Introductory Lectures on Zen Training*
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Buddhism in America
Buddhism in America The Columbia Contemporary American Religion Series Columbia Contemporary American Religion Series The United States is the birthplace of religious pluralism, and the spiritual landscape of contemporary America is as varied and complex as that of any country in the world. The books in this new series, written by leading scholars for students and general readers alike, fall into two categories: some of these well-crafted, thought-provoking portraits of the country’s major religious groups describe and explain particular religious practices and rituals, beliefs, and major challenges facing a given community today. Others explore current themes and topics in American religion that cut across denominational lines. The texts are supplemented with care- fully selected photographs and artwork, annotated bibliographies, con- cise profiles of important individuals, and chronologies of major events. — Roman Catholicism in America Islam in America . B UDDHISM in America Richard Hughes Seager C C Publishers Since New York Chichester, West Sussex Copyright © Columbia University Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Seager, Richard Hughes. Buddhism in America / Richard Hughes Seager. p. cm. — (Columbia contemporary American religion series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN ‒‒‒ — ISBN ‒‒‒ (pbk.) . Buddhism—United States. I. Title. II. Series. BQ.S .'—dc – Casebound editions of Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper. -
Mysticism and Mystical Experiences
1 Mysticism and Mystical Experiences The first issue is simply to identify what mysti cism is. The term derives from the Latin word “mysticus” and ultimately from the Greek “mustikos.”1 The Greek root muo“ ” means “to close or conceal” and hence “hidden.”2 The word came to mean “silent” or “secret,” i.e., doctrines and rituals that should not be revealed to the uninitiated. The adjec tive “mystical” entered the Christian lexicon in the second century when it was adapted by theolo- gians to refer, not to inexpressible experiences of God, but to the mystery of “the divine” in liturgical matters, such as the invisible God being present in sacraments and to the hidden meaning of scriptural passages, i.e., how Christ was actually being referred to in Old Testament passages ostensibly about other things. Thus, theologians spoke of mystical theology and the mystical meaning of the Bible. But at least after the third-century Egyptian theolo- gian Origen, “mystical” could also refer to a contemplative, direct appre- hension of God. The nouns “mystic” and “mysticism” were only invented in the seven teenth century when spirituality was becoming separated from general theology.3 In the modern era, mystical inter pretations of the Bible dropped away in favor of literal readings. At that time, modernity’s focus on the individual also arose. Religion began to become privatized in terms of the primacy of individuals, their beliefs, and their experiences rather than being seen in terms of rituals and institutions. “Religious experiences” also became a distinct category as scholars beginning in Germany tried, in light of science, to find a distinct experi ential element to religion. -
To Cherish All Life with the Emphasis on “All,” Can
▶ To Cherish All Life With OOps! What the Blue Cliff Record Fidgets, halter tOps, and the emphasis on “all,” can we exist and Roshi Kjolhede have to say snark: how a dharma superiority on earth without killing? about mistakes complex develops AUTUMN 2018 | VOLUME XL, NUMBER THREE editOr ZEN BOWChris Pulleyn | [email protected] editOrial cOnsultant The mind of the Zen adept is taut—ready, like a drawn bow Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede | [email protected] cOpY EDITOr Autumn 2018 | Volume Xl, number THREE Cecily Fuhr | [email protected] art directOr To theme or not to theme? For more 3 M SOUNDINGS Daryl Wakeley | [email protected] than a decade, each issue of Zen Bow has proofreader had a specific theme, and submissions have “Just bury me in Tupperware”: John Pulleyn accordingly been solicited for specific topics. remembering Cynthia Seefeld | The Call for submissions The first two issues of the redesigned Zen science of kisses and stones | Q&A: My legs fall asleep! | Tangen Roshi’s tea All readers are encouraged to submit essays and Bow were also themed: “Starting Over” and images at any time and on any topic related to Zen “Memorializing Tangen Harada Roshi.” room teachings | What is samadhi? practice. Articles may be of any length. Suggestions for articles and artwork are also welcome, as are Meanwhile, creativity in the Sangha con- “found objects” such as quotations, haiku, and/ tinues to bubble up and ideas keep coming or excerpts from articles in other publications. amaury cruz Submission guidelines may be found on the Zen Bow our way. The über-theme ofZen Bow is to page of the Center’s website: www.rzc.org/library/ inspire Zen practice, on and off the mat—but I resolve not to kill: zen-bow. -
Perspectives Beyond the Scientific Research
Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 1981 The Origins of Meditation: Perspectives Beyond the Scientific Research Brad R. Heinz Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Heinz, Brad R., "The Origins of Meditation: Perspectives Beyond the Scientific Research" (1981). Dissertations. 2065. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/2065 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 1981 Brad R. Heinz THE ORIGINS OF NEDITATION: PERSPECTIVES BEYOND THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH by Brad R. Heinz A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Loyola University of Chicago in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 1981 ACKNOWLEDGENENTS I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. John Shack, Dr. Alan DeWolfe, and Dr. Jerome Wagner for their continued encour agement and support through all the phases of this study in spite of its unconventional format. I am also very grateful for Deborah Young's generous assistance and consultation concerning issues in the area of philosophy. Finally, I would like to thank my parents for their patience and good humor while awaiting the completion of this work. ii Vita The author, Brad Robert Heinz, is the son of Robert and Delores Heinz. -
Round About the Cauldron Go
Round About the Cauldron Go If the history of Buddhism were scaled down to a month, it would only be for the past day or so that English translations of its texts have begun to appear. Precise translations still elude us for even some of the most basic Buddhist concepts. In What the Buddha Taught, the respected Buddhist scholar-monk Walpola Rahula leaves the First Noble Truth in its original Pali as dukkha, explaining that he could find no one English word to embrace the whole meaning. As concepts, “the three poisons” are not as rich and deep in meaning as dukkha, but there are still a good many variations in how they have been translated. We in Zen most often hear them articulated in the repentance ceremony, in which everyone together recites the gatha, or verse, three times running, as follows: All evil actions committed by me since time immemorial, Stemming from greed, anger, and ignorance, Arising from body, speech, and mind, I now repent having committed. The first problem here is in using “ignorance” instead of the other most common translation, “delusion.” Until recently, I had equated these two terms, and wondered why ignorance, the primal cause of suffering, would be categorized as one of the three poisons when it also gives birth to them. In Pali, the original written language of Buddhism, the third poison is moha. The various other translations of moha in Mahayana, Vajrayana, and Theravada sources include “confusion” and “folly,” followed by “stupidity,” “blindness,” “dullness,” and even “deception,” “temptation,” and “infatuation.” One source sums it up as “the inconsistency of a thought or action with reality.” In Buddhism ignorance, however, really means being unenlightened regarding the essential nature of reality. -
Zen and Japanese Culture Free
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. -
Piloting Through Chaos Is on Negotia- Tion, but the Analysis and Wisdom Go Well Beyond That Now Available in the Literature [On Negotiation]
“The emphasis throughout Piloting Through Chaos is on negotia- tion, but the analysis and wisdom go well beyond that now available in the literature [on negotiation]. This volume is a breakthrough in the use of words, thought processes and managing human behav- ior responsibly.” Oliver Oldman Learned Hand Professor (Emeritus) Harvard Law School “IPOs in China and Japan, inventions in clean energy, decod- ing Japanese negotiation strategies, incubators for creativity and innovation, the role of beauty in discovery and bringing ideas to market—Julian Gresser is a Renaissance man with an amazing array of achievements and gifts. He has written a truly original and helpful book with his own hard-won understandings about how innovation can be incubated. Read it, it will enlarge your mind and you will discover your own capacity to do such things. It will grow with you and interact with your discoveries as you make them, tak- ing them to a higher level.” John Tarrant Zen master, author, Bring Me the Rhinoceros and other works “Mark Twain said, ‘You can’t depend on your eyes if your imag- ination is out of focus.’ In Piloting Through Chaos, Julian Gresser helps us to dream a better future and carefully outlines the steps needed to get there. Brilliantly written and meticulously researched, Gresser warns that we cannot achieve justice and abundance as individuals but only through collaboration, innovation, and fear- less exploration of our own depths. And always, he reminds us, with kindness. Gresser is an international attorney, but also a 21st Century Renaissance Man, with a lifetime of experience in business, music, martial arts, invention, and meditation. -
Zen and the Spiritual Exercises: a Dialogue Between Faiths Daniel J
ZEN AND THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES: A DIALOGUE BETWEEN FAITHS DANIEL J. O'HANLON, S.J. Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley NE OF THE CRITICAL and characteristic issues confronting Christian O faith in the contemporary world is the growing dialogue with the East. The ecumenical involvement of the Roman Catholic Church, which took its rise in the earlier decades of this century, has been complemented, with the encouragement of the Second Vatican Council, by the increasing engagement with other religious "traditions whose seeds were sometimes already planted by God in ancient cultures prior to the preaching of the gospel."1 The difference here is significant. The ecumenical movement was and is an interchange within Christianity, within a basic Christian faith, seeking for a deeper unity which expresses that common commit ment to God's self-communication in Christ. The discussions with other religious traditions are a dialogue between faiths whose beginnings are quite separate and whose existence has continued for millennia with separate concepts and languages.2 The separate histories of these religious cultures suggest a different kind of dialogue, one that is more rooted in direct religious experience than in doctrinal or theological formulations. These traditions come together as two people meeting for the first time with quite different languages. If two such people meet in a dark room with their different languages and with no common visible world of experience to point to, communication is long and arduous. But if there is some visible world to which they can point, things move better and faster. The Buddhist and the Christian are something like that. -
Buddhist Teachers' Experience with Extreme Mental States in Western Meditators
BUDDHIST TEACHERS' EXPERIENCE WITH EXTREME MENTAL STATES IN WESTERN MEDITATORS Lois VanderKooi Boulder, Colorado In the past thirty-five years, Buddhism and its sophisticated meditation practices have attracted a large number of Western students, especially those in search of a psycho logically oriented spirituality. Based on descriptive and qualitative research, this paper focuses on extreme mental states that can occur in emotionally fragile Western students undergoing intensive meditation and the adaptations that teachers have made to deal with these difficulties. Implications for the clinical use of meditation will also be addressed. BUDDHIST BASICS Goals and Methods of Practice Freud approached Eastern practices with misgiving, equating mystical states with "oceanic feelings" and a search for "restoration of limitless narcissism" and the "resurrection ofinfantile helplessness" (Freud, 1961, p. 72). As Epstein (1986, 1988, 1995) points out, Freud was unaware of Buddhist methods and goals which involve the dismantling of narcissism and the notion of inherent selfhood, The process of reaching nirvanaor the" Absolute" (italicized terms are defined in the glossary) is far from blissful, and nirvanais far from narcissistic grandiosity and self-absorption. Buddhist training involves moral discipline (shila) to increase wholesome states of mind, training in concentration and mindfulness (samadhi), and training in wisdom or insight into the true nature of phenomena (prajna) (Brown, 1986; Goleman, 1988). The ultimate fruit of training is to end suffering by realizing the Four Noble Truths: that life is basically unsatisfying, that suffering is caused by attachment arising from ignorance about the nature of reality, that suffering can cease with release from clinging, and that freedom is realized by living the Noble Eightfold Path: right Copyright© 1997TranspersonalInstitute TheJournalof TranspersonalPsychology,1997, Vol.29, No.1 31 understanding, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concen tration. -
What Is It? She Said This All Matter-Of-Factly Without Any Hesitation Or Even a Glimmer of Embarrassment
What Is It? She said this all matter-of-factly without any hesitation or even a glimmer of embarrassment. “We each have an innate, bright, After she left, Cathy apologized to me and shinyness of mind. We have no word for said, “I couldn’t believe how rude Jane was to it so we call it ‘Buddha nature’.” you!” You see, I have been the one making the —Harada Shodo-roshi desserts. “Once you stop clinging and let things I just laughed and said, “I really don’t care if be, you’ll be free, even of birth and people prefer her desserts or not. Everyone death. You’ll transform everything. likes to be good at something and she obviously You’ll possess spiritual powers that can’t takes a lot of satisfaction in being a good cook be obstructed. And you’ll be at peace and baker.” wherever you are.” —Bodhidharma, in his Bloodstream Sermon, We both agreed that after Jane’s mother dies found in The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma, (she’s in hospice), if she wants to take back the tr. Red Pine kitchen, we have no objection. I even said that I would work for her. Dear Roshi, This is just such a huge change in my normal Had a really interesting experience last evening. reaction. My ego normally would have been Interesting because it was so unlike my habitual right there front and center, saying, “How reaction. I work in the kitchen here at the dare she say that to me! How rude!---etc., etc, apartment building on Saturdays. -
The New Buddhism: the Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition
The New Buddhism: The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition James William Coleman OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS the new buddhism This page intentionally left blank the new buddhism The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition James William Coleman 1 1 Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi São Paulo Shanghai Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto and an associated company in Berlin Copyright © 2001 by James William Coleman First published by Oxford University Press, Inc., 2001 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10016 First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 2002 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Coleman, James William 1947– The new Buddhism : the western transformation of an ancient tradition / James William Coleman. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-19-513162-2 (Cloth) ISBN 0-19-515241-7 (Pbk.) 1. Buddhism—United States—History—20th century. 2. Religious life—Buddhism. 3. Monastic and religious life (Buddhism)—United States. I.Title. BQ734.C65 2000 294.3'0973—dc21 00-024981 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America Contents one What -
The Meanings of Zen Buddhism in Leonard Cohen’S Poetry
The Meanings of Zen Buddhism in Leonard Cohen’s Poetry Alan Bariman Department of English, Faculty of Arts McGill University, Montreal April 2021 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts ©Alan Bariman, 2021 2 Table of Contents Abstract 3 Résumé 4 Acknowledgments 5 Introduction: Buddhism and Judaism in North America: The Contexts of Cohen’s Buddhism 6 Chapter One: Orientalism and Control in Cohen’s Early Works 21 Chapter Two: Cynicism and Buddhist Discipline in Songs of Love and Hate, The Energy of Slaves, and Death of a Lady’s Man 42 Chapter Three: Towards a Non-Attached Cynicism: Buddhist Resonances 70 Conclusion 92 Bibliography 98 3 Abstract This thesis explores Buddhist ideas, images, and references in Leonard Cohen’s poetry and affirms the lasting role of Buddhism in Cohen’s works. The thesis begins by examining the connection between North American and Jewish relationships to Buddhism as they relate to Cohen’s own historical context. Cohen’s early works reveal his early Orientalism and the evolution of a cynical voice that will come to dominate Cohen’s career. Addicted to the pleasures of celebrity, Cohen is sent into a deep depression that is only directly addressed by Sasaki Roshi, a Buddhist monk who eventually teaches Cohen about Buddhist discipline and philosophy in several poems in Death of a Lady’s Man. Despite a disciplined return to Judaism in Book of Mercy, Buddhist references and ideas remain ubiquitous and essential in the volume. In the final period of Cohen’s works, Buddhist training permanently alters Cohen’s writing: cynical voices persist but are tempered by ideas of non-attachment and non-dualism that are of Buddhist origin.