SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

114 Appendix I: The Gist of Sōtō Zenwhat we call the Zen School. The founder of the Zen School isBodhidharma. He brought no sacred Scripture with him fromIndia when he arrived in Canton, China about 470 C.E. He journeyedto North China, crossing the Yang-tze River and took upresidence in the Shao-lin Temple on Sung-shan Mountain nearLo-yang, the then capital, and devoted himself to the practice ofserene reflection meditation.BodhidharmaÕs view of Buddhism, briefly stated, is thatall beings possess the Buddha Nature (Buddhata, Buddhatva)i.e., have a nature identical with that of the Buddha, andthrough the practice of Zen they can come to realize this in itsdeepest sense. Realization of the Buddha Mind found within usis the essence of Buddhist meditation. When we realize thisBuddha Mind inherent within us, it will be manifested in oureveryday life and will serve as a means to help society ingeneral and our fellow man in particular.Some scholars say that Zen is non-subjective selfawakening,but I feel that it must be realized in daily activitythrough practicing serene reflection meditation; otherwise itwill only be a dreamy concept.Life magazine ran a special on Buddhism in its March 7,1955 issue in which it took up the Zen School under the title,ÒAn Austere Sect which Seeks Out Truth by Meditation andIntuition.Ó Zen thought stands high among Mahyna schools,and its practice is firm like that of the Theravda. Its gift to the