FREE ZEN AND JAPANESE CULTURE PDF Daisetz T. Suzuki,Richard M. Jaffe | 608 pages | 22 Sep 2010 | Princeton University Press | 9780691144627 | English | New Jersey, United States Influence of Zen Buddhism in Japan - Travelandculture Blog This practice, according to Zen proponents, gives insight into one's true natureor the emptiness of inherent existence, which opens the way to a liberated way of living. With this smile he showed that he had understood the wordless essence of the dharma. Buddhism was introduced to China in the first century CE. He was the 28th Indian patriarch of Zen and the first Chinese patriarch. Buddhism was introduced in Japan in the 8th century CE during the Nara period and the Heian period — This recognition was granted. InEisai traveled to China, whereafter he studied Tendai for twenty years. Zen fit the way of life of the samurai : confronting death without fear, and acting in a spontaneous and intuitive way. During this period the Five Mountain System was established, which institutionalized an influential part of the Rinzai school. In the beginning of the Muromachi period the Gozan system was fully worked out. The Zen and Japanese Culture version contained five temples of both Kyoto and Kamakura. A second tier of the system consisted of Ten Temples. This system was extended throughout Japan, effectively giving control to the central government, which administered this system. Not all Rinzai Zen organisations were under such strict state control. The Rinka monasteries, which were primarily located in rural areas rather than cities, had a greater degree of independence. After a period of war Japan was re-united in the Azuchi—Momoyama period. This decreased the power of Buddhism, which had become a strong political and military force in Japan. Neo-Confucianism gained influence at the expense of Buddhism, which came under strict state control. Japan closed the gates to the rest of the world. The only traders to be allowed were Dutchmen admitted to the island of Dejima. Ingen had been a member of the Linji school, the Chinese equivalent of Rinzai, which had developed separately from the Japanese branch for hundreds of years. Thus, when Ingen journeyed to Japan Zen and Japanese Culture the fall of the Ming dynasty to the Manchu peoplehis teachings were seen as a separate school. His influence was so immense that almost all contemporary Rinzai lineages are traced back to him. The Meiji period — saw the Emperor's power reinstated after a coup in At that time Japan was forced Zen and Japanese Culture open to Western trade which brought influence and, eventually, a restructuring of all government and commercial structures to Western standards. Shinto became the officiated state religion and Buddhism was coerced to adapt to the new regime. The Buddhist establishment saw the Western world as a threat, but also as a challenge to stand up to. Buddhist institutions had a simple choice: adapt or perish. Rinzai and Zen and Japanese Culture Zen chose to adapt, trying to modernize Zen in accord with Zen and Japanese Culture insights, while simultaneously maintaining a Japanese identity. This Japanese identity was being articulated in the Nihonjinron philosophy, the "Japanese uniqueness" theory. A broad range of subjects was taken as typical of Japanese Zen and Japanese Culture. Suzuki contributed to the Nihonjinron-philosophy by taking Zen as the distinctive token of Asian spirituality, showing its unique character in the Japanese culture [14]. Zen and Japanese Culture to Sharf. They became willing accomplices in the promulgation of the kokutai national polity ideology—the attempt to render Japan a culturally homogeneous and spiritually evolved nation politically unified under the divine rule of the emperor. War endeavours against Russia, China and finally during the Pacific War were supported by the Zen establishment. One of his assertions was that some Zen masters known for their post-war internationalism and promotion of "world peace " were open Japanese nationalists in the inter-war years. Only after international Zen and Japanese Culture in the s, following the publication of Victoria's 'Zen at war', did the Sanbo Kyodan express apologies for this support [web Zen and Japanese Culture This involvement was not limited to the Zen schools, as all orthodox Japanese schools of Buddhism supported the militarist state. Victoria's particular claims about D. Suzuki 's involvement in militarism have been much disputed by other scholars. But another important doctrine is the buddha-naturethe idea that all human beings have the possibility to awaken. All living creatures are supposed to have the Buddha-nature, but don't realize this as long as they are not awakened. The doctrine of an essential nature can easily lead to the idea that there is an unchanging essential nature or reality behind the changing Zen and Japanese Culture of appearances. The primary goal of Rinzai Zen is kenshoseeing one's true nature, and mujodo no taigenexpression of this insight in daily life. Zen and Japanese Culture one's true nature means seeing that there is no essential 'I' or 'self', that our true nature is empty. Expression in daily life means that this is not only a contemplative insight, but that our lives are expressions of this selfless existence. Zen emphasizes zazenmeditation c. In Soto, the emphasis is on shikantaza'just sitting', while Rinzai also uses koans to train the mind. In alternation with zazen, there is walking meditationkinhinin which one walks with full attention. This is a short anecdote, which seems irrational, but contains subtle references to the Buddhist teachings. A monk asked: "Does a dog have buddha-nature? According to Zhu, the two terms negate two different cognitive functions both called manas in Yogacaranamely "intentionality" [21] or self-centered thinking, [22] and "discriminative thinking" vikalpa. Its founder Dogen is still highly revered. Soto is characterized by its flexibility and openness. No commitment to study is expected and practice can be resumed voluntarily. The Rinzai organisation includes fifteen subschools based on temple affiliation. Rinzai is characterized by its stringent regiments of meditation through every second of life. Whether a practitioner is practicing seated meditation, walking meditation, working, or even out in public, Zen and Japanese Culture can be applied to each instance of a Rinzai student's life. Zen and Japanese Culture Sanbo Kyodan is a small Japanese school, established by Hakuun Yasutaniwhich has been very influential in the West. Well-known teachers from this school are Philip Kapleau and Taizan Maezumi. Maezumi's influence stretches further through his dharma heirs, such as Joko BeckTetsugen Bernard Glassmanand especially Dennis Merzelwho has appointed more than a dozen dharma heirs. Its aim is to modernize Zen and adapt it to the modern world. Although it is difficult to trace when the West first became aware of Zen as a distinct form of Buddhism, the visit of Soyen Shakua Japanese Zen monk, to Chicago during the World Parliament of Religions in is often pointed to as an event that enhanced its profile in the Western world. It was during the late s and the early s that the number of Westerners pursuing a serious interest in Zen, other than descendants of Asian immigrants, reached a significant level. However, many scholars, such as Yamada Shoji, are quick to criticize this book. The single most influential person for the spread of Zen Buddhism was D. He wrote many books on Zen which became widely read in the Western world, but he has been criticised for giving a one-sided and overly romanticized vision of Zen. Reginald Horace Blyth — was an Englishman who went to Japan in to further his study of Zen. He was interned during World War II and started writing in prison. While imprisoned he met Robert Aitken, who was later to become a roshi in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage. Zen and Japanese Culture was tutor to the Crown Prince after the war. His greatest work is the 5-volume "Zen and Zen Classics", published in the s. Here he discusses Zen themes from a philosophical standpoint, Zen and Japanese Culture in conjunction with Christian elements in a comparative spirit. The British Zen and Japanese Culture Alan Watts took a close interest in Zen Buddhism and wrote Zen and Japanese Culture lectured extensively on it during the s. He understood Zen as a vehicle for a mystical transformation of consciousness, and also as a historical example of a non-Western, non- Christian way of life that had fostered both the practical and fine arts. The Dharma Bumsa novel written by Jack Kerouac and published ingave its readers a look at how a fascination with Buddhism and Zen was being absorbed into the bohemian lifestyles of a Zen and Japanese Culture group of American youths, primarily on the West Coast. Beside the narrator, Zen and Japanese Culture main character in this novel was "Japhy Ryder", a thinly veiled depiction of Gary Snyder. The story was based on actual events taking place while Snyder prepared, in California, for the formal Zen studies that he would pursue in Japanese monasteries between and Thomas Merton — was a Catholic Trappist monk and priest. SuzukiMerton believed that there must be a little of Zen in all authentic creative and spiritual experience. The dialogue between Merton and Suzuki [30] explores the many congruencies of Christian mysticism and Zen. Hugo Enomiya-Lassalle — was a Jesuit who became a missionary in Japan in In he started to study Zen with Harada Daiun Sogaku. He was the superior of Heinrich Dumoulinthe well-known author on the history of Zen. Enomiya-lassalle introduced Westerners to Zen meditation. Robert Kennedy roshia Catholic Jesuit priest, Zen and Japanese Culture, psychotherapist and Zen roshi in the White Plum lineage has written a number of books about what he labels as the benefits of Zen practice to Christianity.