Zen Buddhist Religion

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.

Soko Morinaga was a Japanese liberal arts student who called up to the front line during World War II. At that time, he lost his parents, family’s land, and his trust in the world. Soko idled away his time for some days and decided to go to Zen temples. First, Soko went to meet Goto Zuigan Roshi, Master of Daishuin temple. After his master training him with trust, he retook his trust for others, especially for Master Roshi. Also, he made a vow to his master that to become a Zen monk. Then, Soko went to Daitokuji monastery. After few days of ordeal, Soko was allowed to enter to Daitokuji monastery. Soko had hard training and became a monk at Daitokuji monastery. At Daitokuji，Master Zuigan showed the meaning of trust for Soko. Trust can be categorized into three classes: trust in the world, trust in others, and self-confidence. In the essay “My Struggle To Become A Zen Monk, ” by introduced theme of trust and how it relates to the human problem of social trust.

The meditation began with violin music as students and teachers entered the church. The music continued for three or four minutes after everyone had found their seats. When the music concluded, the speaker walked to the lectern and began speaking. He started off his speech with an anecdote on his childhood fear of the film, “The Wizard of Oz.” He explained that as a child he felt frightened of even the most benign subjects-flying monkeys led to soiled pants. The meditation then lingered from specificity to a more general theme.

While this dimension is not as important as in some other faiths of a strongly sacramental kind, it is still highly regarded. This can be attributed to the fact that it is through certain rituals that the core experience of enlightenment is obtained. (Hope, 1995) The ritual central to the Buddhist faith is the practice of meditation. The importance of meditation is paramount because it was through meditation that Buddha was able to gain enlightenment. Consequently, Buddhists attempt to emulate Buddha when meditating by endeavouring to cultivate wisdom and compassion, whilst also trying to gain control of the mind and expel suffering. (Mudge et al, 1993) If a Buddhist is successful in accomplishing this then they are said to have gained enlightenment. In terms of mass rituals, Buddhism maintains a plethora of ceremonies dealing with both the 'Sangha' (Order of monks and nuns) and laity. The primary rituals concerning the 'Sangha' includes; the initiation ritual in which the shaving of the head is a common practice and the annual Kathina Festival, in which the laity of the faith offers fabric to the monks for their new robes. For the laity, worship is more personal than congregation. A common practice is the taking of the three refuges (See appendix 3), in which adherents chant the same three sayings in repetition. This type of chanting, along with meditation, are common acts of devotion in Buddhism. Recently

Zen Buddhism isn’t exactly a “religion”, but a way of living. It creates peace within the human mind that allows one to grow, develop and look at the world more positively. Originating in China in 650 C.E., Zen Buddhism is a combination between Indian Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism. Mahayana Buddhism promotes bodhisattva, which is practicing the way of life in the direction of Buddha. Taoism is a religion developed by Lao-tzu, a Taoist philosopher, and focuses on obtaining long life and good fortune. It was brought to China by an Indian monk named Bodhidharma. Eventually, Zen Buddhism began to spread to Japan in the twelfth century CE and Korea in the seventh century CE, and it eventually became very influential and popular in western society around the mid-twentieth century.

Zen Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism are considered as two popular schools in Mahayana Buddhism. The two are regarded as polar opposites. In this paper, I argue that Zen Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism are not entirely different, they still have underlying similarities instead.

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.

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.

The very first thing that happened in the book is that San the main character has to go to a new school but would rather stay and present his project to his class in Texas. Also as he gets his way his father ends up getting busted for having invalid licenses and working to get money illegally.

Zen, also known as Ch’an Buddhism in China, is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that was established in China about 1500 years ago. Zen is a form of religious practice of mainly concentrating the mind to a single point in which then results in self-realization and/or enlightenment. Zen philosophy is interpreted that all humans are capable of reaching enlightenment, which is generally blocked by ignorance. The idea emphasizes enlightened masters over forms of scriptures, and is the least “academic” of all the Buddhist schools.

Buddhism stands as a philosophy and a religion founding itself on the theory of a possible eternal soul. Until awakening is achieved, this eternal soul is locked in the vicious cycle of rebirth (Samsara). According to the Four Noble Truths preached by the Buddha, life is a perpetual suffering caused by desire and attachment, and freedom from suffering is only possible by practicing the Eightfold Path. The World is suffering in a succession of temptations and negative experiences from birth to death. Therefore Buddhism advises on searching to go beyond suffering, and only aspire to rest, nothingness, and liberation, into a final state called Nirvana. Happiness or Nirvana can eventually be achieved in a hereafter, another life, if man abandons any desire or perspective of action within his present life, in order to go past suffering.

Suzuki Roshi was a Zen master who had no special theory or philosophy about the Buddha Mind or any other subject, which made his ideas very elusive and paradoxical, although he did not intend to come across as bizarre. In Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind Zen, which was published before his death in 1971, he insisted that Zen Buddhism is not a competition, dogmas or a series of theological points that can be memorized but more a way of being. Thought or emotions cannot express the Buddha Mind or Buddha Nature, but only meditation and contemplation of the present moment. In reality, no past, present or future exist at all, but only the universal oneness of the Buddha Mind and understanding of it cannot be attained through struggle or setting artificial goals. Zen's reality is thoroughly grounded on everyday life and routines like baking bread or watching a waterfall, which symbolizes life. Through practice and meditation eventually students forget about the self and the ego. Many people wrongly imagine that Zen is another religion, when it is only a method of achieving Enlightenment. This was Buddha's real teaching, that in order to overcome karma and the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, it is necessary to overcome material desires, selfishness and ego and return to the primordial state of Nirvana. Buddha was incarnated on earth for many lifetimes before he learned how to overcome suffering and attachment to the body and the material sphere. He was the first to see the universal

Zen Buddhism can be fairly confusing to the average person; the teachings and stories may come across as arbitrary or nonsensical. However, do not let that deter you from getting to experience a religion that offers a highly different perspective of the world. The focus will be on analyzing some of the common themes of Zen Buddhism which is comprised in the “Zen Slogan” (associated with the First Patriarch). The phrase is: “a special transmission outside of the teachings not established upon words and letters; it directly points to the human mind and seeing one’s Nature one becomes a Buddha.” The goal is to explore the meanings that each of these lines convey, and how they might have been shaped by the previous ideologies of Indian

The quote comes from the story of a man who abandoned all he previously had in order to seek enlightenment and happiness through Zen Buddhism. In essence, he was trying to escape from the life of suffering he was currently living. He is receiving from harada-roshi what can be regarded as one of the core beliefs of the Buddhist religion. That is that every person has the ability to be a wise as the Buddha, but he can only achieve it through discipline.

A worldview is an overall theory of the world around you. A worldview is based on how a person views themselves, the world, life and their individual beliefs of the world. A worldview is influenced by life experiences, situations and attitudes adopted by and developed throughout their lives and sometimes change as we experience new things and adapt as we get older.