Zen is a form of Mahayana Buddhism which developed from Cha’n Buddhism in China in an attempt to merge some of the teachings of the Tao with that of Buddhism. It then spread to Japan where it flourished and developed into at least the two or three schools of thought that survived today – Soto, Rinzai and Sanbo-Kyodan. It is also popular in Vietnam, Korea and spread to the rest of the world in the last century.
The Zen school of Buddhism teaches the basic fundamental elements of Buddhist philosophy, including the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the five percepts and the three dharma seals. However, it differs from other sects of Buddhism because it relies more on the spoken word and there is a student/ master teaching line. It relies more on the individual’s introspective meditation rather than guidance from the Buddha to achieve Satori or enlightenment as it is known in Zen.
