According to tradition, Bodhidharma, the twenty-eighth Buddhist patriarch, travelled from India to China at the end of the fifth or the beginning of the sixth century AD, initiating the line of Chinese patriarchs.

Zen doctrines were introduced to Japan as early as the seventh century, but it was only in the thirteenth century that Eisai Zenji and Dogen Zenji, two monks, founded the two fundamental schools of Zen, the Rinzai and the Soto. In the seventeenth century, the Chinese monk Yin-yuan founded the Obaku school, which, however, retained more distinctly Chinese characteristics.

What is Zen Buddhism?

The ideogram "zen" derives from the Chinese ch'an, which is itself a transcription of the Sanskrit word dhyana. All three terms mean "meditation" and reflect the historical stages of Buddhism: from its origins in India, to its spread to China inaugurated by the Indian Buddhist master Bodhidharma (520 AD), to its arrival in Japan.

It all begins on that distant day twenty-five centuries ago when Buddha Shakyamuni, before an audience of five thousand, without uttering a word, raises a flower in front of him. Only one among the many understands the meaning of that simple gesture and smiles. It is Mahakashapa, the disciple closest to him. Thus begins what in Zen is called the transmission — the handing down — and the originality of this episode lies precisely in the absence of what we ordinarily believe to be the fundamental instrument for transmitting a teaching: the word.

It is said that the Buddha often uttered no words, allowing a deep and subtle current of thought to establish itself between him and those who listened — an original and originary, non-conceptual thought. Only one among the five thousand listeners understood that thought: Mahakashapa, who thus became the first patriarch of Zen. In the Zen tradition, this type of communication is an essential element for understanding the teaching of a Master.

Principles of Zen Buddhism

Buddhism coming from India encountered Taoism in China and, grafting itself onto and merging with this tradition, developed characteristics distinct from original Indian Buddhism — in particular a character of anti-dogmatism and anti-intellectualism. Ch'an Buddhism then reached Japan through two masters, Dogen (1200–1253) and Eisai (1141–1215): both had stayed in China and, upon returning to their country of origin, brought with them what they had gained and in turn founded two schools.

The Soto school, founded by Dogen in 1227, holds that enlightenment is the result of a gradual process based on deep meditation. The Rinzai school, founded by Eisai around 1191, holds that enlightenment is a sudden event that can be reached both through seated meditation (zazen) and through forms of paradoxical dialogue (koan and mondo). The anti-dogmatic character of Chinese Buddhism was preserved in Zen, and great attention was given to everyday life and spontaneity.

Zen Buddhism and psychoanalysis

In Japan, Zen has influenced much of literary and artistic production: from poetry to painting, from Noh theatre to the architecture of temples and gardens, from flower arranging to its relationship with many arts and disciplines, including martial ones. It established, for example, a strong bond with the military caste of the samurai. This may seem paradoxical given that Zen has otherworldly and non-violent premises, but the samurai found in Zen teaching a guide to inner detachment and concentration — qualities that made him strong in battle and imperturbable in the face of death.

Zen Buddhism in Italy

In recent years the spread of Buddhism in Italy has undergone a considerable acceleration, while still having to contend with the normal problems of anything that profoundly affects people's lives. In particular, one still encounters to this day self-styled gurus, primarily purveyors of esoteric knowledge, who have nothing to do with Buddhist thought, which is nothing other than a serious and scientific enquiry into the potential of the mind and its possibilities for practical, experiential development.

The Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa in Pomaia, in the province of Pisa, founded in 1977, is one of the most important Buddhist centres in the West, a member of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, an international organisation founded by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche that brings together 140 centres around the world. It is part of the Unione buddhista italiana.

Approaching Zen Buddhism

Zen is a personal encounter with someone — with a person who often, inexplicably, convinces; it is touching the heart, because the encounter is often a knowing glance, a barely hinted smile, the simplicity of a gesture, a word barely spoken. The person we meet we call a Master because we recognise in them a belonging to a precise tradition that traces its origin to Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha.

Zen Buddhism essentially cultivates meditation, without concerning itself with discussions of theories and doctrinal elements, or with the use of rites and ceremonies as, to varying degrees, other schools of the Buddhist tradition do. For Zen, enlightenment is possible "outside the scriptures" and "beyond words." Despite the importance of meditation, Zen maintains that enlightenment can be attained through any activity of daily life and at any moment: Zen must be experienced directly, it must be practised, brought into our everyday lives.

It is true that Zen has peculiar characteristics that make it unique and distinct, yet it is equally true that in many fundamental respects it is and remains a form of Buddhism and represents perhaps the culmination of certain tensions present in the oldest Buddhist thought — such as the necessity of liberation from desire and attachment.

Essays and bibliography

• Il cerchio infinito, Bernie Glassman (Oscar Mondadori)
• Felice come un Buddha, Stefano Bettera (Morellini editore)
• La Stella del Mattino, rivista