Short answers, pulled from the story.
The word Zen comes from the Japanese pronunciation of a Middle Chinese term that traces back to the Sanskrit word dhyana meaning contemplation or meditative state. This tradition developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism with Chinese Taoist thought.
A semi-legendary figure named Bodhidharma brought these teachings to China from India or Central Asia around the 5th century CE. He introduced dhyana practices that would eventually evolve into distinct sub-schools across East Asia.
Silent illumination represents another major approach promoted by Caodong school figures like Hongzhi Zhengjue between 1091 and 1157 CE. This method involves withdrawal from exclusive focus on particular sensory objects without conceptualizing grasping goal seeking or subject-object duality.
Traditional Rinzai curricula can take fifteen years to complete for full-time practitioners according to scholar Hori. The process includes standardized checking questions and capping phrases that must be memorized by monks.
Statistics published by the Soto school indicate eighty percent of laypeople visit temples only for funerals and death-related matters. Only seventeen percent attend for spiritual reasons while three percent seek help during personal trouble or crisis times.