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Home , Flower Sermon, Satori

Zen

James Durham INTRODUCTION Some Images What is Buddhism?

● Zen Buddhism is, first and foremost, a practice that was uninterruptedly transmitted from master to disciple, and that goes back to the spiritual awakening ( in Japanese) of a man named Siddharta Gautama (Shakyamuni Gotama in Japanese) - The Buddha - 2500 years ago in India ● Focuses of the experience of enlightenment, and sheds a light on its teachings ● - a paradox to be meditated upon that is used to train Zen Buddhist monks to abandon ultimate dependence on reason and to force them into gaining sudden intuitive enlightenment Some Differences

Buddhism Zen Buddhism ● Origin- Nepal, India ● China ● Founders- ● those who broke away from the (born as Prince Siddhartha) original teachings of the Buddha ● Goal- To attain enlightenment ● To gain enlightenment and be released from the cycle of ● follow Gautama Buddha and and death, thus attaining believe that he exists in a . spiritual form and can answer ● The Buddha was the teacher to and help people. show us the and enlightenment is mostly up to the the eightfold path (the path to practitioner to attain. this is how nirvana or the way to it is in the texts which enlightenment). are opposite the original teachings Zen

● Zen is the practice that helps every human being to penetrate to his true self through cross leg sitting (), and to vitalize this self in daily life 7 Dimensions Experiential or Emotional

● Satori is the spiritual goal of Zen Buddhism (in Chinese: wu). It is a key concept in Zen. ● Satori is basically individual Enlightenment, or a flash of sudden awareness. Satori is as well an intuitive experience. The feeling of Satori is that of infinite space. ● A brief experience of Enlightenment is sometimes called Kensho. Semantically, Kensho and Satori have virtually the same meaning and are often used interchangeably. In describing the Enlightenment of the Patriarchs, however, it is customary to use the word Satori rather than Kensho, the term Satori implying a deeper experience. Narrative or Mythic

● It is believed that the origin of Zen Buddhism lies in the delivered by the Buddha. The Flower Sermon did not involve any verbal communication between the Buddha and His disciples. Rather, what Buddha did was very simple, He upheld a flower before His disciples and quietly waited for a response from them. None responded, except one. This was Mahakashyapa and his response was simple, just a smile. The seemingly simple action and reaction from the Buddha and Mahakashyapa is considered to have a deeper meaning. It is believed that through this, the Buddha passed on a special insight to Mahakashyapa. From here, a way emerged in Buddhism which focussed more on direct experience instead of rational creeds and revered scriptures. This above given account of origin of Zen Buddhism is not approved by all scholars as credible historical events. Mahakasyapa and a flower … Doctrinal or Philosophical

● In Zen Buddhism, there are 2 different awakenings. Sudden and Gradual Awakening. ○ Sudden Awakening - Simply, you suddenly feel enlightenment ○ Gradual Awakening - You gradually practice and reach enlightenment ■ Neither is better than the other, but they just have different time span. Ethical or Legal

Some examples Zen Buddhism remembers: 1. I will be mindful and reverential with all life, I will not be violent nor will I kill. 2. I will respect the property of others, I will not steal. 3. I will be conscious and loving in my relationships, I will not give way to lust. 4. I will honor honesty and truth, I will not deceive. 5. I will exercise proper care of my body and mind, I will not be gluttonous nor abuse intoxicants. Practical or Ritual

Dokusan - a Japanese term whose literal Zazen -a Japanese word used to describe sitting meaning is "go alone"; in Rinzai Zen it refers to practiced in Zen Buddhism. the meeting of the disciple with the for the purpose of koan practice. Social or Institutional

In Zen practice the spiritual advancement of a Disciple depends on the opinion of the Master

Japanese Zen Buddhism: Description, Branches & Revival Material Dimension

Meditation Hall Sumie

Japanese Gardens

Kyosaku (Encouragement Stick) Conclusion What you should remember

● What Zen means ● Difference between Buddhism and Zen Buddhism ● 7 dimensions

KEY TERMS : - Zazen - Dokusan - Satori - Zen - Koan

Bibliography

● http://buddhism.about.com/od/chanandzenbuddhism/a/zen101.htm ● http://www.zen-buddhism.net/ ● http://www.diffen.com/difference/Buddhism_vs_Zen ● http://www.zenki.com/ ● http://quizlet.com/4133901/zen-buddhism-terms-flash-cards/ ● http://sped2work.tripod.com/satori.html ● http://www.buddhist-tourism.com/buddhism/zen-buddhism.html ● http://www.gardendigest.com/zen/ten.htm#First ● http://www.dictionaryofspiritualterms.com/public/Glossaries/terms.aspx?ID=420