What Does Zen Mean?

What Does Zen Mean? What does Zen mean? The word Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation (kana: ぜん) of the Middle Chinese word 禪 (Middle Chinese: [dʑian]; pinyin: Chán), which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna (ध्यान), which can be approximately translated as “contemplation” or “absorption” or “meditative state”. What does