Ken wrote,
<<Zen is quite simple to follow from a historical standpoint. It started as
a
form of Buddhist training in India in the fourth and fifth centuries, was
carried to China a century later, then to Japan some 600 years after that.
The long incubation period in China allowed ancient Taoist principals to
influence its practice. Two main styles were started in Japan, Rinzai in
1191 by the monk Eisai, and Soto in 1227 by the monk Dogen. A great deal of
the American interest in Zen can be traced to the writings of Daisetz T.
Suziki, early in the twentieth century. After the second world war,
American writers such as Alan Watts have brought the written study of Zen to
a wide audience.>>
This supplies a more accurate answer to Robert J. Bradbury's query,
"Would you say that Zen is derived from Taoism?"
Thank you for the clarification.
Good luck with your new book.