The Evolution and Practice of Zen Buddhism

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the history of Zen Buddhism and Buddhism, in general. Starts with the beginning of Buddhism in India and shows how it moves to China and why and how it was altered by the Chinese to fit with their other schools of thought.

From the Paper:

"Through the ages, virtually all major world religions have split into sects that profess slightly different beliefs than the founding religion. This split is seen in religions from Christianity to Islam to Buddhism. Buddhism has evolved into several different forms since its advent over 2500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama. These different Buddhist sects reflect the traditions and cultures of the civilizations that each particular type of Buddhism flourishes in.1 Zen Buddhism is a Buddhist sect dating from around 1000 CE that comes out of the Mahayana or Greater Vehicle Buddhist tradition. Zen Buddhism has many of the same aspects that traditional Buddhism contains but Zen Buddhism concentrates more on meditation, self-realization, and self-discipline than traditional Buddhism.2 This difference in focus can be traced to the Chinese roots of the religion in the roots of Taoism and Confucianism.3"

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