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Zen evolved from Chinese Chan Buddhism which was influenced by Daoism. Zen is not Daoism though, it is Buddhism. Therefore, to study Daoist texts as a beginner
by jmfldn 3y ago
Zen evolved from Chinese Chan Buddhism which was influenced by Daoism. Zen is not Daoism though, it is Buddhism. Therefore, to study Daoist texts as a beginner I don't think Zen Buddhism is going to help. It's just going to muddy concepts whatever overlap there may be.
- __rito__ 3y agoZen is influenced both by Buddhism and Taoism. The word "Zen" may have Chinese roots which in turn might have Indian root (dhyan - meditation -> chen/chan -> Zen) - but it doesn't mean whole of Zen evolved from Taoism. And you cannot really learn Tao by just reading a book- no matter how much of a "beginner's mind" you have. Tao practitioners in China, Buddhists in India/China, and Zen practitioners in China/Japan led very different lifestyles from the rest of the populace. Teachings of Zen/Taoism/Buddhism are nice to hear, and quotable- but you can't learn them by merely reading a book. Practice, and inclusion in lifestyle is necessary.
- jmfldn 3y agoZen IS Buddhism, it's not influenced by it. It's one of the most important schools within Mahayana Buddhism. It has Daoist influences via Chan from which it originated. It absolutely is categorically not Daoism though. It is Buddhism with a somewhat Daoist sensibility.