DOCSLIB.ORG

American Buddhist Response to the Land

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
American Buddhist Response to the Land Kaza, Stephanie. 1997. American Buddhist Response to the Land: Ecological Practice at Two West Coast Retreat Centers, in Buddhism and Ecology: The Interconnection between Dharma and Deeds, eds. Mary Evelyn Tucker and Duncan Ryuken Williams, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997, pp. 219-248. American Buddhist Responseto the Land: Ecological Practice at Two West Coast Retreat Centersr StephanieKaza From a theoreticalperspective, Buddhist philosophy appears to be highly congruentwith an ecologicalworldview. Respected Buddhist teacherssuch as His Holinessthe Dalai Lama andVietnamese Zen masterThich Nhat Hanh frequentlypoint to the interdependenceof human life and the environment.2American Buddhist scholars, includingmany of thosein this volume,show the basesin text and principle for a Buddhist environmentalphilosophy'3 But how do iheselinks translateinto actualpractice'l Do American Buddhists "walk their talk"? In this articleI look at two AmericanBuddhist centers to assess the extent of ecologicalpractice at an institutionallevel. Retreat centersact as fbcal pointsfor transmittingBuddhist values both to committedBuddhist practitioners and to the visiting public. To the extentthat practiceplaces reinforce ecological caretaking with spiritualprinciples, they provide a foundationfbr moralcommitment to the environment.It is clear to many leading environmental thinkersthat science,technology, and economics alone will not solve the environmentalcrisis.a lnstead, they call for cultural transfor- mation basedon religigus,moral, or spiritual valuesof deep care of and concernfor the earth.How do American Buddhistcenters contributeto this cultural shift? What in their efforts is distinctly Buddhist and what reflectsthe existing culture or reactionto it? Where are the points of tension around ecologicalpractice in Buddhistcenters? And on what institutionalelements do these practicesdepend? 220 Buddhism and Ecologl- This articleis a preliminaryreport of work in progressassessing environmentalpractices at diverseAmerican Buddhist centers in the UnitedStates. The first two centersI havelooked at areGreen Gulch Zen Center,north of San Francisco,and Spirit Rock Meditation Centernear San Rafael, in Marin County,California. Both are rural centersresponsible fbr sizableportions of land. Though each has been establishedrelatively recently,each has made some efTorts towardappropriate land stewardshippractices. I providea brief land history of each center and a comparisonof their similaritiesand differences.lnformation is drawn from center newslettersand journals,site visits,and interviewswith staffmembers. I reviewthe centers'current land practicesin the contextof Gary Snyder'score ethical guidelinesfor reinhabitation.I describesome points of tensionand arenasfor f'urtherethical exploration. Much of what is reportedhere represents a dialogueunfolding. This paperitself may prompt further discussionand commitmenttoward turning the Dharma wheel anotherround. Land Histories Green Gulch Zen Centerlies in a beautiful coastalvalley in the narrow flood plain of Green Gulch Creek,just north of San Francisco.The land extendsalmost to the Pacific Ocean at Muir Beachand is surroundedby the public open spaceof GoldenGate National RecreationArea; nearby lands are protectedby Mount TamalpaisState Park and Marin County WaterDistrict. The valley is f-lankedon the north and south by open, grass-coveredridges; remnantsof redwoodforest understory line the sidecanyons. In the next valley over lies Muir Woods NationalMonument, home to someof the tallestcoast redwoods in the San FranciscoBay area. Green Gulch Farm was purchasedin 1972 from owner and rancher George Wheelwright ten years after San FranciscoZen Centerwas formally incorporated.Bay areaZenstudents had begun sittingwith ShunryuSuzuki Roshi in 1959when he arrivedat Sokoji Templeon Bush Streetin Japantown.By 1966Zen Centerhad becomea stablepractice community and Suzuki Roshi was inter- ested in finding rural land for a retreatcenter. With exuberant fundraisingefforts (including generousrock and roll benefits),in 221 AntericartButldhist Respttnse to theLantl Center'a former hot 1961Zen Centerbought Tassajara Mountain Zen Center moved springsresort in the Eig S" area' Soon after' Street'which Suzuki from Sokoli to a new i"ity facility on Page Zen Centergained named Hoshinji, tseginners'Mind Temple'5 Roshi'sbook' Zen notionutpublicity witi the publicationof 'suzuki EspeBrown's I/re Mind, Beginners'Mincl,and,shortly after' Edward TussaiaraB reutl Bttok.6 in 1971;before his Suzuki ROshi'shealth beganto cleteriorate place'The following deathhe suggestedthe icleaof a farm practice Baker took rhe lead in orchestrating fear his dnZlmo heir Richard which becameGreen 2en Center'spurchase of GreenGulch Farm' had ownedthe-land DragonTempie. George and HopeWheelwright wasbuilt' when Muir for ihirty y"orr, long iefore the ioast highway Georgeraised Beachwas a small village of Portuguesefishermen' prize bulls' To improve cattle there, including award-winning on the hills to pasturagefor his cattlJ, he sprayed2-4D herbicide to producea seriesof limit shrubgrowth. The creekwas channeled bearstracks of cattle reservoirsfor water storage'The land still ditch for much of the trails; the creek passesthiough a concrete stretchthrough the valleY'7 neighboringFranks Comparedwith the woodedside canyons of the San Francisco Valley,Green Gulch was heavily cut over after firs weretransported 1906earthquake. Many redwoodsand Douglas rebuild the city' To out of Big Lagoon Aoct at Muir Beachto help lines of non-native reforestthe lower valley,Wheelwright planted Zen Centerbecame the eucalyptusalong the roacl'When "n,'unt" significantelTorts to GreenGulch land steward,students undertook organicgarden' To build a twenty-acreorganic f'arm and a one-acre of Monterey protectand restorethe land, they plantedwindbreaks fields' Since .ypr"r, and Monterey pine betweenthe agricultural yearly and non-native I'g175tree plantings [uu" b""n carried out culled back' Field invasiveplants (acacia,broom, ivy) have been compost-makingand soils have been improved by large-scale certifledorganic legumecover crops.The farm grows and markets greens'The garden lettuce,squash, pumpkins, potatoes, and kitchen iris' androses' along supportsa varietyof perennialdahlias' Siberian larkspur'and Peruvian with annualssuch as sweetpea' anemone' and nativeplants are lilies. In the greenhousesflowers, vegetables' propagatedfor communityand privategardeners'o -A _______--- 222 Budtlhismantl Ecology Spirit Rock Meditation Center lies in San Geronimo Valley, a connectinglink betweenthe urbancorridor of SanRafael, north of SanFrancisco, and the openspace of point ReyesNational Seashore and SamuelB. Taylor Statepark. The valley is relativelysparsely settled,remaining in rural ranchlanclsand clairy farms. Intensive developmentpressure has been held at bay due to the fiercely protectiveconservation and planning efforts of the san Geronimo valley PlanningGroup. The centeris namedfbr a prominentoutcr'p of rock thoughtto be sacredto the local Miwok tribes.Rising up behind Spirit Rock lie rolling grassyfbothills gracedby scattered coastlive oaks and bay laurels. In the 1960sa numberof westernstudents traveled to Southeast Asia to studyvipassana, or insightmeditation practice. In the 1970s they returnedhome and beganteaching at variousretreat centers. includingNaropa Institute in Boulder,cororado. on the Eastcoast. in 1976 a groupof seniorstudents and teachers led by JackKornf-eld and JosephGoldstein purchased a catholic seminaryin Barre, Massachusetts,and establishedthe Insight Me<iitationSociety as a permanentretreat center. on the west coast, interesttn vipassana practicegrew with the nationalpublication of the Inqttiring Mincl newsletterand an increasingnumber of retreatsat various local centers(including Green Gulch). In 1983a small group of califbr- niansbegan meeting regularly to considerestablishing a retreat centeron the west coast. Three yearslater, Jack Kornf-eldfound a four hundred-acreparcel in San GeronimoValley fbr saleby The Nature Conservancy,which wanted to contributethe purchase moneyto Amazonrain fbrestpreservation. The land seemedideally suitedto their purposes-classes,daylong retreats,staff housing. After extendednegotiations with the lanclownersas well as repre- sentativesof the SanGeronimo valley planningGroup, the dealwas closed.e This land, in contrastto Green Gulch Farm, was undeveloned. with l'ewprevious buildings. ong.ing fundraisinghas generated enough support to build the necessaryinfrastructure for hosting regularretreats. Several temporary trailers were installedin 1990 to housea meditationhall andofrlce. In r995 a dining hall wasbuilt so mealscould be servedon the premises.Future designplans includefour residencehalls for eighty-fourretreatants, a largcr meditationhall to seattwo hundred,staff housingfbr twenty resiclent Americ'an Buddhist Re sPonse the Land 223 staff, a<lditionalparking areas'a family programbuilding, four family apartments,teacher housing, a council Housewith meeting l.o,rlnr,and an adjacenthermitage with eighteenprivate huts, a small meditationhall, and two teacherrooms. In early 1996the plan receivedapproval from Marin county Departmentof Publicworks and all other necessaryofficial agencies.The next building phase is expectedto beginsoon.lo A brief comparisonof thesetwo rural Buddhistcenters shows a numberof strongsimilarities and diffbrencesthat are significantin the evolutionof ecologicalculture and valuesat eachplace. Roth
Load more

Recommended publications
  • SNOW LION PUBLI C'ltl Olss JANET BUDD 946 NOTTINGHAM DR
    M 17 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID ITHACA, NY 14851 Permit No. 746 SNOW LION PUBLI C'lTl OLsS JANET BUDD 946 NOTTINGHAM DR REDLANDS CA SNOW LION ORDER FROM OUR NEW TOLL FREE NUMBER NEWSLETTER & CATALOG 1-800-950-0313 SPRING 1992 SNOW LION PUBLICATIONS PO BOX 6483, ITHACA, NY 14851, (607)-273-8506 ISSN 1059-3691 VOLUME 7, NUMBER 2 Nyingma Transmission The Statement of His Holiness How 'The Cyclone' Came to the West the Dalai Lama on the Occasion by Mardie Junkins of the 33rd Anniversary of Once there lived a family in the practice were woven into their he danced on the rocks in an ex- village of Joephu, in the Palrong lives. If one of the children hap- plosion of radiant energy. Not sur- the Tibetan National Uprising valley of the Dhoshul region in pened to wake in the night, the prisingly, Tsa Sum Lingpa is Eastern Tibet. There was a father, father's continuous chanting could especially revered in the Dhoshul mother, two sisters, and two be heard. region of Tibet. As we commemorate today the brothers. Like many Tibetan fam- The valley was a magical place The oldest of the brothers was 33rd anniversary of the March ilies they were very devout. The fa- with a high mountain no one had nicknamed "The Cyclone" for his 10th Uprising in 1959,1 am more ther taught his children and the yet climbed and a high lake with enormous energy. He would run optimistic than ever before about children of the village the Bud- milky white water and yellow crys- up a nearby mountain to explore the future of Tibet.
    [Show full text]
  • Energy Healing
    57618_CH03_Pass2.QXD 10/30/08 1:19 PM Page 61 © Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION. CHAPTER 3 Energy Healing Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie. —WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Describe the types of energy. 2. Explain the universal energy field (UEF). 3. Explain the human energy field (HEF). 4. Describe the seven auric layers. 5. Describe the seven chakras. 6. Define the concept of energy healing. 7. Describe various types of energy healing. INTRODUCTION For centuries, traditional healers worldwide have practiced methods of energy healing, viewing the body as a complex energy system with energy flowing through or over its surface (Rakel, 2007). Until recently, the Western world largely ignored the Eastern interpretation of humans as energy beings. However, times have changed dramatically and an exciting and promising new branch of academic inquiry and clinical research is opening in the area of energy healing (Oschman, 2000; Trivieri & Anderson, 2002). Scientists and energy therapists around the world have made discoveries that will forever alter our picture of human energetics. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is conducting research in areas such as energy healing and prayer, and major U.S. academic institutions are conducting large clinical trials in these areas. Approaches in exploring the concepts of life force and healing energy that previously appeared to compete or conflict have now been found to support each other. Conner and Koithan (2006) note 61 57618_CH03_Pass2.QXD 10/30/08 1:19 PM Page 62 © Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION. 62 CHAPTER 3 • ENERGY HEALING that “with increased recognition and federal funding for energetic healing, there is a growing body of research that supports the use of energetic healing interventions with patients” (p.
    [Show full text]
  • Hindu End of Life
    CE Hindu End of Life Death, Dying, Suffering, and Karma Susan Thrane, MSN, RN, OCN v Hindu suffering can be perplexing to Western KEY WORDS thought. With almost 2.3 million Hindus of Indian origin and an additional 1 million end of life practicing American Hindus now in the Hinduism United States, healthcare practitioners need to karma know more about the tenets of Hinduism to reincarnation provide culturally sensitive care. Family and suffering community interconnectedness, karma, and reincarnation are major beliefs of Hinduism. Healthcare decisions may be made by the eath is a universal experience. No matter what most senior family member or the eldest son. our culture, our religion, our race, or our coun- Karma is a combination of cosmic and moral Dtry of origin, we will all die. How we approach cause and effect that can cross lifetimes and death, how we think about suffering and grief, and life lessons learned for spiritual growth. The what we believe happens after we die vary based on belief in reincarnation gives great comfort to our culture, religion, and spiritual beliefs. Spiritual be- the dying and their families because they know liefs ground our thinking about end-of-life concepts. their loved one will be reborn into a new life Humanists, which include atheists and agnostics, be- and that they are not gone forever. Enduring lieve that death is the end.1 Christians believe that death physical suffering may lead to spiritual growth is the beginning of everlasting life with God.2 Hindus and a more fortunate rebirth. believe that while death is the end of this life, it is also the beginning of a new cycle.3 Several estimates of the number of Hindus in America exist.
    [Show full text]
  • An Overview of Sri Aurobindo's Topography of Consciousness
    International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Volume 37 | Issue 1 Article 8 9-1-2018 The elS f and the Structure of the Personality: An Overview of Sri Aurobindo’s Topography of Consciousness Matthijs Cornelissen Indian Psychology Institute, Pondicherry, India Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/ijts-transpersonalstudies Part of the Philosophy Commons, Psychology Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Cornelissen, M. (2018). The es lf and the structure of the personality: An overview of Sri Aurobindo’s topography of consciousness. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 37 (1). http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2018.37.1.63 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. This Special Topic Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals and Newsletters at Digital Commons @ CIIS. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Journal of Transpersonal Studies by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CIIS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Self and the Structure of the Personality: An Overview of Sri Aurobindo’s Topography of Consciousness Matthijs Cornelissen Indian Psychology Institute Pondicherry, India Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga aimed not only at what he called the realization of the Divine, but also at an integral transformation of human nature under Divine influence. For this exceptionally wide aim, he developed an exceptionally deep and comprehensive frame for understanding human nature. His concepts, as discussed in this paper, must be understood on their own terms, which are often different from meanings attributed in the conventional language of Western psychology.
    [Show full text]
  • Sufism and the Sacred Feminine in Lombok, Indonesia
    religions Article Sufism and the Sacred Feminine in Lombok, Indonesia: Situating Spirit Queen Dewi Anjani and Female Saints in Nahdlatul Wathan Bianca J. Smith Centre for Islamic Culture and Society, University of Mataram, Mataram 83125, Indonesia; [email protected] Abstract: This article is a feminist ethnographic exploration of how ‘indigenous’ notions of a ‘sacred feminine’ shape Sufi praxis on the island of Lombok in the eastern part of Indonesia in Southeast Asia. I demonstrate through long-term immersive anthropological fieldwork how in her indigenous form as Dewi Anjani ‘Spirit Queen of Jinn’ and as ‘Holy Saint of Allah’ who rules Lombok from Mount Rinjani, together with a living female saint and Murshida with whom she shares sacred kinship, these feminine beings shape the kind of Sufi praxis that has formed in the largest local Islamic organization in Lombok, Nahdlatul Wathan, and its Sufi order, Hizib Nahdlatul Wathan. Arguments are situated in a Sufi feminist standpoint, revealing how an active integration of indigeneity into understandings of mystical experience gives meaning to the sacred feminine in aspects of Sufi praxis in both complementary and hierarchical ways without challenging Islamic gender constructs that reproduce patriarchal expressions of Sufism and Islam. Keywords: sacred feminine; divine feminine in Sufism; Sufi orders; female saints; female leadership Citation: Smith, Bianca J. 2021. Sufism and the Sacred Feminine in in Sufism; Dewi Anjani; Nahdlatul Wathan; Lombok; Indonesia; indigenous feminine Lombok, Indonesia: Situating Spirit Queen Dewi Anjani and Female Saints in Nahdlatul Wathan. Religions 12: 563. https://doi.org/10.3390/ 1. Introduction rel12080563 The ‘sacred (also read as divine) feminine’ as cultural praxis is an under-researched area in the anthropology of Sufism in Indonesia, mostly because normative Sufism as Academic Editors: Milad Milani, organized through the tariqa, like Islam, is structurally and ideologically patriarchal and Zahra Taheri and Aydogan Kars formally speaks to a male audience.
    [Show full text]
  • Beat Zen, Square Zen: Buddhism in American Culture
    Beat Zen, Square Zen: Buddhism in American Culture HUMN 303 • Section 01 • CRN: 16468 • ARHC/DUSC/EGHU Fall 2012 • TR 2:30–3:52 pm • BIO 221 Dr. James Mark Shields • #577-1336 • [email protected] Office hours: W 10:00–12:00, or by appointment • Marts 3C This seminar examines, interprets and explores the arrival and impact of Buddhism in the West generally, and the encounter of Buddhism with American culture in particular. Buddhism ‘arrived’ in the US in the late 19th and early 20th century in two forms: first, through immigration of Asian laborers to Hawaii and the West coast; second, through the combined adoption of Buddhism by Westerners and the promotion of Buddhism by a few Asian monks and scholars. Over time, a distinctly Western form of Buddhism would develop on the basis of the writings of figures like Paul Carus, D. T. Suzuki and Alan Watts. This movement would be picked up and developed further in the postwar period by a group of writers, artists and cultural dropouts known as the Beats, from which it would infiltrate mainstream American popular culture. The primary objective of this seminar is to introduce students to ‘Western Buddhism’ as a hybrid religio- cultural project emerging out of the work of figures such as Carus, Suzuki, Watts, Hermann Hesse, Chögyam Trungpa, Jack Kerouac, Gary Snyder, and Philip Glass. Students will be asked to respond analytically and critically to a number of key works—including novels, poetry, philosophy, works of art, music and performance as well as film, television programs and commercial media—that present variations of “Western Buddhism.” This will be accomplished via a number of short writing assignments (“engagement pieces”) as well as in the context of regular class and online discussion and presentations.
    [Show full text]
  • How to Improve the Energy of the Body
    HOW TO IMPROVE THE ENERGY OF THE BODY LILY ROSENFELD CONTENTS PREFACE 4 Part One - The connection between Energy and Health ENERGY 7 Kinds of energy, Universal energy, Energy fields, Energy sources, Connection between Bio- energy and feelings, Factors that determine the energetic potential of man, How to increase the energetic potential, The sun Meditation, The light Meditation, Exercise. THE ENERGETIC ENVELOPE - THE AURA 15 The Aura, Description of the Aura, Treatment of the Aura, Behavior of the Aura, Influences on the Aura, How to attract energy to the Aura, How to see the Aura, How to sense the Aura, How to cleanse the Aura, Exercises. THE ENERGY CHANNELS – MERIDIANS 36 Yin energy and Yang energy, Polarity, Acupuncture, Times for healing, Blocks, Acupuncture points, Bicom and Ami devices, Shushumna, Yda, Pingala, Description of Meridians, Exercises. THE ENERGY CENTERS – CHAKRAS 53 Different levels of Consciousness, Form of Chakras, Movement of Chakras, Chakras and development of man, Development of Chakras, Releasing of blocks, Connection between Chakras and body organs, Technique to transfer energy from Chakra of healer to Chakra of patient, Exercises. Root Chakra - Exercise, Sex Chakra - Exercise, Solar Plexus - Exercises, Heart Chakra - Exercises, Throat Chakra, treatment of Throat Chakra, Third eye, Crown Chakra - Exercises. THE PHYSICAL BODY 92 The body organs, the nervous system and the functions of the brain centers, Glands, the symmetry in the body, the Fluids in the body, Qualities of the body, Polarity, Purification of the body. 2 Part Two - How to strengthen energy and improve health THE BREATHING PROCESS 108 The Breathing, Breathing according to Drunvalo Melchizedec, Action of the nostrils, Types of Breathing.
    [Show full text]
  • Religious Centers in San Antonio BUDDHIST Tradition / Origin Website Address Contact
    Religious Centers In San Antonio BUDDHIST Tradition / Origin Website Address Contact # Shambhala Center Bhuddism - Vipasana (meditation) http://sanantonio.shambhala.org/ 257 E. Hilderbrand Ave. N/A San Antonio Zen Center Bhuddism - Soto Zen http://www.sanantoniozen.org/ 1442 W. Woodlawn Ave. (210) 257-8383 http://www.insightmeditationsanantonio Insight Mediation San Antonio Buddhism - Vipasana (meditation) 7052 N. Vandiver Rd. (Quaker House)(830) 964-3684 .com/ Buddhism - Ekayana (Lotus Sutra, Rissho Kosei -Kai Dharma Center http://rksanantonio.org/index.htm 6083 Babcock Rd. (210) 561-7991 Mahayana) Wat Dhammabucha Buddhist Temple Buddhism - Theravada http://www.watdhammabucha.us/ 6201 Sawer Rd. (210) 520-5011 Lien Hoa Bhuddist Temple Buddhism - Vietnamese Theravada http://lienhoa.org/index.php 5043 Excalibur Dr. (210) 564-0671 Wat Saddhadhamma Buddhism - Thai Theravada http://www.watsaddhadhamma.org/ 8000 FM 1518, Schertz, TX 78154 (210) 566-5695 http://www.meetup.com/buddhism- Buddhist Temple of San Antonio Buddhism - 6292 Lockhill Rd. 576/events/past/?scroll=true SGI - USA Buddhism - Soka Gakkai http://www.sgi-usa-sanantonio.org/ 7142 San Pedro Ste #116 (210) 653-7755 HINDU http://www.hindutemplesatx.org/home. Hindu Temple of San Antonio Hinduism 18518 Bandera Rd, Helotes TX (210) 695-9400 html Anhad Enlightenment Realization Society Hinduism http://anhadyoga.weebly.com/ 3740 Colony Drive #LL 100 N/A @ SA Center for Spiritual Living Brahman Kumaris Hinduism http://www.bktexas.com/index.html 710 Marquis (210) 344-8343 http://www.baps.org/Global-
    [Show full text]
  • American Buddhism As a Way of Life
    American Buddhism as a Way of Life Edited by Gary Storhoff and John Whalen-Bridge American Buddhism as a Way of Life SUNY series in Buddhism and American Culture ——————— John Whalen-Bridge and Gary Storhoff, editors American Buddhism as a Way of Life Edited by Gary Storhoff and John Whalen-Bridge Cover art: photo credit © Bernice Williams / iStockphoto.com Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2010 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu Production by Diane Ganeles Marketing by Michael Campochiaro Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data American Buddhism as a way of life / edited by Gary Storhoff and John Whalen-Bridge. p. cm. — (SUNY series in Buddhism and American culture) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4384-3093-5 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4384-3094-2 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Buddhism—United States. 2. Buddhism and culture—United States. I. Storhoff, Gary. II. Whalen-Bridge, John. BQ732.A44 2010 294.30973—dc22 2009033231 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Gary Storhoff dedicates his work on this volume to his brother, Steve Storhoff.
    [Show full text]
  • The Fourth Way: Teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff Free
    FREE THE FOURTH WAY: TEACHINGS OF G.I. GURDJIEFF PDF P.D. Ouspensky | 446 pages | 10 May 2000 | Random House USA Inc | 9780394716725 | English | New York, United States Fourth Way | George Gurdjieff | Be Community The Fourth Way refers to a concept used by George Gurdjieff to describe an approach to self-development learned over years of travel in the East [1] that combined what he saw as three established traditional "ways," or "schools" into a fourth way. The term "The Fourth Way" was further developed by P. Ouspensky in his lectures and writings. Posthumously, Ouspensky's students published a book entitled Fourth Waybased on his lectures. According to this system, the chief difference between the three traditional schools, or ways, and the fourth way is that "they are permanent forms which have survived throughout history mostly unchanged, and are based on religion. Where schools of yogis, monks or fakirs exist, they are barely distinguishable from religious schools. The fourth way differs in that it is not a permanent way. It has no specific forms or institutions and comes and goes controlled by some particular laws of its own. It always has some work of a specific import, and is never without some task around which and in connection with which it can alone exist. When this work is finished, that is to say, when the aim set before it has been accomplished, the fourth way disappears, that is, it disappears from the given place, disappears in its given form, continuing perhaps in another place in another form. Schools of the fourth way exist for the needs of the work which is being carried out in connection with the proposed undertaking.
    [Show full text]
  • Research Article
    Research Article Journal of Global Buddhism 2 (2001): 139 - 161 Zen in Europe: A Survey of the Territory By Alione Koné Doctoral Candidate Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Science Sociales (Paris) [email protected] © Copyright Notes Digitial copies of this work may be made and distributed provided no charge is made and no alteration is made to the content. Reproduction in any other format with the exception of a single copy for private study requires the written permission of the author. All enquries to [email protected] http://jgb.la.psu.edu Journal of Global Buddhism 139 ISSN 1527-6457 Zen in Europe: A Survey of the Territory By Alioune Koné Doctoral Candidate Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris) [email protected] Zen has been one of the most attractive Buddhist traditions among Westerners in the twentieth century. Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese teachers have created European organizations in the past forty years, and some of their students have started teaching. While their American counterparts are well documented in the growing literature on the making of a Western Buddhism, the European groups are less known.(1) This paper aims at highlighting patterns of changes and adaptations of Zen Buddhism in Europe. It proposes an overview of European Zen organizations and argues that an institutional approach can highlight important aspects of the transplantation of Zen Buddhism into a new culture. A serious shortcoming of such an endeavor was pointed out in a 1993 conference held in Stockholm. A group
    [Show full text]
  • The Pilgrim and the Path: Living Theosophy
    The Pilgrim and the Path: Living Theosophy A Theosophical Study Course By John Algeo, Ph.D. © 1997 The Theosophical Society in America P.O. Box 270, Wheaton, Illinois 60189-0270 PREFACE THE PILGRIM AND THE PATH: LIVING THEOSOPHY Theosophy tells us that we are pilgrims, implying that we are on a journey to a particular place. If we decide that we are indeed pilgrims and start to look for the path that will take us to the goal of our pilgrimage, we should also have some idea of why we are traveling and where we are headed. To begin a process of self-unfoldment, we had also better know what is being unfolded. These matters are considered in the following lesson and some subsequent ones, based on chapters from a book by I. K. Taimni called Self-Culture or, in later American editions, A Way to Self-Discovery . Two other books will also be referred to ( The Pilgrim Self by Robert Ellwood and The Pilgrim and the Pilgrimage by Emily Sellon), and some supplementary material will be included. —J.A. Contents: PREFACE 1 Evolution in the Light of the Wisdom Tradition 1 2 The Human Constitution 12 3 Self Discovery—A Science (Part 1) 21 4 Self Discovery—A Science (Part 2) 27 5 The Functions of the Physical Body 33 6 The Control, Purification, and Sensitization of the Physical Body 38 7 The Functions of the Desire Body 43 8 The Control, Purification, and Sensitization of the Emotions 50 9 The Functions of the Lower Mental Body 57 10 The Control, Purification, and Development of the Lower Mind (part 1) 63 11 The Control, Purification, and Development
    [Show full text]