Japan (22) - Zen

18 July 2010 - Founded in India in the 6th century B.C. Buddhism came to Japan in the 6th century A.D. via China and Korea. By the end of the 6th century Buddhism had gained such popularity that Buddhism was declared the state religion. Probably the Buddhist sect best known in the West is Zen Buddhism. Considered the most Japanese form of Buddhism, Zen is the practice of meditation and a strictly disciplined lifestyle to rid oneself of desire so that one can achieve enlightenment. There are no rites in Zen Buddhism, no dogmas, no theological conceptions of divinity; you do not analyze rationally, but are supposed to know things intuitively. The strict and simple lifestyle of Zen appealed greatly to Japan's samurai warrior class, and many Japan's arts, including the tea ceremony, arose from the practice of Zen.