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Buddhism began with [[Siddhartha Gautama|Shakyamuni Buddha]], the founder, about 500 BC in Northern India. It emphasises meditation to realise the illusory nature of self and the eternal abiding reality of the Cosmic Buddha or 'Dharmakaya'. Buddhism moved from India to China due to the efforts of the monk Bodhidaruma (or 'Bodhidharma') who made the treacherous sea crossing to China. The Indian word for meditation 'Dhyana' was taken to describe the heart of the practise in China and the name 'Dhyana' was there pronounced 'Chan'. When Chan Buddhism was taken from China to Japan the word 'Chan' was pronounced 'Zen' in Japanese. There are several schools of Zen Buddhism in Japan: Soto, Rinzai, Obaku etc. Another name for the meditation which is the heart of the practise is 'Shikan Taza' which means 'Serene Relection' - a "seeing deeply into the nature of things".  

Buddhism began with [[Siddhartha Gautama|Shakyamuni Buddha]], the founder, about 500 BC in Northern [[India]]. It emphasises meditation to realise the illusory nature of self and the eternal abiding reality of the Cosmic Buddha or 'Dharmakaya'. Buddhism moved from India to China due to the efforts of the monk Bodhidaruma (or 'Bodhidharma') who made the treacherous sea crossing to [[China]]. The Indian word for meditation 'Dhyana' was taken to describe the heart of the practise in China and the name 'Dhyana' was there pronounced 'Chan'. When Chan Buddhism was taken from China to [[Japan]] the word 'Chan' was pronounced 'Zen' in Japanese. There are several schools of Zen Buddhism in Japan: Soto, Rinzai, Obaku etc. Another name for the meditation which is the heart of the practise is 'Shikan Taza' which means 'Serene Relection' - a "seeing deeply into the nature of things".  

== Chan Buddhism ==

== Chan Buddhism ==

Chan Buddhism is a form of [[Buddhism]] which originated in [[China]] in around the 6th Century AC. Today it is notably practiced in China (as Chan Buddhism), [[Japan]] (as Zen Buddhism), [[Vietnam]] (as Thien Buddhism) and across [[Korea]] (as Seon Buddhism). There may be debate as to whether it should be defined as a non-theistic [[religion]] or a [[philosophy | philosophical]] paradigm, but across it's various schools, the emphasis of Chan Buddhism is on regular meditation (known as ''zazen'' or ''shin-ja'') and heightened awareness of 'things in themselves' through various techniques, including through the focus on repetitious daily activities (as is common in various [[Christian]] [[monastic]] communities).

Chan Buddhism is a form of [[Buddhism]] which originated in China in around the 6th Century AC. Today it is notably practiced in China (as Chan Buddhism), Japan (as Zen Buddhism), [[Vietnam]] (as Thien Buddhism) and across [[Korea]] (as Seon Buddhism). There may be debate as to whether it should be defined as a non-theistic [[religion]] or a [[philosophy | philosophical]] paradigm, but across it's various schools, the emphasis of Chan Buddhism is on regular meditation (known as ''zazen'' or ''shin-ja'') and heightened awareness of 'things in themselves' through various techniques, including through the focus on repetitious daily activities (as is common in various [[Christian]] [[monastic]] communities).