Kenshō Jap., lit. “seeing nature”; Zen expression for the experience of awakening (enlightenment). Since the meaning is “seeing one’s own true nature,” Kenshō is usually translated “self-realization.” Like all words that try to reduce the conceptually ungraspable experience of enlightenment to a concept, this one is also not entirely accurate and is even misleading, since the experience contains no duality of “seer” and “seen” because there is no “nature of self” as an object that is seen by a subj ect separate from it.
Semantically Kenshō has the same meaning as satori and the two terms are often used synonymously. Nevertheless it is customary to use the word satori when speaking of the enlightenment of the Buddha or the Zen patriarchs and to use the word Kenshō when speaking of an initial enlightenment experience that still requires to be deepened.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Kenshō documents
Books on Kenshō
External links