野や狐こ禅ぜん

noun

self-styled Zen; dabbling in Zen; sciolism

A Zen term for someone who pretends to understand Zen but has only superficial knowledge; often used critically. The word literally means 'wild fox Zen', referring to a false teacher. Compare 生禅 (namazen), which also means shallow or unripe Zen.

See also: 生禅

• 彼かれの禅ぜんの話はなしは野や狐こ禅ぜんに過すぎない。

  His talk about Zen is nothing more than self-styled Zen.

• 野や狐こ禅ぜんに惑まどわされないように、きちんとした師しについて学まなびなさい。

  Don't be misled by shallow Zen; study under a proper teacher.