Summary
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Zen. It's often thought of as a form of Buddhism that emphasises the practice of meditation over any particular set of beliefs. In fact Zen belongs to a particular intellectual tradition within Buddhism that took root in China in the 6th century AD. It spread to Japan in the early Middle Ages, where Zen practitioners set up religious institutions like temples, monasteries and universities that remain important today.
GUESTS
Tim Barrett, Emeritus Professor in the Department of the Study of Religions at SOAS, University of London
Lucia Dolce, Numata Reader in Japanese Buddhism at SOAS, University of London
Eric Greene, Lecturer in East Asian Religions at the University of Bristol
Producer: Luke Mulhall.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know. |
| 0:04.7 | My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds. |
| 0:08.5 | As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices. |
| 0:18.0 | What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars, |
| 0:24.6 | poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples. |
| 0:29.7 | If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds. |
| 0:36.0 | Thank you for downloading this episode of In Our Time. |
| 0:38.7 | For more details about in our time and for our terms of use please go to BBC.co. |
| 0:43.2 | UK slash radio 4. I hope you enjoy the program. |
| 0:47.0 | Hello quote if you meet the Buddha on the road to |
| 0:50.4 | Enlightenment kill him. |
| 0:53.0 | So said Linji, a teacher active in China in the 9th century AD. |
| 0:57.0 | Despite the somewhat contrary attitude expressed in this statement, |
| 1:01.0 | Linji was himself a Buddhist, an exponent of a branch of the religion |
| 1:04.3 | widely known in the West as Zen. Zen is a Japanese translation of Chan, the Chinese word for |
| 1:10.3 | meditation. It developed in China in the 6th century AD coming from 6th century |
| 1:14.9 | B. India. It emphasizes a monastic way of life, the practice of meditation and the use |
| 1:21.9 | of paradoxical riddles to help follow a |
| 1:24.2 | sidestep rational thought and achieve a state of sudden enlightenment. It came to |
| 1:28.7 | Japan in the Middle Ages and its strong impact eventually spilled into the West especially in America in the 20th century. |
| 1:35.2 | The religion developed under particular historical circumstances and it's played a significant role |
| 1:40.1 | in East Asian cultures and beyond. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.