Zen
A school of Buddhism emphasizing meditation โ and, casually, anything calm and unflappable.
Origin
Zen (็ฆ ) is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese Chan, itself a transliteration of the Sanskrit dhyฤna (meditation). The school took root in Japan from the 12th century onward and shaped tea ceremony, calligraphy, martial arts, and garden design. D. T. Suzuki and Alan Watts introduced it to mid-20th-century Western audiences.
Modern usage
'Zen' as an adjective now means relaxed, minimalist, or unbothered. 'Be zen about it', 'a zen office'. The actual tradition is more demanding than the marketing.
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Related
Eastern Traditions
Nirvana
Liberation from suffering and the cycle of rebirth.
Eastern Traditions
Yin and Yang
Complementary opposites that together make up a whole โ dark and light, soft and hard, receptive and active.
Eastern Traditions
Samurai
The hereditary warrior class of pre-modern Japan, bound by a strict code of honor.