means A state of calm, focused serenity; in its original sense, a school of Buddhism emphasizing meditation and direct insight over scripture and doctrine.

from The word travels a long road home: it's the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese 'chán,' which itself was borrowed from the Sanskrit 'dhyāna,' meaning meditation or deep absorption. So when you say 'zen,' you're echoing an ancient Indian word that crossed into China, settled in Japan, and only reached English in the late 19th to 20th century as Western interest in Buddhism grew — picking up its breezy, lowercase sense of 'effortless calm' along the way.