I need to repeat that Zen refuses to be explained, but that it is to be lived (Suzuki 1949, p. 310).
Limitations of Explanation
Keeping the limitations of explanation and the value placed on the primacy of experience in mind, the following will provide an outline sketch of Zen Buddhism. Zen is the Japanese translation of the Sanskrit term, dhyana, which means concentration meditation or meditative absorption. However, this linguistic definition is not completely accurate. Dhyana is typically associated with meditation on a specific object, sound, or image and implies a transcendent state. Zazen, the basic generic term for Zen meditation, functions differently depending on the specific sect and understanding of religious realization. For instance, shikantaza(just sitting, nothing but sitting) serves as the central practice of the Soto Zen lineage founded by Eihei Dogen during the thirteenth century in Japan based on teachings that he received in China. This practice is an...
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Cooper, P.C. (2020). Zen. In: Leeming, D.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24348-7_760
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