Satori - Definition and Overview

Satori (悟 Japanese satori; Chinese: wù) is a Zen Buddhist term for enlightenment. The word literally means "to understand". It is often used interchangeably with Kensho, but because Kensho refers to enlightened perception and Satori refers to a deeper understanding, it is customary to use Satori when referring to the enlightenment of the Buddha and the Patriarchs.

The Zen Buddhist experience commonly recognizes enlightenment as a transitory thing in life, almost synonymous with the English term epiphany, and Satori is the realization of a state of ephiphanic enlightenment. Because all things are transitory according to Zen philosophy, however, the transitory nature of Satori is not regarded as limiting in the way that a transitory epiphany would be in Western understandings of enlightenment.

The transitory nature of Satori, as opposed to the more enduring Nirvana that is sought in the Buddhist traditions of India, owes much to Taoist influences on Chán Buddhism in China, from which Zen Buddhism of Japan evolved. Taoism is a mystical philosophy that emphasizes the purity of the moment, whereas the Hindu roots of Indian Buddhism lend a longer view toward escaping the Karmic prison of perpetual reincarnation in the material world. From Taoism's attention to the importance of the moment and Mahayana Buddhism's almost nihilistic denial of the validity of individual existence, Zen Buddhism with its concept of the transitory state of Satori was born.

See also

• Kensho
• http://sped2work.tripod.com/satori.html

Satori in Paris (ISBN 0802130615) is also the title of a book by Jack Kerouac.