HIST 4618 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Huineng, Bodhidharma, Political Philosophy
20 Mar 2019
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Document Summary
The rise of zen buddhism & neo confucianism. Buddhism centered around the monastery and intellectual study. Zen buddhism is the chinese form of buddhism founded by an indian monk named bodhidharma. Zen or chan buddhism became the most popular form of buddhism in china. Huineng was an illiterate farmer who was likely not even. However, he became one of the most prominent figures in chinese religious history. The goal of meditation is to achieve enlightenment. This is different from earlier forms of buddhism because traditional buddhism say you can only become buddha from intense devotion and training. Buddhism claims you already are buddha, all you need to do is realize it by looking inward. However, meditation is not easy and you need a special teacher that asks questions that will lead to your enlightenment. Zen buddhism became popular due to war and economic growth.
