The Birth of Zen: How Buddhism Became Something New in China | Chinese Philosophy Ep. 3

The Emperor asked the monk: how much merit have I earned from all my charity? The monk said: none whatsoever. The Emperor asked: what is the highest truth? The monk said: vast emptiness. Then he left. That monk was Bodhidharma. And that conversation is the moment Chan Buddhism — the parent of Zen — announces itself. In this episode: • What Buddhism actually is — the Four Noble Truths in plain English • Why Buddhism and Confucianism nearly incompatible — and how they merged anyway • Bodhidharma: the monk who sat facing a wall for nine years • How a koan works — and why it is not a riddle • The entire modern mindfulness industry — and where it actually came from ── SERIES ── Ep. 1 — Confucius: The Man Who Rewired Society Ep. 2 — The Tao: Go With the Flow Ep. 3 — Buddhism Hits China ← you are here Ep. 4 — The Japanese Mind: Zen, Bushido & Wabi-Sabi #ChanBuddhism #Bodhidharma #ZenBuddhism #Buddhism #ChinesePhilosophy #PhilosophyExplained #Mindfulness #BuddhistPhilosophy #Koan #Meditation #HistoryOfPhilosophy #EasternPhilosophy #SilkRoad #BuddhismExplained #Huineng