Meditation is the core practice of Zen and teachers are notorious for irreverent, unpredictable, and unorthodox methods of teaching. For example, in one temple, the bell would ring after meditation and all the practitioners who had been in seated meditation for a long period of time would have to get up, legs still asleep, and run down the hall to the Zen master's chamber. Only those who showed up first would get an interview for that day. The novices stumbled over each other in this mad procession to get to the teacher.

Zen is the transliteration of the Chinese Chan, which itself is an abbreviation of chan-na, the transliteration of the Sanskrit dhyanas (meditation). Zen has had a large influence on Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and now the West, especially the United States, which is now the most vital center of Zen practice in the world. Zen emphasizes enlightened masters over scriptures, and is the least academic of all the Buddhist schools.

According to Professor Mark Blum, Zen is comprised of four principles:

• Transmission outside the orthodox Buddhist teachers through its lineages

• A belief that truth is not dependent upon established doctrine and a belief in the value of experience over the value of scripture

• A direct pointing to the mind

• An emphasis on examining one's original nature and the attainment of enlightenment

The Buddha's disciple Kashayapa (or Mahakashyapa) was the forebear of Zen. It was he alone who understood the Buddha's teaching when he held up a flower and smiled. Seeing that flower occasioned Kashyapa's enlightenment and reflects the emphasis in Zen that transmission does not require language. Kashyapa was the first of twenty-eight Indian patriarchs, culminating in Bodhidharma, who went to China around 520 C.E. where he became the first Chinese Patriarch of Chan. Sudden enlightenment, like that of a peasant who heard the Diamond Sutra, led to the Southern school, versus the gradual enlightenment through long practice that led to the Northern school. These historical schools correspond to Rinzai and Soto Zen, respectively. From China, Chan went to Vietnam in 580 C.E. and to Japan and Korea around the twelfth century. In Japan, the monk Eisai founded the Rinzai School and Dogen founded the Soto School. Eisai's monastery, Kenninji, is still active today.

Rinzai

Rinzai emphasizes sudden enlightenment that is predicated on the fact that everyone already has buddha-nature. The right context will bring this sudden realization of what is already there. This sudden burst of insight is called kensho. Koan practice is integral to the pursuit of sudden awakening (and so, too, might be the rationale for having the monks race to get an interview with the Master). The Rinzai schools bristles against slow and silent illumination found in shikintaza (“just sitting”). While the schools disagree, both value meditation. In Rinzai, you meditate not to attain wisdom but as an expression of wisdom. Wisdom is not confined to the cushion, and awakening can be found in the most mundane experiences of everyday life. Historically, Rinzai was practiced in urban centers by the elite shoguns and samurais, while Soto was more of a rural practice. As military culture declined in the nineteenth century, so did Rinzai.

Rinzai zazen practice employs the waking stick. If you slump during meditation or fall asleep, an attendant will strike you across your trapezius muscles with a wooden stick. The blow is designed not to harm but to wake you up to the task at hand: meditation. You can also request a blow if you feel your energy is flagging. Performed correctly, the blow will not injure.

Koans

Koans are designed to short circuit the rational mind and provide the basis for a sudden spiritual awakening. The most famous of these inscrutable puzzles is, “What is the sound of one hand clapping.” As one Zen master said, “It is the place where truth is.” Koans are an important part of Rinzai practice. Rinzai also emphasizes meetings with the Master (dokusan) more so than Soto schools, as these meetings (whether one runs or not) can also facilitate kensho. Students are normally assigned a koan in dokusan. As a Zen student you would try to answer the koan when you meet with the teacher. Answers are usually not verbal, but can be. They are not “yes/no,” “this/that” answers. When you know the answer, you will know how to convey the answer to the teacher, and the teacher will recognize that the koan has been passed by the way you are in the interview. During your meditation practice you will reach a stage known as samadhi. Samadhi is a deep and focused meditation wherein concentration is effortless and complete absorption has been attained. Koan practice is done in the samadhi state.

Are You Worthy?

The life of a Zen monk in Japan is arduous with rigorous periods of meditation, work practice, and exposure to the elements. It's not for the faint of heart, for those not serious about the practice, or not prepared for the rigors that await you. If you show up at the gates of a Zen temple in Japan you may have to wait two days to get into the temple. This is the first test. If you pass this test, you may then sit alone in small room for three to five days. Having passed this test you will then be admitted into the Zendo with the rest of the monks, and after a few days more of practice you will then meet the Zen master. Better pack a lunch before you go!