chan vs zen

[Anonymous]

good day,

it seems to me i read or heard bruce mentioned in one of his publications that when chan was brought to japan as zen, it became more martial
can anyone tell me where i might have come across this

cheers

daniel

[Anonymous]

Hey Daniel,

I remember Bruce mentioning how when Chan buddhism was brought to Japan it changed. But I don’t remember him saying that it became more martial? What do you mean by more martial? Zen is not a martial art?

Janak

[Anonymous]

janak

compared to other Buddhist traditions, it seems to me, the practice of zen is a much more controlled and yes even martial in it’s rituals and meditation. hard to say what i mean, but i think chan was closer to taoism than zen. when Buddhism has traveled to various cultures it has been influenced by the these cultures and since japan is much different than china…
i also remember bruce mentioning this change and am just trying to remember how he said it changed

thanks

daniel

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who lived in China and practiced Chan Buddhism. Compared to Japanese Zen he said it was very laid back. It is also much more infused with Taoism. I’ve practiced Japanese Zen in the past and it’s highly controlled, ritualized, and kind of anal retentive. Alan Watts criticized the later developments of Zen as being more of a reflection of Japanese culture than a true expression of Zen. There was a point in history where the wealthy would send some of their sons to monasteries to be monks, so the monasteries became more of a boys school where they had to be disciplined with long hours of meditation and hitting them with sticks.

[Anonymous]

good day david,

that is what i have experienced. i have been a student of Buddhism for years studying and practicing in several traditions. the last few years my study of tai chi and qigong has led me to look for a Buddhist practice which is compatible with Taoism, and have found zen to be exactly the way you described it. i notice bruce has recently mentioned dzogchen on several occasions, so maybe the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism will be my next stop. Have received much from the Tibetan approach over the years and combined with the Taoist view should be a rich balance…

thank you for your insight,

daniel

[Anonymous]

I sometimes go to a Shambhala center which is just the opposite of the Japanese Zen culture. Very laid back.

[Anonymous]

oh yeah,
“crazy wisdom”

[Author]

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