Venerable Master Hsu Yun (Traditional Chinese: 虛雲大師, Simplified Chinese: 虚云, Pinyin: Xū Yún Da Shi, «empty cloud») (1840-1959) was a renowned Ch’an master and one of the most influential Buddhist teachers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Although many aspects of his life (particularly his great longevity) are disputed by historians and Zen scholars, this article attempts to give an...

Vihara is Sanskrit or Pali for (Buddhist) monastery. It originally meant «dwelling» or «refuge», such as those used by wandering monks during the rainy season. In the early decades of Buddhism the wandering monks of the Sangha had no fixed abode, but during the rainy season (Cf. vassa) they stayed in temporary shelters. These dwellings were simple wooden constructions or...

The religious philosophies and schools of thought in Buddhism have evolved since Buddha’s death into diverse, and complex traditions. Contents Three main schools Theravada Mahayana Vajrayana See also References Three main schools Buddhism has evolved into myriad schools that can be roughly grouped into three types: Nikaya, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Of the Nikaya schools, only the Theravada survives. Each branch...

Zongmi (宗密) (780 — 841), also commonly referred to by the monastic title of Guifeng (圭峰), was a Tang dynasty Buddhist scholar-monk, installed as fifth patriarch of the Huayan school as well as a patriarch of the Heze Chan lineage. He wrote a number of vitally important essays on the current situation of Buddhism in Tang China, and is one...

Zhiyi (智顗 Wade-Giles: Chih-i; Jp: Chigi) (538–597) is traditionally listed as the fourth patriarch, but actually is the founder of the Tiantai sect of Buddhism in China. Zhiyi is famous for being the first in the history of Chinese Buddhism to elaborate a complete, critical and systematic classification of the Buddhist teachings, in order to explain the seemingly contradictory doctrines...

Zhi Yao (Ch:支曜) was a Kushan Buddhist monk of Yuezhi ethnicity who was involved with the translation of Buddhist texts into Chinese around 185 CE. His origin is described in his adopted Chinese name by the prefix Zhi (Ch:支), abbreviation of Yuezhi (Ch:月支). Zhi Yao was a student of Lokaksema. He translated in particular a Mahayana text: — The Sutra...

Zhanshan Temple is a Buddhist temple in Qingdao, Shandong, China. It is located on the southern side of Zhanshan (literally ‘clear’ or ‘deep mountain’), facing the sea. It features a number of buildings, including a Buddhist scripture library and a large Yaoshi stupa. In 2004 the temple underwent renovation. As of April 2004, entry was priced at 5RMB, with discounts...

Zendo (禅堂, Chinese: Chántáng) is a Japanese term translating roughly as «meditation hall». In Zen Buddhism, the zendo is a spiritual dojo where zazen (sitting meditation) is practiced. A full-sized Buddhist temple will typically be divided into at least one zendo as well as a hondo (本堂, literally «base hall», sometimes translated as «Buddha hall»), which is used for ceremonial...

The Zen Mountain Monastery is a Zen Buddhist monastery and training center on a 250 acre forested property in the Catskill Mountains in Mount Tremper, New York. It was founded in 1980 by John Daido Loori, Roshi, and serves as the flagship of the Mountains and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism, also founded by Daido Roshi in 1980. It combines...

The White Wind Zen Community (WWZC) is a Soto Zen Buddhist association based at the Zen Centre of Ottawa (Honzan Dainen-ji) in Ottawa, Ontario, with branch centres in Wolfville, Nova Scotia and Harrow, England. The Community is led by the Venerable Anzan Hoshin roshi. It consists of both a monastic order, the Northern Mountain Order, and a large community of...

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values (ISBN 0688002307) is the first of Robert M. Pirsig’s texts in which he explores a Metaphysics of Quality. The 1974 book describes a journey across the United States, punctuated by numerous philosophical discussions referred to as chautauquas. In this book, Pirsig explores the meaning of the concept «quality» (a...

Zen is the Japanese name of a well known branch of Mahāyāna Buddhist schools, practiced originally in India as dhyan (ध्यान), which then came to be known in China as Ch’an (禪), and subsequently in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Zen emphasizes the role of sitting meditation (zazen) in pursuing enlightenment for the benefit of others thus emphasizing compassion. Though considered...

Zazen is at the heart of Zen Buddhist practice. The aim of Zazen is to still the rational mind. This is done either through koans, Rinzai’s primary method, or simple meditation, the Soto sect’s method. Once the mind is able to rid itself of its many layers, it will then be able to realize its true Buddha nature. In Zen...

The Yungang Grottoes (云冈石窟 yúngāng shíkū), near Datong city in Shanxi province, China are one of the three famous ancient sculptural sites of China. The others are Longmen and Mogao. The sites contains 252 caves and 51,000 statues, they represents one of the earliest peak of Buddhist cave art in China from the 5th and 6th centuries. The Yungang Grottoes...