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Zen:

 (Jap)   A system of mental stillness originating in India, where it was known as dhyana. It was carried to China by the Buddhist monk Bodidharma, where it was called ch'an. From China it traveled to Japan as Zen. Styles of Zen differ, but there are primarily three means used to attain release from attachment to the objective world: zazen (wall gazing), the mondo (a sudden illogical question demanding spontaneous answer), and the koan (a riddle or paradox requiring an intuitional leap beyond rationality). The goal of Zen is to permit experience by direct perception or intuition. This lightning-flash sort of awareness is called satori and is said to be equivalent to prajna or samadhi. (See also Dhyana.)

Zos:

 The body considered as a whole. The term "Zos" was used by Austin Osman Spare to refer to the total field of sensation and awareness. The Zos is symbolized by the hand. It is the complement of the Kia. (See also Kia).

Updated August 27th, 1998