A great emphasis is placed on meditation to help a person awaken to a pure seeing of the true nature of everything. Zen Buddhists think enlightenment is a far-reaching goal but can be gained through Satori (meditation in moments of insight). While other schools of Buddhism place almost all learning from reading and contemplating ancient texts, Zen practitioners learn from the individual practice of understanding one's true nature.
Zen is a branch of Mahayana school. The sutras that Zen practitioners rely on are Heart of Perfect Wisdom Sutra, the Sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom of the Diamond that Cuts through Illusion, the Lankavatara Sutra, and the "Samantamukha Parivarta" section of the Lotus Sutra. There are 2 forms of Zen practice: Rinzai and Soto. Rinzai tries to break through everyday thinking by using something called koans. Koans are what many people know as riddles in the form of questions. These questions make no sense logically. The goal is to achieve sudden and pure awareness or Satori. Soto Zen takes a slower approach to enlightenment through sitting meditations called Za-zen. Sometimes koans are used to help achieve awareness. Zen is the school of Buddhism that has the most emphasis on long, intensive periods of meditation. This is one reason many people may find practicing Zen Buddhism is so difficult. Zen can be a very rewarding and fulfilling practice despite the difficulty.
Haiku as Meditation
Many art forms are used when practicing Zen. Haiku is popular among people who are writers. If you study Haiku, you will run into a name repeatedly: Basho. He is said to be one of the best Haiku writers. Here is an example of his work:
How reluctantly
the bee emerges from deep
within the peony
If you are interested in learning more about writing Haikus, visit Suite101.com writers Nicholas Morine's Ideas in Creative Writing : Haiku Construction and Elece Hollis' Writing Haiku Poems are great places to start learning!
Bonsai Trees and Zen Gardens
Some practitioners like growing bonsai trees as a form of Zen. There is even an elaborate tea ceremony where awareness to every step is taken. One of the easiest forms of Zen is to create a Zen garden. This is made by using sand in a flat container and stones of assorted shapes and colors. You will need a rake to move through the sand. Making patterns in the sand is very meditative. Many new age stores carry prepackaged Zen gardens.
Becoming a Zen Practitioner
It has been claimed that the tradition of Zen was passed along from Buddha to his chosen followers. So it is believed to be a true Zen practitioner, on must be taught by a qualified Zen teacher often called a Zen Master.
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