Ch'an essentially developed from Buddhism but may have used its similarities to Taoism to become successful in entering China. I'm less certain on the mystical practices however.

[@trevorjones8737]

Doug's Dharma info regarding this can be found in The Encyclopedic History of the Religious Quest: Buddhist Spirituality Vol 2.

[@Socrates...]

conscious awakening like the instantaneous unblocking of a water clogged ear to noise

[@susantaylor2937]

Really well done video, you are a wise and educated man. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. It seems very un-Zen like to have to choose between two paths to find awakening, which should simply be a pathless path through a gateless gate. But maybe that’s just me. ;)

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure!

[@kisahnalahnpoveda9068]

Thanks for the lesson Doug, greetings from Texas and the Miskito Tawira native american tribe

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Allen, great to have you here! 🙏

[@libertyjosh804]

I practice both Zen Style from Zen Master Dogen and I also follow Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for the note Liberty Josh. 🙏