The word Zen was foreign to the Western world a while ago. But because of the realization that Zen plays a major role in Asian arts such as the Japanese tea ceremony, Japanese poetry (haiku), flower arrangement, calligraphy and landscaping, Zen’s influence has become familiar to them. As a result, anyone has at least once heard the word Zen these days, but not many people can explain what that means despite its increasing popularity. The mystical nature is as strong as ever. One of the reasons is that Zen is not supposed to be explained in words, but rather to be experienced by individuals. For instance, if someone does not know what pasta is, it is difficult to explain pasta to that person no matter how good you are at describing it. In the end, you have to experience it by yourself if you want to know what it really like. It is like “experiencing is believing.” In addition, Zen is not an action but it is an attitude of mind. You do not need to learn anything new because the answers are already inside you. You just need to become one with nature and be aware. Now, what is the origin of Zen and what impact Zen is having on our culture and health? …show more content…
Zen and Buddhism
Zen is a Japanese word. So, it is natural that some people assume it is a Japanese belief, but actually the Japanese borrowed the word from Chinese Ch’an, which was influenced by Buddhism ideas. Of course, Buddhism came from India and Ch’an was adopted from the Sanskrit word dhyana, meaning
-Nara’s Buddhist temples were another result of cultural diffusion, Buddhist began in India in 500s B.C.E. about 1,000 years later, it came to Japan from China by way of Korea.
Zen themes may be familiar to a student of religion, since they arise from Buddhism. The Buddha, Sidhartha Gautama, is said to have achieved his four noble truths about the nature of existence through meditation.
1200CE. The Tang Dynasty Tales and The Diary of Lady Murasaki helped surface the Chinese
... middle of paper ... ... Wherever Zen Buddhism fits in exactly between secular and spiritual is hard to tell, and like Suzuki said perhaps Zen is a religion before religion and the appreciation of our original nature as strange as it might sound to us is even described as “unusual” to Suzuki himself (124). It is clear however that Zen fits into Young’s framework and perhaps with a beginner’s mind one can make use of this and find for themselves the answers to at least part of the questions about their own life.
Zen in the Art of Archery, by Eugen Herrigel describes the ritualistic arts of discipline and focus that the Zen religion focuses around. In this book, Herrigel describes many aspects of how archery is, in fact, not a sport, but an art form, and is very spiritual to those in the east. The process he describes shows how he overcame his initial inhibitions and began to look toward new ways of seeing and understanding. In the beginning of the book Herrigel tells us that he is writing about a ritual and religious practice, “whose aim consists in hitting a spiritual goal, so that fundamentally the marksman aims at himself and may even succeed in hitting himself.” (Herrigel p. 4) Through his studies, the author discovers that within the Zen ritual actions, archery in this case, there lies a deeper meaning. Herrigel explains throughout this book that it is not through the actual physical aspect of shooting arrows at targets that archery is Zen, but through the art and spirituality through which it is performed. It is not merely shooting an arrow to hit a target, but becoming the target yourself and then, in turn, hitting yourself spiritually. By meeting this spiritual goal, you will then meet the physical goal. The struggle then is, therefore not with the arrow or the target but within oneself.
Throughout History, there have been many different groups or events that are still widely known today. Groups of people such as the Indians or Vikings are popular groups which are referenced constantly in today’s society. However, none of these groups is more known or referenced than the Japanese Samurai. Originating in 646 AD, these Japanese warriors developed from a loose organization of farmers to the dominant social class in Feudal Japan. Along with their dominant military and political standing, the samurai brought with them a unique code or moral belief that became the core of Samurai culture. Because of this, the Samurai and their principles still affect modern day Japanese society with social customs today deriving directly and indirectly from the beliefs of the Samurai.
Western Influence on Japan Japan, as a nation, is a continually changing society. Ever since Western nations became involved with Japan, its changes over recent times. have increased at a substantial rate. Japan now faces cultural, economic and economic challenges. and social differences as a result of the western involvement.
Zen Buddhism teaches a concept called wu-nien, or “no-thought”. This, of course, is not a literal absence of thought, but rather a detachment from the thoughts of one’s own mind.... ... middle of paper ... ... During the relatively peaceful Tokugawa period, the samurai were not as occupied with waging war as they had been in the past, and as such they had begun devoting their time to other things.
Compare And Analysis The Japanese Buddhism And Indo Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy founded by Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India during the period from the late 6th century to the early 4th century BC. Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played an influential role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of much of the Eastern world. It is the prevailing religious force in most of Asia (India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet). ‘Buddhism’ is reformulated and re-expressed in different cultures and at different times, adopting and redefining aspects of the cultures in which it has taken root. Today, there are about 300 million followers. (Yamplosky) The Indian religion Buddhism, founded in the sixth century BC, is one of the common features of Asian civilization, and Buddhist institutions and believers are found all over East, South, and Southeast Asia. While Buddhism is now just a minority belief in the country of it’s founding, it remains a significant religious and cultural force in Japan today. Buddhism started in India and made its way to China and Korea. From there, it ended up in Japan. Buddhism went through several different periods before it became Japan's national religion. In indo Buddhism, the temple is the main sanctuary, in which services, both public and private, are performed but Japanese Buddhism is mainly hub of individual activities and services. Similarly to Japanese Buddhism, in Indo Buddhism the monastery is a complex of buildings, located usually in a spot chosen for its beauty and seclusion. Its function is to house the activities of the monks. Images are important features of temples, monasteries, and shrines in both Indo a...
Japan is part of our world that not many people know, for the few that do, they know that Japan is filled with an extraordinary history. Some of the history starts with little traditions like, the tradition of kimono’s, to big ones such as their well known Japanese festivals. Ancient Japan was a series of islands and many cultural expansions which included religion, armies, art, classic traditions, and their type of clothing. Ancient Japanese is still alive today, from basic works of art, to then a following of certain religions such as Shinto and Buddhism. Many Americans don’t the cultural aspects that were attributed by many across the world, they don’t know that many of those aspects made what Japan is today in society.
Each and every culture follows a certain set of distinct practices that are distinct and specific to each individual culture. The common Western perception of Japan's ambiguous practices stems from the extreme difference in views correlated with the widespread lack of knowledge concerning the ancient culture steeped in tradition. Japan's widely Buddhist population is known for their calm acceptance of death as a part of life. One particular, perplexing cultural practice is the tradition of writing jisei, or "death poetry" when on the verge of death. A thorough understanding of Japanese Death Poems provides an explicitly accurate depiction of the Japanese attitude towards death and the Zen Buddhist philosophy that helped form this attitude.
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.
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.
While still following a similar Buddhist lifestyle, the Japanese believe in a variation of Mahayana Buddhism, called Zen Buddhism that focuses mainly on meditation. Despite popular belief, Zen Buddhism is not a religion, but instead a “practical application.” Contrary to Chinese practices, Japanese Zen is not an agent for moral growth but alternatively, focuses on a peaceful mind. One of the biggest aspects of Zen Buddhism is meditation. Teachers of Zen believe that chanting is a catalyst for the deep self-discovery and inward experience that is meditation, and even occasionally an impetus for enlightenment. The understanding of chanting in relationship to Zen comes after grasping what meditation is on its own. A totally calm mind from a complete release of thoughts, a completely relaxed physical feeling, and a hyper-awareness of the body and mind’s current state: that is meditation. Chanting encourages successful meditation by allowing the participant to submit to the rhythmic patterns of the chants and to produce sounds without feeling it necessary to attempt to decipher what they mean and why they are saying them. By allowing an individual to be submersed in something outside of themselves, it allows them to dive deeper into this meditative state. While internal focus is important, the Japanese believe that chanting is as much an opportunity to connect as a community and learn to embrace others as it is to learn about yourself. Group chanting sessions are common in monasteries and classes in Japan. Each person has their own journey, but no one will ever get anywhere alone; Zen Buddhist chanting promotes this group
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.