The true meaning of Zen

The true meaning of Zen can be understood through the following aspects:

1. Non-concept: Zen emphasizes direct experience beyond words and concepts. It tries to help people directly perceive and experience the present existence, instead of understanding things through thinking, reasoning or logical judgment. Zen masters usually use questions, words or calm blows to awaken students' intuition.

2. Meditation and meditation: Meditation and meditation in meditation are the key to gaining consciousness and understanding the true nature. Zen usually emphasizes meditation (direct meditation) and meditation (practicing awareness while walking). By focusing on breathing, body feeling or meditation (meaningful question and answer), seek direct experience outside of thinking activities.

3. Enlightenment: Zen pays attention to the realization of consciousness in the process of meditation, that is, to recognize the essence of things and transcend the experience of relative phenomena. This kind of consciousness is called consciousness. Through physical and mental practice, the meditator transcends the illusion of the past and the future, experiences the existence of the present, and realizes the close connection between himself and the whole universe.

4. Authenticity: Zen emphasizes the falsity and impermanence of all phenomena and cultivates the understanding of authenticity. It is pointed out that everything in the world is relative, and the true self lies in infinity, transcendence and separation.

5. Practice and direct application: meditation is not limited to meditation, but requires the meditator to apply the spirit of Zen to every moment of daily life. Meditators realize the direct experience of true nature through conscious awareness, concentration and indiscriminate handling of every activity.