... is to gain transcendental, or highest, wisdom from the depths of one's unconscious, where it lies dormant. Ch"an tries to attain enlightenment without the aid of uncommon religious observances: study, scriptures, ceremonies, or good deeds, all things that the people of East Asia had been used to doing in order to reach the salvation that they desired. Reaching the highest ... strongly felt in literature and painting. Ch"an declined during the Ming era (1141-1215), when Ch"an masters took up the practice of trying to harmonize meditation with the study of traditional scriptures. When Bud...

• Word Count: 1910
• Approx Pages: 8