JAPANESE CULTURE and ZEN BUDDHISM are inseperable components of the same social unit. It is difficult to imagine one without the other, and this inseperable influence of one over the other is what makes this relationship so special, enduring and sometimes almost invisible.

The impact of Zen Buddhism is responsible for the Japanese values and social traditions that stand out among the societies of the world as something very different. At the same time it would not be wrong to say that the evolution of Zen as an individual stream of Buddhist philosophy has also been influenced a great deal by Japanese values and culture.

ZEN BUDHHISM IN JAPAN

The word 'Zen' derives itself from the Sanskrit word 'Dhyan' which means meditation, an integral part of self realization in Buddhism. In 475 A.D., BODHIDHARMA, a Buddhist master, travelled to China and propagated Buddhism there. His teachings lead to the acceptance of 'Dhyan', pronounced as 'Chan', and gave rise to the Ch'an school of Buddhism that became one of the popular religious faiths in China. Around 1200 A.D., Ch'an spread to Japan, where it was called 'Zen'. In time, this school of philosophy became an essential part of Japanese religious practices. More importantly, it was embraced as a way of life, and influenced many aspects of Japanese culture and tradition.

WHAT IS ZEN ?

Zen as a religious philosophy is unique, and different from not only other religions like Islam and Christianity, but also quite different from other Buddhist sects because of its emphasis on self realization as the essence of Budhhism. It undermines the importance of words in scriptures and religious texts, with a view that words are always open to interpretation and their meaning invariably depends upon the person making use of them. As we so often observe, this is a limitation that affects all written words of law, including statutes, religious texts and other rules - they can all be interpreted differently and lead to disputes.

Zen emphasizes on developing an understanding about one's own self and the universe, and then being able to discern the duties of the individual as well as his or her code of conduct. The initial reliance of these philosophies is derived from ancient Buddhist texts like the MAHAPRAJNAPARAMITA-SUTRA which emphasises the doctrine of emptiness, the LANKAVATARA-SUTRA which describes the doctrine of Consciousness and the teachings of the Buddha in the AVATAMSAKA-SUTRA. These teachings have been analysed

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