Zen

The Japanese word Zen is a transliteration of the Chinese word Ch'an or Ch'anna, which is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word Dhyana; and Dhyana means meditation.

Zen is frequently said to be a teaching without words... but that may be hard to believe considering the incessant number of pages that have been written about it.

Nevertheless, the emphasis in Zen is that it must be actually experienced in ones own practice, it cannot be understood no matter how much one studies about it.

Be that as it may, I began my journey with a book: "The Three Pillars of Zen" by Roshi Philip Kapleau. "Coming to the Path" is an account of how I came to practice Zen meditation. There is also a part where I try to explain my own experience in living at a Zen center.

If you wish to dig more deeply into the world of Zen and Buddhism, I have compiled a list of web links and books that I find truly inspirational and quite informative.