Editor's Note - Dharma Resources - Kong Meng San Phor Kark See ...

Ven. Dr Chang Qing, Dean of
Academic, Assistant Professor of
the Buddhist College of Singapore
gives us a basic understanding
of this simple and yet profound
method of Buddhism.
The Basics of ZEN Meditation
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T
here are eight schools of thought that are
institutionalised in Chinese Buddhism.
However, Pure Land and Zen Buddhism are the
more influential of the eight schools that more
people around the world practise. In Buddhism,
Pure Land is considered an “easy-path” ( 方 便 道 ) to
attain enlightenment. Many Buddhists maintain the
idea that this school of thought only emphasises on
repeatedly chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha.
Doing so, is tantamount to gaining entrance into the
Pure Land when they finally perish from worldly
life. Unfortunately, it is not as effortless as what
they envisage. Before anyone can ascend to the Pure
Land, some prerequisites have to be met. Similarly,
Zen Buddhism also prevails everywhere. Let us
focus our attention on “Zen meditation” ( 禅 坐 ).
Zen and its many names
Zen meditation is known by many names. It is called
dhyana in India, Chan ( 禅 ) in China and Zen in Japan.
So what is so mystical about Zen Zen signifies the
elimination of evil and generation of merits. In Tachi-tu-lun
(Mahaprajna paramita-sastra), Zen is
described as the “Practice of Contemplation”( 思 惟 修 ).
The new connotation is “Silent Deliberation” ( 静 虑 ).
One of the Buddhist treatises regarded Zen as the
origin for non-arising of the deluded mind. In other
words, Zen could be deemed as pure-mind, wisdom,
Dharma and truth.
In reality, “Zen meditation” ( 禅 坐 ) and “Meditation”
( 静 坐 ) are two very different entities. “Meditation” is
akin to “pilates”. There are no underlying religious
elements, and its main objective is to exercise the
body and perhaps to cultivate mental health. In
Buddhism, “Zen Meditation” is to practise the
reflection of the Buddha’s teaching (Dharma)
while meditating. Zen symbolises wisdom by
contemplating the Dharma with meditation in order
to generate wisdom. The above explanation spells
out the crucial difference between the two kinds of
meditation.
The purpose and function of Zen
According to Master Sheng Yen, the purpose of Zen
is to neutralise the deluded mind.
In Buddhism, delusion is the main
source of affliction and leads to worldly
suffering.
External and internal objects are the main culprits
of delusion. By practising Zen meditation, we could