5 Facts You Need to Know About: Buddhism in the United States 1. Buddhism Is a Major World Religion Originating in India Between

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5 Facts You Need to Know about: Buddhism in the United States 1. Buddhism is a major world religion originating in India between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. There are approximately 1.2 million Buddhists in the United States. Worldwide there are an estimated 488-535 million. 2. The first enlightened Buddha was Siddhartha, who is credited with the ideas of the Eightfold Path (also known as the Middle Way) and achieving a release from suffering known as nirvana. Since then, Buddhism has developed many different sects both in focus (Theravada, Mahayana, Zen, Vajrayana, etc.) and location (Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Tibetan, etc.). 3. Buddhism is a non-theistic tradition, self-described as more philosophy than faith. 4. Buddhism has been a part of the American religious landscape since the 19th century, with waves of practicing immigrants bringing their religion during the California Gold Rush in 1849 and through the opportunities provided in the Immigration Act of 1965. 5. Buddhism gained a heightened interest during the Beat movement in the 1950s, inspiring writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsburg. Other famous American Buddhists include: Tina Turner, Orlando Bloom, Tiger Woods, Keanu Reeves, Herbie Hancock, Richard Gere, and the late Steve Jobs. Learn more at: http://americanhistory.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001. 0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-320 http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/buddhist/ These five points are not meant to be comprehensive or authoritative. We hope they will encourage you to explore this tradition more deeply and seek out members of this community to learn about their beliefs in action. It is our firm belief that in understanding our differences we will better understand our common humanity 11/2017 2101 L St NW, STE:400 Washington, DC 20037-1542 TEL: 202-466-0567 FAX:202-466-0502 WEB: interfaithalliance.org .

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Zen) Buddhism
THE SPREAD OF CHAN (ZEN) BUDDHISM T. Grif\ th Foulk (Sarah Lawrence College, New York) 1. Introduction This chapter deals with the development and spread of the so-called Chan School of Buddhism in China, Japan, and the West. In its East Asian setting, at least, the spread of Chan must be viewed rather dif- ferently than the spread of Buddhism as a whole, for by all accounts (both traditional and modern) Chan was a movement that initially ] ourished within, or (as some would have it) in reaction against, a Buddhist monastic order that had already been active in China for a number of centuries. By the same token, at the times when the Chan movement spread to Korea and Japan, it did not appear as the har- binger of Buddhism itself, which was already well established in those countries, but rather as the most recent in a series of importations of Buddhism from China. The situation in the West, of course, is much different. Here, Chan—usually referred to (using the Japanese pronun- ciation) as Zen—has indeed been at the vanguard of the spread of Buddhism as a whole. I begin this chapter by re] ecting on what we (modern scholars) mean when we speak of the spread of Buddhism, contrasting that with a few of the traditional ways in which Asian Buddhists themselves, from an insider’s or normative point of view, have conceived the transmission of the Buddha’s teachings (Skt. buddhadharma, Chin. fofa 佛法). I then turn to the main topic: the spread of Chan.
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Navayana – a Reformation of Buddhism
Journal of Ethnophilosophical Questions and Global Ethics – Vol. 1 (1), 2017 Navayana – A reformation of Buddhism Timo Schmitz Buddhism traditionally has three variants: Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. The oldest one is Theravada, which is an orthodox tradition practiced in South Asia, later Mahayana developed as lay- follower tradition, mainly in East Asia. However, in times of globalization, Buddhism is confronted with new issues and also found its way to the West, as well as to political spheres. As George Boeree states: “Many of us, easterners and westerners, have been profoundly influenced by our study of Buddhism, and yet do not find ourselves attached to any one particular sect or interpretation of Buddhism. Further, many of us, especially westerners, find the fundamental ideas of Buddhism deeply meaningful, but cannot, without being dishonest with ourselves, accept certain other ideas usually associated with Buddhism” (Boeree, 2002). In recent years, new branches such as Secular Buddhism or Engaged Buddhism have found its way into philosophical and practical main streams. The need to reform Buddhism arouse out of the fact that Buddhism gained attraction for non-conformity and non-dogmatism, something which religion in the West seemingly could not give Westerners, just to find out that Buddhism has the same matters. As Timo Schmitz points out: “Many people want to find the way to Buddhism because they are against any doctrines. Therefore, one can study the Theravada teachings, which leads to a disadvantage in the eyes of many Westerners since it focusses on monk communities. Other people are fascinated by Vajrayana, but since it has a very organized structure, concerning hierarchy and practice, one will probably see the Vajrayana tradition to be a religiously-organized branch, which in the Western view can be seen as dogmatic again.
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Soto Zen: an Introduction to Zazen
SOT¯ O¯ ZEN An Introduction to Zazen SOT¯ O¯ ZEN: An Introduction to Zazen Edited by: S¯ot¯o Zen Buddhism International Center Published by: SOTOSHU SHUMUCHO 2-5-2, Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8544, Japan Tel: +81-3-3454-5411 Fax: +81-3-3454-5423 URL: http://global.sotozen-net.or.jp/ First printing: 2002 NinthFifteenth printing: printing: 20122017 © 2002 by SOTOSHU SHUMUCHO. All rights reserved. Printed in Japan Contents Part I. Practice of Zazen....................................................7 1. A Path of Just Sitting: Zazen as the Practice of the Bodhisattva Way 9 2. How to Do Zazen 25 3. Manners in the Zend¯o 36 Part II. An Introduction to S¯ot¯o Zen .............................47 1. History and Teachings of S¯ot¯o Zen 49 2. Texts on Zazen 69 Fukan Zazengi 69 Sh¯ob¯ogenz¯o Bend¯owa 72 Sh¯ob¯ogenz¯o Zuimonki 81 Zazen Y¯ojinki 87 J¯uniji-h¯ogo 93 Appendixes.......................................................................99 Takkesa ge (Robe Verse) 101 Kaiky¯o ge (Sutra-Opening Verse) 101 Shigu seigan mon (Four Vows) 101 Hannya shingy¯o (Heart Sutra) 101 Fuek¯o (Universal Transference of Merit) 102 Part I Practice of Zazen A Path of Just Sitting: Zazen as the 1 Practice of the Bodhisattva Way Shohaku Okumura A Personal Reflection on Zazen Practice in Modern Times Problems we are facing The 20th century was scarred by two World Wars, a Cold War between powerful nations, and countless regional conflicts of great violence. Millions were killed, and millions more displaced from their homes. All the developed nations were involved in these wars and conflicts.
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Zen Buddhism in Japan, Brings Together Mahāyāna Buddhism and Daoism
Zen Zen is a form of Buddhism that developed first in China around the sixth century CE and then spread from China to Korea, Vietnam and Japan. The term Zen is just the Japanese way of saying the Chinese word Chan (禪 ), which is the Chinese translation of the Sanskrit word Dhyāna (Jhāna in Pali), which means "meditation." In the image above one sees on the left the character 禪 in Japanese calligraphy and on the right an ensō, or Zen circle. In Japan the drawing of such a circle is considered a high art, the expression of a moment of enlightenment by the Zen master calligrapher. After Buddhism first came to China from India around the first century CE, it eventually developed into several unique Chinese schools of Buddhism, influenced by the introduction of Mahāyāna Buddhism from India as well as by certain aspects of Chinese culture and philosophy. The tradition known as Chan Buddhism in China, and Zen Buddhism in Japan, brings together Mahāyāna Buddhism and Daoism. This confluence of Buddhism and Daoism in Zen is most obvious in the Chinese script on the left which reads: "The heart-mind (xin 心) is the buddha (佛 ), the buddha (佛 ) is the path (dao 道), the path (dao 道) is meditation (chan 禪 )." The line is from a text called the Bloodstream Sermon attributed to the legendary Bodhidharma. An Indian meditation master, Bodhidharma had come to China around 520 CE and in time would come to be regarded as the first patriarch of Chan Buddhism. In his writings it is evident that Bodhidharma had absorbed something of Daoism.
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Pedagogical Development of Zen Buddhism and Taoism for Taos Ed
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A Zen Master in Meditation, Shi K’o (Sekkaku). 10th Century Zen Buddhism SÇtÇ Zen Essays from the ShÇbÇgenzÇ by DÇgen Zenji [DÇgen Zenji (1200-1253) was the founder of the SÇtÇ school of Zen Buddhism. This essay is part of a remarkable collection of essays called ShÇbÇgenzÇ, or “Treasury of the Eye of True Teaching.” The commentary introducing the essays is by the translator Thomas Cleary.] The Issue at Hand (GenjÇkÇan) The term genjÇkÇan seems to appear first in ninth-century China and is often used in Japanese SÇtÇ Zen to refer to present being as the topic of meditation or the issue of Zen. Gen means “manifestation” or “present,” jÇ means “become.” GenjÇ means actuality—being as is, at hand, or accomplished, as of an accomplished fact. KÇan is a common Zen word which is often left untranslated, having to some extent become a naturalized English word. KÇ means official, public, or open, as opposed to private or personal; an means a consideration, or a considered decision. A kÇan in standard literary Chinese means an official report or an issue under consideration. The term was adopted in Zen with much the same meanings, only transposed into the frame of reference of Zen tradition and experience. GenjÇkÇan is one of the most popular and oft-quoted essays in ShÇbÇgenzÇ. Written to a lay disciple, it contains a number of key points stated in a most concise fashion. The very first paragraph contains a complete outline of Zen, in a covert presentation of the so-called “five ranks” (go i) device of the original Chinese SÇtÇ Zen school.
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Theorizing Gender Dysphoria and Traumatic Remembrance Within Sot¯ O¯ Zen Meditation
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Week 1 Replacement
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Scriptural Continuity Between Traditional and Engaged Buddhism
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