- 1. Who is considered the founder of Zen Buddhism?
A) Confucius
B) Lao Tzu
C) Bodhidharma
D) Gautama Buddha
- 2. What is the practice of sitting meditation in Zen called?
A) Nirvana
B) Koan
C) Zazen
D) Satori
- 3. What is the Zen term for a sudden moment of enlightenment?
A) Sangha
B) Satori
C) Kensho
D) Dharma
- 4. What poetic form of expression is often used in Zen teaching to convey deeper truths?
A) Haiku
B) Epic
C) Sonnet
D) Limerick
- 5. Who wrote the classic book 'Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind'?
A) Thich Nhat Hanh
B) Shunryu Suzuki
C) D.T. Suzuki
D) Alan Watts
- 6. What is the traditional Zen seat for meditation called?
A) Jikijitsu
B) Roshi
C) Zafu
D) Kinhin
- 7. Which Zen sect is known for its emphasis on koan practice?
A) Kwan Um
B) Soto
C) Rinzai
D) Obaku
- 8. What is the term for the practice of eating in silence and with mindfulness in Zen?
A) Oryoki
B) Daisan
C) Teisho
D) Rohatsu
- 9. What is the purpose of the Zen tradition of 'Dharma combat'?
A) To test a student's understanding and awaken insight
B) To debate doctrinal differences
C) To promote physical strength
D) To attain a state of inner peace
- 10. What is the origin of the word 'Zen'?
A) The Japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese word 禪 (chán), derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna.
B) A translation of a Buddhist scripture.
C) A name given to a school of thought by Bodhidharma.
D) A term derived from the Chinese word for meditation.
- 11. What is the meaning of 'zazen' in Zen practice?
A) Chanting meditation.
B) Walking meditation.
C) Loving-kindness meditation.
D) Sitting meditation.
- 12. What does the term 'tracing back the radiance' refer to in Zen?
A) A method of mindfulness of the impurities of the body.
B) A practice of visualizing a sun disk.
C) A technique for contemplating the twelve links of pratītyasamutpāda.
D) Seeing the inherent radiant source of the mind itself, the 'numinous awareness' or Buddha-nature.
- 13. Which Zen text criticizes the practice of sitting samādhi?
A) The Platform Sutra.
B) The Lotus Sutra.
C) The Diamond Sutra.
D) The Heart Sutra.
- 14. Which Zen master is known for the phrase 'if you meet a Buddha, kill the Buddha'?
A) Dōgen.
B) Bodhidharma.
C) The master in the Record of Linji.
D) Huineng.
- 15. Which Zen school emphasizes effortlessness and ordinary daily activities?
A) The Rinzai school.
B) The school represented by the Record of Linji.
C) The Sōtō school.
D) The Tiantai school.
- 16. Which Zen text is associated with the East Mountain School's sudden approach?
A) The Lotus Sutra.
B) The Diamond Sutra.
C) The method named 'maintaining the one without wavering' (shǒu yī bù yí).
D) The Heart Sutra.
- 17. Which Zen master described 'turning one's light around' as seeing the radiance of the sun's rays and following it back to the sun itself?
A) Yunmen.
B) Bodhidharma.
C) Huineng.
D) The Japanese Zen master Dōgen.
- 18. Who is associated with the development of the kōan introspection method in the Linji school?
A) Dahui.
B) Kōshō Uchiyama.
C) Shunryū Suzuki.
D) Hongzhi Zhengjue.
- 19. Which Zen master critiqued the use of kōans as 'old wastepaper'?
A) Kōshō Uchiyama.
B) Shunryū Suzuki.
C) Dōgen.
D) Bankei.
- 20. What is the term for the state of awareness in shikantaza where the mind is 'nowhere and everywhere'?
A) Hiriryō (non-thinking).
B) Subject-object duality.
C) Goal seeking.
D) Conceptual thinking.
- 21. Which Zen teacher is known for teaching long and deep exhalations and inhalations as preparation for breath meditation?
A) Kōshō Uchiyama.
B) Omori Sogen.
C) Shunryū Suzuki.
D) Dainin Katagiri Roshi.
- 22. What is the term for the practice of 'just sitting' in Sōtō Zen?
A) Huatou.
B) Kōan contemplation.
C) Shikantaza.
D) Silent illumination.
- 23. What is the term for the state of 'seeing one's true nature' in kōan practice?
A) Kensho.
B) Nirvana.
C) Samadhi.
D) Satori.
- 24. What is the term for the practice of 'observing the phrase' in Chinese Chan?
A) Mindfulness of breathing.
B) Silent illumination.
C) Shikantaza.
D) Kanhua chan.
- 25. Which Zen master critiqued the use of kōans during the Song era?
A) Shunryū Suzuki.
B) Kōshō Uchiyama.
C) Dōgen.
D) Foyan Qingyuan.
- 26. What is the term for the practice of 'just sitting' in Chinese Chan?
A) Kanhua chan.
B) Huatou.
C) Shikantaza.
D) Mokushō.
- 27. Which early Chan master taught to 'bind the mind to one Buddha and exclusively invoke his name'?
A) Shenxiu.
B) Daoxin.
C) Hongren.
D) Faru.
- 28. Which historical text is considered the most influential Chan monastic code in East Asia?
A) Zutang ji.
B) Chanyuan qinggui.
C) Lidai fabao ji.
D) Guangming lu.
- 29. Who among the following continued the tradition of Nianfo Chan during the late Ming period?
A) Hongren.
B) Shenxiu.
C) Daoxin.
D) Yunqi Zhuhong.
- 30. What view did figures like Yongming Yanshou advocate regarding the Pure Land?
A) Pure Land as a distant realm.
B) Pure Land as a metaphor.
C) Mind-only Pure Land.
D) Physical Pure Land.
- 31. Which Japanese school of Zen adapted Nianfo into the 'nembutsu kōan'?
A) Rinzai.
B) Ōbaku.
C) Kōdō.
D) Sōtō.
- 32. During which period were both Shaka nembutsu and Amida nembutsu promoted by Soto school priests?
A) Meiji period.
B) Heian period.
C) Edo period.
D) Kamakura period.
- 33. In which Vietnamese school is Nianfo Chan widely practiced?
A) Confucianism.
B) Mahayana Buddhism.
C) Taoism.
D) Thien.
- 34. What is the Japanese term for 'nianfo'?
A) Zazen.
B) Koan.
C) Kinhin.
D) Nembutsu.
- 35. Which text shows that the practice of nianfo was widespread in the early Chan generation?
A) Mojing.
B) Chuan fabao qi.
C) Dafangguang Fo huayan jing.
D) Lunyu.
- 36. Which Chan master's work titled 'Guanxin lun' teaches the practice of nianfo?
A) Daoxin.
B) Fazang.
C) Guifeng Zongmi.
D) Shenxiu.
- 37. Which form of Buddhism is Zen a part of?
A) Hinayana Buddhism
B) Vajrayana Buddhism
C) Theravada Buddhism
D) Mahayana Buddhism
- 38. What is the term for the 'transcendent virtues' or 'perfections' in Zen?
A) Sangha
B) Pāramitā
C) Nirvana
D) Dharma
- 39. What is the Japanese term for the initiation ritual of receiving the precepts?
A) Samu
B) Jukai
C) Sesshin
D) Zazen
- 40. What is the practice of fasting during uposatha days called in Chinese?
A) Jukai
B) Samu
C) Sesshin
D) Zhairi
- 41. What is the name of the extended absolute fast undertaken by master Hsuan Hua?
A) 35-day fast
B) 10-day fast
C) 50-day fast
D) 7-day fast
- 42. What is the term for the daily schedule that includes work, meditation, rituals, and meals in a Zen monastery?
A) Ritual schedule
B) Daily schedule
C) Meditation schedule
D) Work schedule
- 43. What is the Japanese term for intensive group meditation practice?
A) Oryoki
B) Samu
C) Sesshin
D) Zazen
- 44. What is the term for the 'main object of veneration' in a Zen monastery?
A) Sesshin
B) Samu
C) Honzon
D) Oryoki
- 45. What is the term for the building or hall used for meditation in a Zen monastery?
A) Samu hall
B) Buddha hall
C) Zendō
D) Garage
- 46. Which of the following is not one of the six widely used bodhisattva virtues?
A) Nirvana
B) Moral training
C) Generosity
D) Wisdom
- 47. What is the term for the short periods of work performed with mindfulness in Zen practice?
A) Samu
B) Zazen
C) Sesshin
D) Oryoki
- 48. Which of the following is not a bodhisattva vow in Zen?
A) Five precepts
B) Ten essential precepts
C) Sixteen bodhisattva precepts
D) Bodhisattva vows
- 49. What is the term for the building used for ritual purposes in a Zen monastery?
A) Samu hall
B) Buddha hall
C) Zendō
D) Garage
- 50. What is the term for the initiation ritual of receiving the precepts in Korean?
A) Sesshin
B) Sugye
C) Samu
D) Zazen
- 51. What is the term for the formal and ceremonial taking of refuge in the three jewels?
A) Sesshin
B) Zazen
C) Taking refuge
D) Samu
- 52. Which Zen monastic code emphasizes self-sufficiency?
A) Vinaya
B) East Asian Buddhist monasticism
C) Avatamsaka sutra
D) Pure Standards for the Zen Community
- 53. What is the term for the building or hall for meditation in Chinese?
A) Samu hall
B) Buddha hall
C) Chantáng
D) Garage
- 54. What is the term for the periods of rest between sitting meditation in Zen?
A) Rest breaks
B) Sesshin
C) Zazen
D) Samu
- 55. What is the Japanese term for a sutra book in Zen Buddhism?
A) Kyoji
B) Kyohon
C) Sutra-shu
D) Sutrasen
- 56. Which bodhisattva is commonly associated with Zen rituals?
A) Maitreya
B) Avalokiteśvara
C) Vajrapani
D) Samantabhadra
- 57. What percentage of Sōtō laypeople visit their temple only for funerals?
A) 50 percent
B) 70 percent
C) 80 percent
D) 60 percent
- 58. What is the Japanese term for ritual prostrations in Zen?
A) Raihai
B) Zazen
C) Kinhai
D) Kinhin
- 59. What is the Japanese term for a home altar where offerings are made?
A) Honden
B) Kamidana
C) Shōrō
D) Butsudan
- 60. Which ritual is practiced for those who have had a miscarriage or stillbirth in Japanese Zen?
A) Higan
B) Mizuko kuyō
C) Hanamatsuri
D) Obon
- 61. What is the Japanese term for sutra recitation ceremonies?
A) Nenju
B) Kinhin
C) Zazen
D) Raihai
- 62. Which Zen master composed the Jewelled Repentance of the Emperor of Liang?
A) Rinzai
B) Baozhi
C) Hakuin
D) Dogen
- 63. Which sutra is included in the modern compilation known as the Shushogi?
A) Dogen's treatise on repentance
B) The Diamond Sutra
C) The Heart Sutra
D) The Lotus Sutra
- 64. Which Zen school states that 80 percent of its laypeople visit the temple only for funerals?
A) Sōtōshū
B) Kōdō
C) Sōtō
D) Rinzai
- 65. Which deity is associated with rites in Japanese Zen?
A) Buddha
B) Daoist deity
C) Bodhisattva
D) Kami
- 66. Which mantra is used in the Kwan Um school of Zen during sitting meditation?
A) Heart Sutra Mantra
B) Mantra of Light
C) Śūraṅgama Mantra
D) Guanyin Mantra (Kwanseum Bosal)
- 67. Which influential Soto monk was a major promoter of esoteric methods and was influenced by Shingon and Shugendo?
A) Keizan Jōkin
B) Menzan Zuihō
C) Eisai
D) Enni Ben'en
- 68. Which ritual in Japan includes esoteric elements and is associated with the ghost festival?
A) Shuilu Fahui
B) Yujia Yankou
C) Ambrosia Gate (甘露門 kanro mon)
D) Chaosong
- 69. During which dynasty did Korean Zen (Seon) become highly inclusive and ecumenical, incorporating Esoteric Buddhist practices?
A) Han Dynasty
B) Tang Dynasty
C) Joseon Dynasty
D) Yuan Dynasty
- 70. Which mantra is commonly chanted by monastics as part of the morning and evening liturgy in temples?
A) Heart Sutra Mantra
B) Mantra of Light
C) Śūraṅgama Mantra
D) Guanyin Mantra
- 71. Which Chan master was a student of the Zhenyan (Mantra) school?
A) Menzan Zuihō
B) Keizan Jōkin
C) Jingxian
D) Hyujeong
- 72. Which esoteric practice involves maṇḍala offerings and deity yoga?
A) Chaosong
B) Musong
C) Shuilu Fahui ceremony
D) Ambrosia Gate
- 73. Which Chan monk was a practitioner of Shingon and received esoteric initiation under Kisan Biku?
A) Keizan Jōkin
B) Myōan Eisai
C) Enni Ben'en
D) Menzan Zuihō
- 74. Which Korean Seon master was known to be an esoteric adept?
A) Hyujeong
B) Keizan Jōkin
C) Enni Ben'en
D) Menzan Zuihō
- 75. Which Zen master is known for creating a large corpus of sumi-e and Japanese calligraphy?
A) Guanxiu
B) Muqi Fachang
C) Hakuin
D) Chōmei
- 76. What term is used for Zen paintings in Japanese?
A) Hosshinshū
B) suizen
C) sumi-e
D) zenga
- 77. Which Chan monk painter used brush painting and calligraphy to communicate spiritual understanding?
A) Muqi Fachang
B) Guanxiu
C) Hakuin
D) Chōmei
- 78. Which Zen sect practiced 'blowing zen' using the shakuhachi bamboo flute?
A) Chan sect
B) Soto sect
C) Fuke sect
D) Rinzai sect
- 79. Which art form was used by Zen practitioners to communicate spiritual understanding?
A) sculpture
B) pottery
C) weaving
D) calligraphy
- 80. Which Chan monk painter's name is Muqi Fachang?
A) True
B) Not applicable
C) False
D) Unknown
- 81. What is the name of the collection written by Chōmei that discusses devotion to art?
A) Sumi-e
B) Zenga
C) Hosshinshū
D) Suizen
- 82. Which monastery is credited with developing the first institutionalized form of gōngfu?
A) Shaolin Monastery
B) Takuan Monastery
C) Wudang Monastery
D) Kongtong Monastery
- 83. What is the term used today for 'martial chan'?
A) Neigong
B) Qigong
C) Yangsheng
D) Wuchan
- 84. Who was the modern Chan master that discussed the adoption of internal cultivation exercises from the Shaolin tradition?
A) Wang Zuyuan
B) Sheng Yen
C) Hakuin
D) Takuan Sōhō
- 85. What is the practice called that involves focusing the mind and vital energy on the tanden?
A) Shikantaza
B) Kinhin
C) Zazen
D) Naikan
- 86. Which Korean Seon practice is similar to the active physical training in Zen?
A) Seonji
B) Seonbul
C) Seonrye
D) Sunmudo
- 87. Which Zen master promoted the 'correspondence of the teachings and Zen'?
A) Hakuin
B) Shunryu Suzuki
C) Guifeng Zongmi
D) Dogen
- 88. What metaphor is used in Zen to describe doctrinal teachings?
A) The finger pointing at the moon
B) The river flowing
C) The mountain standing
D) The tree in the forest
- 89. What is the ultimate goal in Zen?
A) Awakening
B) Studying Buddhist texts
C) Attaining enlightenment through rituals
D) Following scriptures
- 90. Which concept is emphasized by Linji- and Rinzai-focused traditions?
A) Monastic discipline
B) Special transmission outside scriptures
C) Scriptural study
D) Ritual practice
- 91. Which Zen master is known for promoting the unity of teachings and Zen?
A) Jinul
B) Hakuin Ekaku
C) Eihei Dogen
D) Shunryu Suzuki
- 92. Which Zen tradition focuses on meditation practice?
A) Linji
B) Soto
C) Rinzai
D) Theravada
- 93. What is the significance of the 'finger' in the Zen metaphor?
A) It represents awakening
B) It represents the teachings
C) It represents reality
D) It represents ignorance
- 94. Which Zen master is associated with the 'correspondence of the teachings and Zen'?
A) Yongming Yanshou
B) Eihei Dogen
C) Shunryu Suzuki
D) Hakuin Ekaku
- 95. What is the ultimate reality in Zen?
A) Is achieved through rituals
B) Is defined by teachings
C) Transcends all concepts
D) Is limited to scriptures
- 96. What is the role of the Prajñaparamita literature in Zen?
A) Influences doctrinal teaching
B) Is opposed by Zen
C) Is only partially related to Zen
D) Is irrelevant to Zen
- 97. What is the significance of the 'finger' in Zen practice?
A) It represents reality
B) It represents ignorance
C) It represents the teachings, not the ultimate goal
D) It represents awakening
- 98. What is the Sanskrit term for Buddha-nature?
A) Buddhadhātu
B) Dharmakaya
C) Bodhidharma
D) Sangha
- 99. What metaphor did Hongzhou use to describe the true mind?
A) A flowing river
B) A solid rock
C) A clear mirror
D) A burning flame
- 100. What is the ultimate principle in Zen from which all phenomena arise?
A) Karma
B) Samsara
C) Dharma
D) Li
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