Contemporary scholars of Zen history have largely debunked the old notion that this remarkable form of Buddhism was divided into Northern and Southern Schools based on a philosophical rift concerning sudden vs gradual enlightenment. Classical texts reveal that senior adepts of each school tended to simultaneously affirm both a developmental path AND the possibility of a sudden change of state, or shift of understanding, that cannot be superceded.
The Case of Sudden v. Gradual
The Case of Sudden v. Gradual
The Case of Sudden v. Gradual
Contemporary scholars of Zen history have largely debunked the old notion that this remarkable form of Buddhism was divided into Northern and Southern Schools based on a philosophical rift concerning sudden vs gradual enlightenment. Classical texts reveal that senior adepts of each school tended to simultaneously affirm both a developmental path AND the possibility of a sudden change of state, or shift of understanding, that cannot be superceded.