Koan Essay

A brief comparison between Zen and Pure Land Buddhism, both of these are very popular amongst the Vietnamese community. The word Zen has been used many times in the West, due to the hard work of Japanese culture; Zen Buddhism does not have a strong influence as that of the Pure Land Buddhism. Also in the school of Zen, "they reject claims of scriptural authority and embrace many different practices". Zen Buddhism rests on claims to an exclusive lineage that has been passed down from teacher to disciple in a succession from "Shakyamuni", or the historical "Buddha", all the way to the present day.

Even though Zen and Pure Land Buddhism are usually considered to be quite different, they are actually part of the same type of Buddhism, Mahayana, and thus have an underlying similarity. This essay will argue that, in particular, the Mahayana concepts of non-duality and no-self are present in both schools, and that the ways employed in each school to reach their respective goals can be analyzed in a similar fashion, proving that these two schools are part of, rather than deviations of, Mahayana Buddhism.

The Kamakura shogunate had control of Japan for over a century but collapsed in 1332 which resulted in civil wars afterward. These civil wars lead to the rise of the Ashikaga clan and thus began the Muromachi period which lasted from 1333 to 1573. During this period, Zen Buddhism and older traditions became popular again. Zen was mainly focused on rigorous discipline and personal responsibility which influenced samurai and aristocrats, and merchants to place high value in loyalty, courage and self-control. This wasn’t just a religion to these people but became centers of culture and art. In this period, gardens played a major role in the lives of the Zen Buddhist because these karesansui rock gardens gave monks a place to meditate without the

The aspiration of all sentient beings is to reach enlightenment; to realize their Buddha-nature and ascend to Buddhahood. The path and method to reach enlightenment, however, differs depending on the perspective from which one views Buddhism. Dogen, in his teachings on Zen Buddhism, promotes the practice of zazen to reach enlightenment. Shinran and the Pure Land sect are devoted to Amida Buddha, who they believe will bring them to the Pure Land, and enlightenment. The ways espoused by Dogen and Shinran are similar in some aspects, but differing enough in others to warrant the separate sects of Buddhism in Japan. For the purposes of this examination, the two sects can be summarized by how they look at reaching enlightenment: Zen Buddhism focuses inwardly, while Pure Land focuses outwardly. By examining their own words on how one is to reach enlightenment, the similarities and differences in their methods can be seen, allowing a better understanding of the teachings of their respective sects.

“What does Eastern Religions mean to Americans?” Starting in the 19th century, Buddhism began to make its way to America through the immigration of the Chinese whom brought their religious traditions with them. Buddhism continued to gain popularity in America when Buddhist texts, as well as Buddhist teachers, were brought here to share and spread their religion. It wasn’t until the late 1950’s/early 1960’s that we see the interest in Buddhism, particularly Zen Buddhism, blossom throughout the country. Through the memoir “Sacred Hoops” by Phil Jackson, an NBA player and coach, we are able to see how Zen Buddhism not only altered his life, as well as his players, but how the religion also adapts to American culture. From reading both “Sacred Hoops” and learning about Buddhism throughout this semester, I would argue that Eastern religions, specifically Zen Buddhism, is not only a way for Americans to escape the reality of American culture but also provides a complete alternative to Christianity and other similar religions that are predominate in America.

It's all well and good to explain Zen Buddhist doctrine, but Zen is a much more abstract idea. A British researcher and Buddhist, Christmas Humphreys, says it is hard to relate Zen within time and space also, “[f]or Zen is not a new thing but a new way of looking at things. It is a new vision with the old eyes.” (Humphreys 99) Zen is best seen through the actions of those who practice for those who wish to gain a basic understanding, and Matthew is my nearest and dearest example of a practicing Buddhist.

Among the most poignant aspects of The Dharma Bums is Kerouac’s ability to use long narratives to pull his readers into the experiences of the characters. The Dharma Bums is replete with the explanation of the experiences of ancient Zen Buddhist thinkers and their experiences as they search for enlightenment. Kerouac constantly accesses the ancient writings of Zen Buddhist monks. Using such writings as a

AT: Zen Buddhism was the main religion in #Medieval #Japan especially among the Samurais who meditated to eliminate their fears. #cncfacts

Buddhism’s main focus was on the evil and vanity of humanity’s existence. Buddhism’s main goal was to be freed from the cycle of rebirth. There was also Zen Buddhism, which was the main religion of the samurai in Japan. In a way, Zen Buddhism is not a religion at all. Later, Confucianism was introduced by the Chinese in the 6th Century. Confucianism’s goal was to maintain the proper relationship between the ruler and the ruled.

Zen is hard to describe in words, here are a few phrases that can help describe Zen; “Zen is more an attitude then belief, Zen is the peace that comes from being one with the entity other than yourself, and Zen means experiencing fully the present , and delighting in the basic miracle of life itself (Taoism.net).” I can see how some people can watch the movie Point Break and make certain comparisons on how Bodhi and his crew live their life and that of some principals of Buddhism by their thoughts, but their actions are showing otherwise. “This was never about money for us, It was about us against the system. That system killed the human spirit. We stand for something.” His principal thoughts of Buddhism and what his actions are complete opposite of one another. Bodhi thoughts could be believable to someone who isn’t that familiar with the Buddhist religion and could easily convince a group of people to believe in his cause if they had events that effected the way their lives turned out.

Buddhism is one of the largest religions in the world, and it is continually expanding throughout the world. Buddhism comes from "budhi", which means "to awaken", the goal of Buddhism. Buddhism is a very open and adaptive religion. Because of this, there are over 80,000 different types of Buddhism. The two most widest beleived being Mahayanna and Theraveda. There are about 3-4 million Buddhists in America now. Buddhism is rich in history and it appeals to millions, as it spreads messages of peace, equality, and fairness with little or no commitment needed on the follower.

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

The Ritual of the Six-syllable Sutra was prominent during the Heian (794-1185 C.E.) period and was made available mostly to the elite class and the emperor. Around the same time traditional Chinese and Korean medicine was coming to the island. This ritual is a perfect example of the syncretic aspect of Japanese religions. It consisted of several Buddhist influences mixed with the Shinto beliefs of Kegare or pollution, although it is always hard to differentiate between rituals that are “imported” and “native”

Later on, the Japanese adapted another religion, Buddhism. Like Shinto, Buddhism is also a polytheistic religion. Moreover, because Shinto does not explain the afterlife while Buddhism does, these two religions co-existed in Japanese culture. Many people adapt to both religions' belief system at the same time. Zen Buddhism became widely adapted by the samurais later on during the Warrior Period. Zen Buddhism focuses on the discipline of individuals, one of the many reasons why samurais are seen as very refined warriors. They are often portrayed as being able to sense an enemy's attacks before they actually happen. This is an exaggeration of a samurai's ability to concentrate and focus on a goal. The samurais often use a Zen Buddhism technique called "Za Zen" to help clear their mind. A practical religion, Zen Buddhism helps to enhance self-discipline and improve one's self-concentration. One of the teachings of Zen Buddhism is "Bushin," meaning the clarification of the mind. A cleared mind allows the samurais to concentrate better on the task at hand and respond faster to enemies' attacks, make Zen Buddhism a very attractive religion to these warriors. Martial arts in Japan today also stress the importance of concentration. However, Bushin no longer applies to solely concentration in combat, but to all forms of concentration. For example, practicing martial arts is said to effective for improving one's performance at work due to better concentration

Zen Buddhism Ireland is an “Irish-based Buddhist sangha of practitioners in the Soto Zen tradition.” and that they “belong to the lineage of Nishijima Roshi”. Sōtō Zen is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism with the Nishijima Roshi lineage following the teachings of Gudo Wafu Nishijima (29 November 1919 – 28 January 2014). Zen Buddhism Ireland also lists three associated dojos/meditation groups and they are Bray Meditation Space, Cork Zen Dojo and Ranelagh Zen