CHINESE CH'AN AND JAPANESE ZEN

QUESTION:

Would Shih-fu please talk about the similarities and differences between Chinese Ch'an and Japanese Zen?

SHIH-FU:

Ch'an was initially transmitted from China to Japan during the time of the Northern Sung dynasty (960-1127). Ch'an was then assimilated and altered by Japanese culture to form what is Japanese Zen. One must remember, however, that Ch'an itself has evolved over the centuries. There were noticeable changes in Ch'an Buddhism from the T'ang dynasty to the Sung dynasty, from the Sung dynasty to the Ming dynasty, and from the Ming dynasty to the present. Northern Sung dynasty Ch'an was probably very similar to Japanese Zen of that same period, but over the centuries they have evolved along different paths.

Most people in the West who know about Buddhism are more familiar with Zen than Ch'an. There are two schools of Zen, called the Rinzai and Soto sects. Both schools trace their roots to two schools of Ch'an during the Northern Sung dynasty. Rinzai Zen grew out of Lin-chi Ch'an and Soto Zen grew out of Ts'ao-tung Ch'an.