Ding-hwa HSIEH
Although its emphasis on seated meditation is rooted in Indian Buddhism, Chan Buddhism is a genuinely Chinese product. The goal of Chan practice is to attain a sudden awakening of one’s inherent Buddha-nature. Chan texts are well known for their iconoclastic, nonconceptual style, characterized by a unique form of intuitive, spontaneous “encounter dialogues” between Chan Buddhists.
Chan is a Mahayana Buddhist school that developed in the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) and flourished in the Song dynasty