321 - How Buddhist is Zen? The Buddha's Teachings Compared to Radical Nondualism

Viewed historically, Zen is a form of Mahayana Buddhism that evolved from the original forms Buddhism that were established in India after the Buddha's death around 2,500 BC. Many aspects of original Buddhism are retained in Zen, including respect for Shakyamuni Buddha and his teachings. However, the degree of transformation Buddhism underwent when it took root in China and evolved into Chan (later called "Zen" in Japan) is difficult to overestimate, resulting in a path of radical nondualism. Both the ultimate goal of practice and the means to achieve that goal changed so radically that it's legitimate to question whether Chan is even Buddhism. If you want to walk the path of Zen/Chan, it's essential to understand how it differs from original Buddhism.

You can listen to 321 - How Buddhist is Zen? The Buddha's Teachings Compared to Radical Nondualism online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

321 - How Buddhist is Zen? The Buddha's Teachings Compared to Radical Nondualism is an episode from The Zen Studies Podcast by Domyo Burk.

This episode is 56:16 long.

This episode was published on Jan 1, 2026.

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