---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Different schools of Zen have evolved…"
description: "\"Different schools of Zen have evolved, principally the Rinzai and Soto orders. A whole hierarchy has developed for the teaching and practice of Zen. Ze..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/frederick-lenz-8_certain_different-schools-of-zen-have-evolved-pr_3201715.jpg"
---

#  Different schools of Zen have evolved, principally the…

![“Different schools of Zen have evolved, principally the Rinzai and Soto orders. A whole hierarchy has developed for the teaching and practice of Zen. Zen has become, to a certain degree, institutionalized.” quote by Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/frederick-lenz-8_certain_different-schools-of-zen-have-evolved-pr_3201715.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/frederick-lenz-8_certain_different-schools-of-zen-have-evolved-pr_3201715.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/frederick-lenz-8_certain_different-schools-of-zen-have-evolved-pr_3201715.jpg)

> “Different schools of Zen have evolved, principally the Rinzai and Soto orders. A whole hierarchy has developed for the teaching and practice of Zen. Zen has become, to a certain degree, institutionalized.”

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Zen has split into Rinzai and Soto, becoming institutionalized over time.

**In simple terms:** Zen split into schools and became institutionalized.

Key Takeaway

Recognize Zen’s evolution and its institutional aspects.

Themes

spirituality tradition institutionalization

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

philosophical scholarly

When to use this quote

- academic study
- meditation retreats
- spiritual communities
- cultural analysis

Key Concepts

Zen Buddhism Rinzai Soto religious hierarchy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does institutional structure affect personal practice?
- Can Zen remain authentic within institutions?

A Different Perspective

Institutionalization may limit the original spontaneity of Zen practice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Hierarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hierarchy/) [Introduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/introduction/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/)

## Related quotes

> [A well known Los Angeles newspaper referred to a small group of gentlemen who live up on a mountain and practice Zen as 'the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-well-known-los-angeles-newspaper-referred-to-a-small-group-of/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [People who practice Zen correctly are not spaced-out or unrealistic. They are balanced and grounded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/people-who-practice-zen-correctly-are-not-spaced-out-or-unrealistic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [The theory of Zen is non-competition. But that is not really true at all. People who practice Zen are very competitive. They are competing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-theory-of-zen-is-non-competition-but-that-is-not-really-true-at/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Every place is a place to practice. Every time is a time to practice. Zen is concerned with the thought we have this moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-porter/every-place-is-a-place-to-practice-every-time-is-a-time-to-practice/)

[Bill Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-porter/)

> [“Zen has been called the "religion before religion," which is to say that anyone can practice, including those committed to another faith. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/zen-has-been-called-the-religion-before-religion-which-is-to-say-that/)

[Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/)

> [“It is said that there are four kinds of horses: excellent ones, good ones, poor ones, and bad ones. The best horse will run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/it-is-said-that-there-are-four-kinds-of-horses-excellent-ones-good/)

[Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/)

> [To practice Zen Buddhism is to train oneself to eliminate hatred, anger and selfishness and to develop loving-kindness towards all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thich-thien-an/to-practice-zen-buddhism-is-to-train-oneself-to-eliminate-hatred/)

[Thich Thien-An](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thich-thien-an/)

> [“Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Bodhidharma, Sosan – they are the Masters of this law of reverse effect. And this is the difference between Yoga…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/lao-tzu-chuang-tzu-bodhidharma-sosan-they-are-the-masters-of-this-law/)

[Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/)

> [Someone who wants to attain enlightenment must be brave. He must rush into the crowd of enemies with a dagger. In the practice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamada-koun/someone-who-wants-to-attain-enlightenment-must-be-brave-he-must-rush/)

[Yamada Koun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamada-koun/)

> [“I came to think of it as a kind of zen practice: the Zen of not fucking up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/i-came-to-think-of-it-as-a-kind-of-zen-practice-the-zen-of-not/)

[Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/)

> [“Meditation does not have to be long or complicated for you to receive its benefits. If you haven’t done it before, I suggest you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/meditation-does-not-have-to-be-long-or-complicated-for-you-to-receive/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Coming back to America was, for me, much more of a cultural shock than going to India. The people in the Indian countryside don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/coming-back-to-america-was-for-me-much-more-of-a-cultural-shock-than/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [Zen is really extraordinarily simple as long as one doesn't try to be cute about it or beat around the bush! Zen is simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/zen-is-really-extraordinarily-simple-as-long-as-one-doesn-t-try-to-be/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [To practice Zen means to realize one's existence in the beauty and clarity of this present moment, rather than letting life unravel in useless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-daishin-buksbazen/to-practice-zen-means-to-realize-one-s-existence-in-the-beauty-and/)

[John Daishin Buksbazen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-daishin-buksbazen/)

> [“Activities such as chanting, bowing, and sitting in zazen are not at all wasted, even when done merely formally, for even this superficial encounter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-harold-cook/activities-such-as-chanting-bowing-and-sitting-in-zazen-are-not-at/)

[Francis Harold Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-harold-cook/)

## More by Frederick Lenz

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Only alone can you go into eternity. Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Karma means changing planes of reality or changing fields of attention. There will be perhaps a resulting physical action stemming from the change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/karma-means-changing-planes-of-reality-or-changing-fields-of/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. There isn't really such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-and-i-are-both-life-there-s-just-the-experience-of-every-moment/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Why waste your time being around people who drag you down? You don't live forever, at least in this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/why-waste-your-time-being-around-people-who-drag-you-down-you-don-t/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Everybody here is so caught up in the game of life they don't see death. They don't see beyond their deaths. They are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everybody-here-is-so-caught-up-in-the-game-of-life-they-don-t-see/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

[Explore all 4,399 Frederick Lenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## More Certain quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/)

[Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/)

> [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/)

Riffat Hassan

> [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/)

[Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/)

> [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/)

[Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/)

> [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/)

T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings

> [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/)

[Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/)

> [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/)

[Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/)

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Different schools of Zen have evolved, principally the Rinzai and Soto orders. A whole hierarchy has developed for the teaching and practice of Zen. Zen has become, to a certain degree, institutionalized.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frederick Lenz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/different-schools-of-zen-have-evolved-principally-the-rinzai-and-soto/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Certain"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/different-schools-of-zen-have-evolved-principally-the-rinzai-and-soto/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/frederick-lenz-8_certain_different-schools-of-zen-have-evolved-pr_3201715.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/frederick-lenz-8_certain_different-schools-of-zen-have-evolved-pr_3201715.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/frederick-lenz-8_certain_different-schools-of-zen-have-evolved-pr_3201715.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Different schools of Zen have evolved, principally the Rinzai and Soto orders. A whole hierarchy has…” — Frederick Lenz",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Frederick Lenz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Different schools of Zen have evolved,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/different-schools-of-zen-have-evolved-principally-the-rinzai-and-soto/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/different-schools-of-zen-have-evolved-principally-the-rinzai-and-soto/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
