禅 (Chán) is one of the most influential schools of Buddhism that originated in China around the 5th century CE. It is said to have been brought from India by the monk Bodhidharma. While it is a religion, its influence extends far beyond temples, shaping Chinese art, poetry, martial arts (like at the Shaolin Temple), and the overall aesthetic of simplicity and naturalness. A useful comparison for Westerners is the concept of “mindfulness.” In the West, mindfulness is often a secular technique, a tool used to reduce stress, improve focus, or manage anxiety. It is a part of a larger wellness trend. 禅 (Chán), however, is the deep, spiritual wellspring from which many of these ideas flow. While mindfulness is a *practice* within Chán, Chán itself is a comprehensive spiritual path aimed at answering life's biggest questions—the nature of self, reality, and suffering. Mindfulness is like learning to swim, while Chán is the entire ocean, with its own philosophy, history, and ultimate goal of enlightenment (顿悟, dùnwù). The core value of Chán is achieving wisdom through direct, personal experience, not intellectual understanding alone. This has fostered a cultural appreciation for intuition, spontaneity, and finding the profound in the ordinary—whether in a tea ceremony, a stroke of calligraphy, or simply washing the dishes.
While most Chinese people are not Chán Buddhist monks, the concept of 禅 has permeated modern language and aesthetics. It's used to describe a certain feeling, style, or state of mind that is calm, minimalist, and profound.