Zen

Doing Time, Doing Vipassana is a documentary that explores the use of a meditation technique named Vipassana in one of India’s most harshest prisons as a means of rehabilitation for the prisoners. The filmmakers spent a lot of time inside the Tihar Central prison in New Delhi where they interviewed the inmates and the jail officers along with the woman who introduced the Vipassana meditation technique to the prison, a woman named Kiran Bedi, a former General of Prisons in India. The film…

Prince Shōtoku has often been regarded as one of the main influencers in the spread of Buddhism throughout Japan. The legends of his birth and life show that he is himself a Bodhisattva who was sent to the world to assist others in the achievement of enlightenment. Though his contribution to the spread of Buddhism throughout Japan cannot depreciated, Prince Shōtoku influenced Japan in other, major ways. He was known to also be a brilliant politician who changed the Japanese government for the…

“Zen Confidential” is the final reading for this course. It follows the author, Shozan Jack Haubner on his journey from being raised in a conservative Catholic family to becoming a Zen monk. Buddhism differs from Christianity and Islam in that instead of praying to a God, Buddhists reach enlightenment by participating in meditation. They center themselves and work from within. Buddhist monks have a common goal to reach enlightenment and to come to terms with the world. Haubner states that in…

general, Enlightenment is a state of peace derived through understanding. The actual particularities of this understanding is what is disputed amongst the different Eastern philosophies and religions, such as Theravada Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, and Hinduism. I will focus on Zen Enlightenment, but to do so, it’s necessary to explain Theravada Buddhism and Daoism, in order to understand the relevant topics. I. The Essential Lessons of Relevant Philosophies Theravada Buddhism was born out of a…

every student’s dream to fully engage themselves in the subject they are learning by actually experiencing it, I never thought I would have this opportunity with Buddhism; this was before I was introduced to the possibility of participating in the Zen Center Assignment. I had very little expectations coming into the assignment. At the time we had submitted our applications, we had not learned much about Buddhist philosophies, ethical conduct or how Buddhist in our modern society practice; but…

Zen Buddhism was originally a practice in China before it was introduced to Japan in the 11th century. Buddhidharma was the first Zen master to teach in the monastery; he was applauded for teaching meditation and the monks saw it through Buddha’s precepts. The word Zen means “meditation,” and the goal of Zen meditation is to achieve enlightenment. It can be experienced through everyday life, at work, in art, and in sports. The monks practice meditation, which is the fundamental part of Zen. The…

Zen & Theravada Words are often the very things that hinders us from the immediate contact with the honest nature of things. Having the quietness with a mix of experiences of the tangible universe can take us on a journey that surpasses the verbal language and thoughts to the pulse of reality itself (Molloy 168). Zen Buddhism, a school of Mahayana Buddhism has begun and then had made its way to Japan (Molloy 166). Chan Buddhism roots can be found way back to a Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The…

Almost every culture, religion, ideology, or world-view holds some things as sacred, pure, holy, or unquestionably true—and others as profane, unclean, or taboo. Among the few exceptions are Zen and Dzogchen. They hold that there is nothing that is inherently sacred. (This ought to be an obvious consequence of the Heart Sutra—but most Buddhists do not see it that way.) If you spend enough time with Aro Lamas, it is certain that they will at some point roast your sacred cows—whatever they are.…

state of the Buddha. (aboutbuddhism.org) Zen is one of the major schools of Buddhism, and shares the same core beliefs of Buddhism religion. The people who practice Zen hope to achieve enlighten through meditation, “by practicing this way of thinking they must break through the boundaries of everyday perception and logic clearing their minds leading to enlightment.” (Kleiner, 2010, p. 106)…

Katach (“form and design”) is the Japanese word that best translates the concept of “art”. A word which implies that “art is synonymous with living, functional purpose, and spiritual simplicity” (Walkup). Zen Art is by its nature spiritual as it was “done not by professional artists, but by Zen monks and nuns who spent extremely disciplined lives of meditation, in a search for enlightenment and awakening to the true nature of reality”(Sweet). The core foundation of the art-form is the belief…