Zen

American  

[zen] / zɛn /

noun

1. Chinese Ch'an.  Buddhism. a Mahayana movement, introduced into China in the 6th century a.d. and into Japan in the 12th century, that emphasizes enlightenment for the student by means of meditation and direct, intuitive insights, accepting formal studies and observances only when they form part of such means.

2. the discipline and practice of this sect.

3. (lowercase) a state of meditative calm in which one uses direct, intuitive insights as a way of thinking and acting.

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adjective

1. of or relating to Zen Buddhism.

   Zen monasteries.

2. having characteristics or qualities associated with the discipline or practice of Zen Buddhism.

   Fishing is a Zen hobby.

3. (sometimes lowercase) relaxed and calmly accepting of a situation.

   I’m usually very Zen about my investments.

Zen British  

/ zɛn /

noun

1. a Japanese school, of 12th-century Chinese origin, teaching that contemplation of one's essential nature to the exclusion of all else is the only way of achieving pure enlightenment

2. (modifier) of or relating to this school

   Zen Buddhism

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Zen Cultural  

1. An approach to religion, arising from Buddhism, that seeks religious enlightenment by meditation in which there is no consciousness of self.

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Discover More

Deliberately irrational statements are sometimes used in Zen to jar persons into realizing the limits of the common uses of the intellect. One well-known example is, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”

Other Word Forms

• Zenic
  adjective
• Zenist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Zen

First recorded in 1725–30; < Japanese, from Middle Chinese, equivalent to Mandarin Chinese chán “meditation, contemplation,” from Pali jhāna, from Sanskrit dhyāna, from the verb dhyāti “he meditates” (i.e., “sees mentally”), ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root (and its variants) dheiə-, dhyeə-, dhyā- “to look, see.”

Example Sentences

Social media posts suggest she had been, at least up until last year, an active member of a Zen Buddhist centre in New York.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

And believe me, I’m not Zen at all, but I can’t do the what ifs, because I will always come out on the wrong side of that.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

To better understand the microbes responsible for these differences, the team will collect stool samples from Zen Digesters and Hydrogen Hyperproducers for microbiome analysis.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026

Around the same time, George Ohsawa’s book Zen Macrobiotics introduced to the West the concept of a macrobiotic diet, which hippies popularized.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

A koan is like a riddle that’s supposed to help you toward enlightenment in Zen Buddhism.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green