Chan, from Sanskrit dhyāna, took shape in China from the sixth century, tracing itself to Bodhidharma. It presented itself as a special transmission outside the scriptures, pointing directly to the mind. Its teachers used dialogue, paradox and meditation, and it spread to Korea as Seon, Vietnam as Thiền and Japan as Zen.
Chan
The Chinese meditation school of Buddhism, which emphasizes direct insight into one’s own nature; Zen in Japan.
Also: Ch’an, Seon, Thien