Can someone please simplify to me the beliefs of Zen Buddhism in down to earth language?
DT Suzuki was probably the best at explaining Zen in layman’s terms for the Western world. Even Suzuki admitted the written word was only an attempt to get close to the meaning that it could not replace Direct Experience. Meditation like others have mentioned is the cornerstone, both of Soto and Rinzai Zen. Zen is the attempt to acheive Satori and escape Samsara with direct experience with enlightenment. Another element is Koans, what westerners boil down to ‘riddles’. The most know is ‘What is the sound of one hand clapping?’ These sound like nonsense to the outsider. The questions, under the tutelage of a Zen Master cannot be answered by research or knowledge. The answer must be a direct experience with reality.
