Zen is the Japanese translation of the Chinese word Chan (禪). Chan, the short form of the word Channa (禅那), is the translated from the Sanskrit word Dhyana which in turn comes from the Pali word Jhana. Jhana has been referred to in the Pali sutras as the meditative absorption state which the Buddha reached to attained enlightenment. It is thus not surprising that the practice of Zen is almost exclusively meditation or zazen (坐禅).