Zen in the Art of Archery

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.

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.

Even when we are presented with answers or guides to the many questions we have about life and to how we should live, as inquisitive animals, we strive to enhance our understanding and so begin to learn that perhaps, ultimately, the answers don’t simply come from outside but also from within us. This is then perhaps the greatest implication of this paper, finding new ways in understanding what the true way of life is for human beings and what the true way of life is for ourselves. In the discussion of Zen Buddhism, William A. Young’s framework’s itself must first be explained and understood.

In I-Tsing’s, A Record of Buddhist Practices, the Chinese monk describes his long journey from boyhood to becoming a buddhist monk, and his opportunity to teach people around the world about Buddhism. I-Tsing not only describes his personal journey and thoughts, but he also describes the ways of his masters, or teachers, throughout his journey. He almost exclusively chooses to write about his teacher in reading, Shan-yii , and his teacher in meditation, Hui-Hsi. Although this text is filled with interesting stories and memoirs, this essay will focus on the seventh virtue of Shan-yii on page 322.

The goal of Zen Buddhism is to look towards the future, searching to attain satori (awakening). Through jiriki nembutsu (self-power chanting) the person is hakarai (calculating) their spiritual and material profit. Thus, Zen is an individual practice. Ultimately, Zen places a strong importance on embodying emptiness and not becoming attached to words said by the masters. For instance, in the koan, master Yanmen’s story shows that Zen is both verbal and actional, teaching his students that instead of getting attached to words, one must embody them. This was seen when one of his disciples asked if the dog has a Buddha nature, and the master replied: “no because he has the nature of karmic delusions” (Li 18 March 2016). In this example, the master was mocking the disciple’s lack of discipline because he got attached to the words. The master’s iconoclastic approach teaches its practitioners that one must embody the koan and zazen meditation. As in Zen, it is through embodiment that one reaches the Mahayana level of emptiness in order to reach their final goal- satori.

Even though times change and life goes on, one thing will never change: one must embrace their individuality in order to reach happiness. Herman Hesse portrays this in his short novel of Siddhartha. The story follows a young man through rich and poor, through thick and thin, on his journey to reach Nirvana. Through the story he shows that is impossible for one to find themselves through teachers’ teachings, just as Siddhartha couldn't truly find meaning in his life through the Brahims, Semanas, Kamala, or Vasudeva; he had to use his experiences to enter into Nirvana and true bliss.

With all of it’s lofty, mystical terms and ideas, Zen Buddhism can seem very hard to talk about much less understand and follow. The beauty of Zen, though, is its practicality,

The first aspect of becoming a Zen Buddhist Monk is to live a life of humility. The way they teach the young monks humility is as follows:

“Whatever precious jewel there is in the heavenly worlds, there is nothing comparable to one who is Awakened”, the Buddha. The novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, shows us the journey of the main character, Siddhartha, to enlightenment. Along his path to enlightenment Siddhartha meets numerous teachers. Each teacher teaches him in a different way than the others. Along his way Siddhartha learns that the role each of the teachers played was important and without one them he would have never reached enlightenment.

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

In The Art of Archery” by Eugen Herrigel. In “Zen In The of Archery” by Eugen Herrigel, Herrigel is

Namely, Buddhist scholars and some monastics, are troubled about the subsequential lineage arising from MBSR programs, specifically how they might be diluting the rich teachings from various Buddhist schools and traditions (p. 189). With regards to Buddhist traditions, a vow of ethical behavior is required before engaging in meditation training. Reason being, vows provide “structure of safety for retreatants and monastics, and useful in purifying the mind for deeper practice” (p.189) Reputably, Cullen’s illustrates that Jon Kabat-Zin cultivated formal and informal practices of mindfulness, focusing on Vipassana Buddhist traditions. On the grounds that, this application, refrains from deep cultural influences compared to other Buddhist schools tradition and practices. This merger of Vipassana traditions in mainstream settings, still uphold original formal practices of the tradition, including; mindful movement (yoga that places emphasis on mindful awareness of the body), body scans (first foundation of mindfulness), sitting meditation (awareness of breath and extending awareness to include all four foundations of mindfulness) (p.188). Intentions of these MBSR programs are not solely based on stress reduction, but, the application of four foundations in daily life. According to Cullen is

The comparison of Hisamatsu’s “The record of Linji” and Suzuki’s “Zen Mind, Beginner Mind” illuminates a variety of similarities and differences concerning the path of enlightenment. We will exam some of these points, to further illustrate the process in which each individual may pursue this path to enlightenment. Each chosen passage will also help identify themes of awakening, which may be relevant in today’s society.

Placing focus on its titular character’s spiritual journey of self-discovery during the time of the ancient Buddha, author Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha challenges its readers to recognize the reality and truths of what it means to attain enlightenment. Through the course of their respective journeys, Siddhartha and the Buddha work almost as reflections of each other, displaying several links between one another in terms of their characteristics and experiences. Ultimately, however, it is their choices and difference in what they are willing to give up in order to attain their answers that their journeys begin to diverge from one another. Over the course of their tales, it becomes increasingly clear that the path to enlightenment is not

Archery is one of the oldest arts still practiced today. Archery dates back all the way to 3,000 BC. Although this invention most likely goes back to the stone age, many people disagree on exactly how far back it goes. One thing that we do know is that the earliest people to use bows and arrows were the ancient egyptians. The ancient egyptians adopted this technique aswell for hunting, warfare and to create an empire. This technique or “art form” was originated in South Africa. Archery allowed the person to be at a safe comfortable distance from their target but still be very lethal. Many people look past archery as a child’s toy and not used for harm.