Western Zen and Buddhist Zen
Zen, Meditation, and Mindfulness
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Zen, Meditation, and Mindfulness
Zen is a basic form of practice performed in the Buddhist sects known as Zen Buddhism (Sōtō Zen, Rinzai Zen, etc.).
In recent years, it has gained attention in the West, where “ZEN” is recognized as a term overlapping with concepts like meditation and mindfulness. It is being increasingly practiced in a secular context.
In the United States, some major IT companies have incorporated ZEN into their employee programs. However, they adopted only the methodology of Zen, without imparting any Buddhist education. It is said that practicing ZEN can lead to visible effects such as enhanced creativity, increased productivity, and decreased turnover rates.
Although this is just one example, ZEN in the West generally seeks only its practical effects, distanced from its original form rooted in Buddhism.
In this article, I aim to explore what the original Zen, discussed in a Buddhist context, is like, and eventually, present its essence that can transcend even the framework of Buddhism.
