Zen philosophy
Enlightenment through sitting
Zen philosophy is a school of Buddhist thought emphasizing direct insight over doctrinal study, originating in China and flowering in Japan.
It stresses meditation, mindfulness, and the limits of rational thinking—enlightenment comes through experience, not scripture.
In casual use, Zen describes a calm, accepting attitude: I'm trying to be more Zen about the whole situation.
- Mahayana BuddhismBodhisattva path branch
- satoriSudden spiritual awakening
- mindfulnessAwareness of the present
- present momentCurrent point in time
- TaoismPhilosophy of the Way
meditation · emptiness · zazen · beginner's mind · mu · tea ceremony · enlightenment · oryoki · non-attachment · interdependence · sitting quietly · koan · Zen Buddhism · impermanence · wabi-sabi · lotus · Japanese aesthetics · breath
Zen philosophyrationalism
Reason as knowledge source
intellectualism · scholasticism · Western philosophy · book learning
Zen philosophyanxiety
Persistent apprehensive distress
agitation · attachment · grasping · overthinking · restlessness
Zen philosophymaximalism
More-is-more aesthetic philosophy
consumerism · excess · ornamentation · accumulation · complexity