Zen Buddhism
Rinzai Zen and Soto Zen
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A Zen monk of the Soto School prays in front of an altar at the Seiryu ji Temple in Hikone City Japan |
“Buddhism has been practiced in Japan since about the 6th
century CE. Japanese Buddhism (Nihon Bukkyō) created many new Buddhist schools,
and some schools are original to Japan, and some are derived from Chinese
Buddhist schools. Japanese Buddhism has had a major influence on Japanese
society and culture and remains an influential aspect to this day”. (Wikipedia,
Buddhism in Japan).
“During the thirteenth century, three new schools of
Buddhism would become firmly established in Japan: Nichiren Buddhism, Pure Land
Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism”. “The seeds of Zen would fall on especially fertile
ground in Japan and would reproduce the two great schools already existing in
China; Caodao, which would be pronounced “Soto” in Japanese, and Linji, which would
be pronounced “Rinzai”. (Bresnan 489).
In what fundamental ways do Rinzai and Soto Zen differ?
“Both Soto and Rinzai became firmly established in Japan
during the thirteenth century. Both were solidly grounded in the fundamentals
of Zen Buddhism, growing from the “Zen of the Patriarchs” as funneled through
the teaching of Huineng. The basic character of each school had matured in
China during the Tang and Song periods and had been transplanted to Japan where
a distinctively Japanese style had developed”. (Bresnan 497).
“This difference in style was expressed in three primary
ways. First, was the matter of social class. Speaking very generally, Rinzai
was the Zen of the aristocratic class, and Soto was the Zen more favored by common
people. This was broadly true, but there was room for lots of exceptions in
both cases. The second difference concerns the place of meditation. Both Soto
and Rinzai held zazen in high regard, but Soto emphasized the practice of zazen
to a far greater degree than did Rinzai.” (Bresnan 497).
“One way to figure out if that is Soto or Rinzai style, is
which way they face when they are meditating. The Rinzai meditation is in the
middle of the room or facing each other. Soto meditation style is facing the
wall”. (Soto Zen vs Rinzai Zen 6:30 – 7:30)
“In fact, Rinzai masters often gently (and sometimes not so
gently) ridiculed Soto monks for their “excessive” love of sitting meditation.
And the Soto people returned the favor, chastising Rinzai for its attachment to
the koan exercise: “wall-gazing” versus “koan-gazing”; “quiet illumination” versus
“dynamic enlightenment.” The word dynamic identifies the third difference.
Rinzai took a dynamic, energetic approach to Zen, whereas Soo was more
contemplative. A person might join a Rinzai community for a short period, but
the Soto monastery was more likely to attract the dedicated person who wished
to make the way of the monk his life’s work”. (Bresnan 497).
“Rinzai and Soto became established in Japan during the thirteenth century. From that time to the present, both have continued to grow and develop, and in modern times have begun to take root in places far beyond the borders of Japan”. (Bresnan 497).
Alamy website. “Zen Buddhism”. www.alamy.com/stock-photo/zen-buddhism.html.
Accessed May 3, 2022
Bresnan, Patrick S. "Awakening: An Introduction to
the History of Eastern Thought". 6th ed. Routledge, 2018.
Wikipedia website. “Buddhism in Japan”. www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_Japan.
Accessed May 3, 2022.
You Tube. “Soto Zen vs Rinzai Zen”. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUXghECOBkA.
Hardcore Zen, Dec 22, 2021. Accessed May 3, 2022
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