Originally from Japan, Soyen Shaku was the first Zen master to arrive in America. His followers urged him not to come to a nation that was so ill-mannered and uncultivated and that the Japanese were facing extreme discrimination. Shaku’s countrymen Hirai Ryuge Kinzo “offered pointed examples: the barring of a Japanese student from a university on the basis of his race; the exclusion of Japanese children from the San Francisco public schools; the processions of American citizens bearing placards saying ‘Japs Must Go!’” (Eck 185). After several decades, there was a Zen boom of the 1950s and that was how Buddhism affected western culture, especially in regards to entertainment. “‘Zen’ is “the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese character "chan," which is in turn the Chinese translation from the Indian Sanskrit term "dhyana," which means meditation’” (Lin). …show more content…
According to Carl Bielefeldt, a professor of religious studies and co-director of the Center for Buddhist Studies at Stanford University: “American bookstores are filled with volumes on "Zen and the art of" this or that; Hollywood makes movies on the Dalai Lama and a Nazi's conversion to Tibetan Buddhism; and TIME magazine runs cover stories on America's fascination with Buddhism. Buddhist ideas appear in New Age religions, psychology, medicine, and even sports and business” (Religion). Buddhism can be seen in American pop culture. Richard Gere, an American actor and activist who promotes Tibetan independence. In an interview with Frontline, Gere is asked what he thinks the effect of films will have on politics and the general public as well in regards to Tibetan Buddhism. He said, “But again these are serious pieces of work and they'll generate a lot of talk, the Chinese will be very upset, both these films and all of the press around them and that will generate a lot of real politic I think”
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
The topic of Zen Buddhism and understanding how it fits into a framework that was designed to describe and compare religions is important because religion has a major impact on the world and to be able to understand and “explore” what the world has to offer is an important aspect of existence as a human being. Some might wonder why Zen Buddhism is important when it is not a major religion in the United States, but perhaps that is the very reason it is so important to understand Zen Buddhism and to be able to describe it in a way that allows one to make comparisons with more familiar religions in a standardized framework. Zen Buddhism in particular is interesting in the setting of the United States because as Americans we have had little experience with Buddhism. Shunryu Suzuki related in the book Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, that Americans start Buddhism with a very pure mind, a beginners mind, which allows us to understand the Buddha’s teaching as he meant them to be understood (138).
“Until the seventeenth century, Japanese Literature was privileged property. …The diffusion of literacy …(and) the printed word… created for the first time in Japan the conditions necessary for that peculiarly modern phenomenon, celebrity” (Robert Lyons Danly, editor of The Narrow Road of the Interior written by Matsuo Basho; found in the Norton Anthology of World Literature, Second Edition, Volume D). Celebrity is a loose term at times; it connotes fortune, flattery, and fleeting fame. The term, in this modern era especially, possesses an aura of inevitable transience and glamorized superficiality. Ironically, Matsuo Basho, (while writing in a period of his own newfound celebrity as a poet) places an obvious emphasis on the transience of life within his travel journal The Narrow Road of the Interior. This journal is wholly the recounting of expedition and ethos spanning a fifteen hundred mile feat, expressed in the form of a poetic memoir. It has been said that Basho’s emphasis on the Transient is directly related to his and much of his culture’s worldview of Zen Buddhism, which is renowned for its acknowledgement of the Transient as a tool for a more accurate picture of life and a higher achievement of enlightenment. Of course, in the realization that Basho does not appear to be unwaveringly religious, perhaps this reflection is not only correlative to Zen Buddhism, but also to his perspective on his newfound celebrity. Either way, Matsuo Basho is a profound lyricist who eloquently seeks to objectify and relay the concept of transience even in his own name.
The Way and the Religion of the Samurai The rise of the samurai started in Japan around 900 B.C. to 250 A.D. They had developed weapons, armor and a code and this evolved into a model for the medieval samurai. Their weapons included bows, arrows and swords. Their armor was made up of a designed helmet, a breastplate, arm, chest and shoulder plates and a belly plate.
In this essay I will discuss the many aspects and ideals of Asian Religions along with their impact and the role they play within the United States. I had a few questions that I had to try and find answers for, in order to complete the connection of Asian Religions to the United States. Why are some Americans and westerners finding Asian Religions as well as Asian thought and philosophy to be more gratifying than traditional western religions and philosophy? How are Asian Religions perceived and practiced here in the United States as opposed to its place of origination? Finally, is there further growth of the Asian Religions as well as philosophy still possible here in the United States and the west? All of the answers to these questions will try and explain the place Asian Religions have here in the United States.
In a quote from the Dalai Lama he says, “My religion is very simply. My religion is kindness.” IN buddhism where the main goal is happiness, that quote seems to explain it all. The fact of the matter is, religion has been around since the beginning of mankind; religion gave people faith, structure, and a way of life. Without it people begin to lose their sense of direction and purpose. In today’s society there are over 4,200 religions, and they continue to aid people in their life and accommodate to their needs of self-knowledge. In comparison to Cao Dai, Eckankar and Jainism, Buddhism is a religion because of its similar beliefs, the way it's practiced, and its head figure.
Buddhism survived as the prime religion in Japan over Shintoism because of the way it went about seeking control appealed to all rather than few. There are few religions that dominate as greatly as Buddhism and Shinto in Japan. One was established by the Japanese themselves while the other was introduced by trade. Both manipulated their citizens and maintained control. However, Buddhism is the one that truly triumphed in its actions.
Published in 1958, Jack Kerouac’s, The Dharma Bums is a short novel depicting the adventures and newfound buddhist ideals of Kerouac and his friends. Like many of Kerouac’s other novels, The Dharma Bums contains stories of mad partying, immense drinking, and forms of transcendence and escapism. Although, The Dharma Bums differs from Kerouac’s other novels in the way that it goes about finding transcendence. For example, instead of simply letting go of responsibility, inhibition, and social norms, in The Dharma Bums, Kerouac uses buddhism as a vessel to find a more meaningful way of letting go of these ideas. Not only, but in The Dharma Bums Kerouac uses his ideas of buddhism in almost every aspect of the novel, whether it be through his fast-paced
The popularity of Buddhism in America became most pronounce in the period after World War II. It is interesting to note that the United States had just concluded the most devastating war in human history, with the first use of the atomic bomb on the Empire of Japan, yet the Japanese of style Buddhism took hold in America more than other school after the war. It could be said that the main figure head of Japanese, or more precisely, Zen Buddhism, in America was the author and intellectual Dr. D.T. Suzuki. In terms of the American expression of Buddhism, Suzuki had more influence over the interpretation of Zen philosophy than any other writer of the time.
This video lecture course is about Buddhism and how it is valid in the terms of modern psychology, hence the name Buddhism and Modern Psychology. In this essay, I will answer two questions pertaining to the topic of how Buddhism in the eyes of psychology is valid. The questions have been chosen out of a list and they are the ones that I felt were most relevant to the topic.
Siddhartha Gautama is famously known as Gautama Buddha and was the founder of the idea of Buddhism. The Buddha was known to possess supernatural powers and abilities. He was born in the holy land of Nepal and his journey began in India when he decided to travel and teach himself about life. In the midst of his journey, he discovered Buddhism after he experienced a profound realization of the nature of life, death and existence. Buddhism became a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and since then Buddhism has been popular throughout many civilizations. Buddhism is now one of the most ancient religions in the world, where people follow Buddha, which stand for “awakened one,” and Buddhism which has gained popularity because of the teachings of the Buddha.
In fact, in the beginning I faced a difficulty that where I should go for my final assignment. Until one night when I was having dinner, I talked this problem to my host mother, who is a Japanese woman. She asked me what religions I had learned from this class. Then I said that I had learned about Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam. She was surprised that Buddhism was not included in this class. Plus, she knew that Buddhism is one of the most popular religions in China. Thus, she suggested me that I go to visit a Japanese Buddhist Temple, where is located closely in my house. When I first heard this suggestion, I was pretty interested in it. It was because I do not really know much about Buddhism, even although I am a Chinese, and I am very interested in Japanese culture. Also, I knew that Japan culture had been influencing not only in my hometown, but every corner in the world. Hence, I accepted my host mother suggestion to visit this Japanese Buddhist Temple in the following Friday, because I thought it would be a great opportunity to understand this influential culture and religion, which we did not discuss in this class.
Prior to my enrollment in this class, I did not have exposure or any type of familiarity with the Zen tradition. The uniquely Japanese branch of Buddhism has indeed flourished, and focuses on eliminating the sources of human suffering, or in other words, dukkha. On its simplest level, the effect on the development of this Japanese-Buddhist culture continues to resonate among its followers, as it did approximately 2500 years ago. However, there is a question that remains to an even larger extent. How actually did Zen come to influence not only the worlds of art, literature, and architecture, but also popular culture and Western life? The connection involving Zen and art is incredibly mystifying, because upon examination Zen art itself appears to be very modern. Shunryu Suzuki explains that “Zen practice is the direct expression of our true nature” (32). He also mentions “when you practice Zen, you become one with Zen” (49). Fully exposing ourselves to foreign notions may be strange, but at which point is it that Zen transcends into art?
Masashi Kishimoto 's Naruto is a manga/anime that was published in 1997 and has since been very popular in Japanese culture. Masashi Kishimoto is a Buddhist manga writer and through his work of Naruto was able to incorporate Buddhist values and characteristics to the manga/anime. Buddhism is what helped form the creation of Naruto. By doing this, Kishimoto wanted to make an impact on Japanese culture by reviving the lost interest in Buddhism. Just like many other Buddhist 's, Kishimoto wanted to change the way the Japanese youth perceived religion, and he was able to accomplish that in a secretive way. I will argue that the mange/anime Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto is culturally significant to Japanese culture due to its religious connection
Japan is a large island off to the east of China it is a great country that has a rich culture. The Japanese religion is based off of two main beliefs, the belief in Shinto and Buddhism many Japanese people believe consider themselves both. The Japanese people were known to be around as early as 4,500 B.C. They have constructed their government style to a constitutional monarchy where they do in fact have an emperor, but he has limited power within the country. The main power of the country is held by the Prime Minister of Japan. Japan is made up of many islands that extend along the Pacific coast of Asia. The land area is made up of a lot of forest and mountainous area that cannot be used for agricultural, industrial or residential use. Japan also has one of the largest and growing economies in the world. They are growing every day and it is all because the people of Japan work very hard in order for their economy to flourish as it has.