ABSTRACT
Among Zen Buddhists there is an old saying that Zen cannot be transmitted in books. On the other hand, Zen literature is voluminous and a great deal has been written about Zen. The reason why Zen cannot be transmitted in books or by words in any form is implied by the very name of this form of Buddhism. For 'zen' means meditation. Zen Buddhism is literally Meditation Buddhism. Later it will become clear that the practice of Zen Buddhism is characterized by steps. Meditation may be likened to an onion. For the Westerner who is serious about studying Zen, the first of these steps must consist in seeing the obvious fact that Zen Buddhism is Meditation Buddhism. In Japanese Zen Buddhist circles it is said that 'zen' is an abbreviation of 'azen'. Because the word 'meditation' and its variants are misleading in this connection by reason of their Western and Christian associations.
