Where does “zen” come from?
Zen comes from Japanese ぜん, from Sanskrit ध्यान, from Sanskrit ध्यै, a root meaning meditation or mental discipline.
zen (English): A denomination of Buddhism; Profound meditation...
Definitions
- A denomination of Buddhism; Profound meditation...
Ancestry of “zen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 禅 | "dhyana-samadhi"; the disciplines and doctrine of... |
| 2 | Japanese | 禅那 | Zen meditation practice |
| 3 | Middle Chinese | 禪那 | — |
| 4 | Sanskrit | ध्यान | meditation, thought, reflection, profound and... |
| 5 | Sanskrit | ध्यै | to contemplate, meditate, think of |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeyh₂- | mind, thought |