This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Zen


00:01:20 1 Etymology
00:01:46 2 Zen practice
00:02:00 2.1 Origins
00:03:05 2.2 Mindfulness
00:03:13 2.2.1 Observing the breath
00:03:59 2.2.2 Observing the mind
00:04:41 2.3 Insight
00:04:49 2.3.1 Pointing to the nature of the mind
00:05:31 2.3.2 Kōan practice
00:07:05 2.4 Intensive group meditation
00:08:13 2.5 Zen chanting and liturgy
00:09:32 2.6 Lay services
00:10:12 3 Zen teachings
00:12:19 3.1 Rinzai
00:13:30 3.2 Soto
00:14:14 4 Zen scripture
00:14:24 4.1 The role of scripture in Zen
00:16:19 4.2 Grounding Chán in scripture
00:17:26 4.3 Zen literature
00:18:10 5 Zen organization and institutions
00:19:04 6 Zen narratives
00:20:04 7 History of Zen
00:20:13 7.1 Chinese Chán
00:20:22 7.1.1 Periodisation
00:25:12 7.1.2 Origins and Taoist influences (c. 200–500)
00:29:04 7.1.3 Legendary or Proto-Chán – Six Patriarchs (c. 500–600)
00:30:58 7.1.4 Early Chán – Tang Dynasty (c. 600–900)
00:34:06 7.1.5 Classical or Middle Chán (c. 750–1000)
00:34:12 7.1.5.1 An Lushan Rebellion (755–763) till end of Tang Dynasty (907)
00:35:54 7.1.5.2 Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–960/979)
00:37:07 7.1.6 Literary Chán – Song Dynasty (c. 960–1300)
00:39:54 7.1.7 Post-Classical Chán (c. 1300 – present)
00:40:12 7.1.7.1 Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368)
00:40:42 7.1.7.2 Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
00:41:32 7.1.7.3 Qing Dynasty (1644–1912)
00:42:25 7.1.7.4 Modern times
00:43:15 7.2 Spread of Chán
00:43:24 7.2.1 Thiền in Vietnam
00:44:03 7.2.2 Seon in Korea
00:44:45 7.2.3 Zen in Japan
00:46:27 7.2.4 Zen in the Western world
00:47:41 8 See also



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"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing."
- Socrates



SUMMARY
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Zen (Chinese: 禪; pinyin: Chán; Korean: 선, translit. Seon) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty as Chan Buddhism. It was strongly influenced by Taoism and developed as a distinct school of Chinese Buddhism. From China, Chan Buddhism spread south to Vietnam which became Vietnamese Thiền, northeast to Korea and east to Japan, where it became known as Seon Buddhism and Japanese Zen, respectively.The term Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese word 禪 (Chan) which traces its roots to the Indian practice of Dhyāna ("meditation"). Zen emphasizes rigorous self-control, meditation-practice, insight into Buddha-nature, and the personal expression of this insight in daily life, especially for the benefit of others. As such, it de-emphasizes mere knowledge of sutras and doctrine and favors direct understanding through zazen and interaction with an accomplished teacher.The teachings of Zen include various sources of Mahayana thought, especially Yogachara, the Tathāgatagarbha sūtras and the Huayan school, with their emphasis on Buddha-nature, totality, and the Bodhisattva-ideal. The Prajñāpāramitā literature and, to a lesser extent, Madhyamaka have also been influential in the shaping of the "paradoxical language" of the Zen-tradition.