Zen Gardens 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.

Pure Land Buddhism offers a way to enlightenment for people who can’t handle the subtleties of meditation, endure long rituals, or just live especially good lives. The essential practice in Pure Land Buddhism is the chanting of the name Amitabha Buddha with total concentration, trusting that one will reborn in Pure Land, where it is much easier for a being to work towards enlightenment. Pure Land Buddhism is particularly popular in China and Japan.

I’m not the Indian you had in mind; a video that was written and directed by Thomas King challenges the stereotypical image that America has towards Native Americans. King is also the author of a short novel “A seat in the Garden”. This short story also challenges the established perspective that American society has towards the Native Americans. There are various stereotypes and perspectives that a majority of the public has toward a particular group. For example some of the common stereo types that are seen throughout the media are that all Asians are good at math, women are primarily sex objects, All Africans like fried chicken, and all Mexicans are gangsters. These stereo types are not completely true for an entire group, yet they

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.

Analyze the story structure: Tell the children that thinking about the story’s plot helps readers to understand what happens in the beginning, the middle, and the end of a story. Review plot if needed. “Let’s reread City Garden and notice what happens in the beginning, the middle and the end. “

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

Meditation is very difficult to describe and can only truly be explained once experienced. It is the practice of mental concentration leading ultimately through a sequence of stages to the final goal of spiritual freedom, nirvana. The purpose of Buddhist meditation is to free ourselves from the delusion and thereby put an end to both ignorance and craving. The Buddhists describe the culminating trance-like state as transient; final Nirvana requires the insight of wisdom. The exercises that are meant to develop wisdom involve meditation on the true nature of reality or the conditioned and unconditioned elements that make up all phenomena. The goal of meditation is to develop a concept in the mind.

A slow yet, gradual increase of individuals in the West are coming to terms about the positive efforts of socially engaged Buddhism. Actualizing that modern Buddhism in Asia has transformed into this meditative vehicle for spiritual liberation which includes liberation movements for social and political changes. Engaged Buddhism is a form of dedication through movements committed to addressing social, political, economic and environmental concerns including the spiritual needs of beings. In efforts to solve problems of extreme magnitudes, specifically during times of social crisis. keeping Buddhist philosophy's at the forefront of these movements, they manage to propagate widespread awareness of current asian issues.

The essay "In Search of Our Mother's Gardens" by contemporary American novelist Alice Walker is one that, like a flashbulb, burns an afterimage in my mind. It is an essay primarily written to inform the reader about the history of African American women in America and how their vibrant, creative spirit managed to survive in a dismal world filled with many oppressive hardships. This piece can be read, understood, and manage to conjure up many emotions within the hearts and minds of just about any audience that reads it. However, Walker targets African American women in today's society in an effort to make them understand their heritage and appreciate what their mothers and grandmothers endured to

I fell in love with the first Buddhist I ever met. That is to say I fell in love with a man who is a Buddhist. I, however, am not a Buddhist. I have faith in what I find to be right rather than committing to a religion that I would not wholeheartedly believe in. It would seem that a difference in our spiritual practices may be a strain on our relationship, but in truth our faith lies in similar areas. The biggest difference between us is that I lack the knowledge and self discipline to be a practicing Buddhist. In loving Matthew I also want to gain understanding in what it is he believes. I have read through several texts in passing and find Buddhism more appealing as I continue to

   Alice Walker uses Virginia Woolf's phrase "contrary instincts" to describe the creative spirit that her female ancestors revive spirit that her female ancestors revered while working and living in oppressive conditions.  Her mother had a difficult life, but she managed to keep her creative spirit alive.  She held onto what she could in the simplest ways.  Where there was a will there was a way.

The temple contains the images of many bodhisattvas,Buddha's, and disciples. The images of the Buddha's and bodhisattvas are the focus of the rooms and outside. For example, in the main shrine and Bodhisattva hall, the focus are the images. Another example is the garden of the eighteen arhats in which the Buddha is surrounded by his first disciples. The other garden that is in the temple is the Vessel of Compassion for Universal Liberation. The main image in this garden is that of Avalofitesvara Bodhisattva. The other images depicted are of heaven kings. The bodhisattva is important because the vows of this Bodhisattva are of a compassionate mind and the power of wisdom. This bodhisattva answers the prayers of sentient beings no matter where they are and manifests in different forms. These eighteen arhats extinguished all defilements and afflictions. They had reached nirvana and their righteousness is exemplary to all Buddhists. Comparatively, symbols play an important role in buddhism and we can see this through the offers made to the Buddha's and bodhisattvas. For example, incense symbolizes inner peace, a lamp offering symbolizes the brightening of our vision and the enhancement of our wisdom. In addition, in the images, mudras or certain objects are a symbol of important rules to follow. Such as in image of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, the elephant symbolizes practice. The sounds that are used are that of instruments during the service in the main shrine and the sound of bells which usually mark the initiation of a service or other announcements. Furthermore, the smells that are used throughout the temple are incense. Incense is used as an offering and it is meant to help the Buddhist concentrate and focus on meditating. Lastly, taste is used in the ritual of eating vegetarian meals

The journey of becoming a Zen Buddhist Monk is long and difficult. Those who work their way through the many trials it takes to reach this stature are held to the highest regard. Living a life of humility as well as living a life of labor, are two of the steps of becoming a Zen Buddhist Monk. Both challenge the body and mind, and help them reach their full potential.

After the death of the historical Buddha occurred and his lineage had ended with Buddha Sakyamuni, his teachings spread in two main directions, southward (Theravada tradition) and eastward into China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan (Mahayana tradition). In East Asia, these teachings developed into ten different schools, several of which remain important to this day: Zen, Tantric and Pure Land (Li 4 April 2016). These schools of thought differ in many ways but also have overlapping similarities. In my essay, I will explain three underlying differences and similarities between Zen and Pure Land Buddhism and its relation to emptiness and compassion. The differences the reader will encounter will be the role of language, the role of practice, and approaches towards life and death. While there are many differences, there also lay similarities, including śūnyatā (emptiness), bodhisattva’s compassion and ono-mama or sono-mama (isness or suchness).

Buddhism      For over 2000 years Buddhism has existed as an organized religion. By religion we mean that it has a concept of the profane, the sacred, and approaches to the sacred. It has been established in India, China, Japan and other eastern cultures for almost 2000 years and has gained a strong foothold in North America and Europe in the past few centuries. However, one might ask; what fate would Buddhism face had Siddartha Guatama been born in modern times; or more specifically in modern day North America? Would his new found enlightenment be accepted now as it was thousands of years ago?