Anyone know about the Zen Buddhist religion???

[tfg08]

I am doing a group presentation on Zen Buddhism and i was assigned to research the heirarchy of it such as Zen having any leaders and their duties and if women are leaders, or how involved they are in the religion of Zen?

Does anyone know about any of this or know any websites???

[P'ang]

This information may be helpful to you:

- Zen Buddhism has no single leader (like the Pope for the Catholic Church or the Dalai Lama for Tibetan Buddhism)

- Most Zen temples/centers have a Zen Master who oversees the teaching at that center. There are many Zen Masters, and they all trace their lineage back to a 6th century CE Chinese teacher named Huineng. To become a Zen Master, a practitioner must be certified by another Zen Master as having attained enlightenment.

- Zen Masters are responsible for teaching practitioners the techniques of Zen. Ultimately, the Master serves as a guide for the student as the student develops an enlightened mind.

- Most temples have an Abbot. This person oversees the operations of the temple and also plays a role in teaching others. The Abbot may be the Zen Master, but can also be a senior practitioner.

- In Asia, Zen Masters have frequently been men, although enlightened women were common; they just didn't get the title. However, in the West, many women have become Zen Masters and lead their own temples.

- The Zen tradition also has monks and nuns. These individuals are treated with respect, not because they are enlightened or special, but because they have dedicated their lives to helping others.

- The Zen tradition has always stressed the importance of work. So all practitioners -- from the Zen Master, through the monastics, to lay people -- work every day. There's no free lunch in Zen.

[nacsez]

yes

the hierarchy is one of respect. once part of a school, and learned in the teachings of the Buddha and Bodhisattva's, if a man or woman has come close to or has reached the state of Zen, then they are given the respect of a teacher and are granted the title of Master. what the master says goes, but generally, you dont have any idea what the master says until you see it from a Zen perspective. the entire purpose of being a Master is to transfer your knowledge and understanding to the less versed and stimulate the self-exploration of the people in the temple. there have been some women Masters, but much fewer than men because of societal road blocks. The (pseudo)religion itself has no gender bias. anyone can become a monk and study so long as they are willing to dedicate themselves to the purpose.