Download or read book Two Shores of Zen an American Monk s Japan written by Jiryu Mark Rutschman-Byler and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2010-01-09 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a young American Buddhist monk can no longer bear the pop-psychology, sexual intrigue, and free-flowing peanut butter that he insists pollute his spiritual community, he sets out for Japan on an archetypal journey to find True Zen. Arriving at an austere Japanese monastery and meeting a fierce old Zen Master, he feels confirmed in his suspicion that the Western Buddhist approach is a spineless imitation of authentic spiritual effort. However, over the course of a year and a half of bitter initiations, relentless meditation and labor, intense cold, brutal discipline, insanity, overwhelming lust, and false breakthroughs, he grows disenchanted with the Asian model as well. Two Shores of Zen weaves together scenes from Japanese and American Zen to offer a timely, compelling contribution to the ongoing conversation about Western Buddhism's stark departures from Asian traditions. How far has Western Buddhism come from its roots, or indeed how far has it fallen? www.ShoresOfZen.com
Download or read book Living Buddhas written by Ken Jeremiah and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Northern Japan is home to an ancient, esoteric tradition of self-mummifying Buddhist monks, little known to the outside world. Long after death, these ascetics continue to be revered as Living Buddhas. This first English-language work on the subject recounts the process by which these monks starve themselves for a decade, bury themselves alive with only a small breathing tube, and meditate until death. After three years, the mummified body is exhumed and displayed. The biographies of various monks are presented within, as is an examination of the religious beliefs involved, an amalgamation of three distinct religious traditions. Also explored is the role of asceticism in religion, and beliefs about life and death shared by the Buddhist sects involved in self-mummification.
Download or read book Zen Masters of Japan written by Richard Bryan McDaniel and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2014-01-07 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zen Masters of Japan is the second book in a series that traces Zen's profoundly historic journey as it spread eastward from China and Japan, toward the United States. Following Zen Masters of China, this book concentrates on Zen's significant passage through Japan. More specifically, it describes the lineage of the great teachers, the Zen monk pioneers who set out to enlighten an island ready for an inner transformation based on compassionate awareness. While the existing Buddhist establishment in Japan met early Zen pioneers like Dogen and Eisai with fervent resistance, Zen Buddhism ultimately perservered and continued to become further transformed in its passage through Japan. The Japanese culture and Japanese Buddhism practices further deepened and strengthened Zen training by combining it with a variety of esoteric contemplative arts—the arts of poetry, the tea ceremony, calligraphy, and archery. Zen Masters of Japan chronicles this journey with each Zen master profiled. The book shows how the new practices soon gained in popularity among all walks of life—from the lowly peasant, offering a hope of reincarnation and a better life; to the Samurai warrior due to its casual approach to death; to the ruling classes, challenging the intelligentsia because of its scholarly roots. A collection of Zen stories, meditation, and their wisdom, Zen Masters of Japan also explores the illusive state of 'No Mind' achieved in Japan that is so fundamental to Zen practices today.
Download or read book Zen at War written by Brian Daizen Victoria and published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This book was released on 2006-06-22 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compelling history of the contradictory, often militaristic, role of Zen Buddhism, this book meticulously documents the close and previously unknown support of a supposedly peaceful religion for Japanese militarism throughout World War II. Drawing on the writings and speeches of leading Zen masters and scholars, Brian Victoria shows that Zen served as a powerful foundation for the fanatical and suicidal spirit displayed by the imperial Japanese military. At the same time, the author recounts the dramatic and tragic stories of the handful of Buddhist organizations and individuals that dared to oppose Japan's march to war. He follows this history up through recent apologies by several Zen sects for their support of the war and the way support for militarism was transformed into 'corporate Zen' in postwar Japan. The second edition includes a substantive new chapter on the roots of Zen militarism and an epilogue that explores the potentially volatile mix of religion and war. With the increasing interest in Buddhism in the West, this book is as timely as it is certain to be controversial.
Download or read book Five Mountains written by Martin Collcutt and published by Harvard Univ Asia Center. This book was released on 1981 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work provides a history of the Rinzai Zen monastic institution in Medieval Japan.
Download or read book Three Japanese Buddhist Monks written by Saigyo and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2020-09-24 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'I have relinquished all that ties me to the world, but the one thing that still haunts me is the beauty of the sky' These simple, inspiring writings by three medieval Buddhist monks offer peace and wisdom amid the world's uncertainties, and are an invitation to relinquish earthly desires and instead taste life in the moment. One of twenty new books in the bestselling Penguin Great Ideas series. This new selection showcases a diverse list of thinkers who have helped shape our world today, from anarchists to stoics, feminists to prophets, satirists to Zen Buddhists.
Download or read book The Essence of Zen written by Sekkei Harada and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-08-20 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Essence of Zen is an expert's guided tour of the ins and outs of the tradition's approach to meditation, enlightenment, and the oneness of all things. To read it is to enter into one of modern Japanese Zen's most subtle and sophisticated minds. Sekkei Harada skillfully pushes us to drop those parts of ourselves that grasp and make demands regarding our understanding or progress in meditation practice. He enables us to see clearly-and steer clear of-the philosophical stumbling blocks that can make the path precarious. The Essence of Zen represents the most succinct of his teachings, making it of immediate value to anyone with an interest in Zen. The book also contains Harada's explanations of the differences between the tradition's primary schools, making it particularly helpful to newcomers.
Download or read book Unsui written by Eshin Nishimura and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2021-05-25 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the lines of the palm of the hand are barely visible in the early light, the monks of the Tofukuji monastery have been about their familiar rounds of daily tasks for several hours. Their routine is simple but faithfully practiced. Within its repetition lies the key to the self and the Buddha who resides within. The daily life of the monastery is portrayed here in ninety-seven watercolor sketches. Drawn during his last years by the Zen monk Giei Sato, these sketches recollect his days as an unsui, an apprentice monk. With humor and steadfast warmth Sato depicts the day of leaving home and the day of returning; the rainy season and the snowy season; the chores, the celebrations, the days of cleaning, and the days of begging. Each of the charming drawings is enhanced by a brief description of the event portrayed, a touch of Zen teaching, or a note on monastic life.
Download or read book The Training of the Zen Buddhist Monk written by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki and published by Cosimo, Inc.. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Best known as the man who brought Zen classics to the West, Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki sheds light on all phases of a monk's experience, from being initially refused admittance at the Zendo's door to the definitive understanding the meaning of one's koan as the final act of ordinance into Zen priesthood. The Training of the Zen Buddhist Monk invites us inside the mysterious world of the Zendo, where monks live their lives in monastic simplicity. Suzuki reveals the subtle intricacies of the initiation ceremony, a monk's duty to beg among the laity, and he explains the spiritual remuneration of prayer & meditation as well as a life of service to others.Initially published in 1934, this exceptional hardcover edition contains handsome illustrations of diverse scenes from the life training of a Zen monk.DAISETZ TEITARO SUZUKI (1870-1966) was Japanese author who wrote essays and books on topics such as Buddhism, Zen, and Shin. His books played a role in making the west more knowledgeable with Far Eastern philosophy. He taught at western schools as well as Japanese schools. He was also a translator of Chinese, Japanese, and Sanskrit.
Download or read book Obaku Zen written by Helen J. Baroni and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first detailed English-language study of the Obaku branch of Japanese Zen. Beginning with the founding of the sect in Japan by Chinese monks in the seventeenth century, the volume describes the conflicts and maneuverings within the Buddhist and secular communities that led to the emergence of Obaku as a distinctive institution during the early Tokugawa period. Throughout the author explores a wide range of texts and includes excerpts from important primary documents such as the Zenrin shuheishu and the Obaku geki, translated here for the first time. She provides an impressive portrait of the founding Chinese leadership and the first generation of Japanese converts, whose work enabled the fledgling sect to grow and take its place beside existing branches of the closely related Rinzai Zen sect. Obaku's distinctive Chinese practices and characteristics set it apart from its Japanese counterparts. In an innovative investigation of these differences, the author uses techniques derived from the contemporary study of new religious movements in the West to explain both Obaku's successes and failures in its relations with other Japanese Buddhist sects. She illuminates the role of government support in the initial establishment of the main monastery, Mampuku-ji, and the ongoing involvement of the bakufu and the imperial family in Obaku's early development. Hers is a thorough and well-governed analysis that brings to the fore a religious movement that has been much neglected in Japanese and Western scholarship despite its tremendous influence on modern Japanese Buddhism as a whole.
Download or read book Zen Sourcebook written by Stephen Addiss and published by Hackett Publishing. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction by Paula Arai. This is the first collection to offer selections from the foundational texts of the Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Zen traditions in a single volume. Through representative selections from their poetry, letters, sermons, and visual arts, the most important Zen Masters provide students with an engaging, cohesive introduction to the first 1200 years of this rich -- and often misunderstood -- tradition. A general introduction and notes provide historical, biographical, and cultural context; a note on translation, and a glossary of terms are also included.
Download or read book The Religion of the Samurai written by Kaiten Nukariya and published by . This book was released on 2015-05-20 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Zen is completely free from the fetters of old dogmas, dead creeds, and conventions of stereotyped past, that check the development of a religious faith and prevent the discovery of a new truth. Zen needs no Inquisition. It never compelled nor will compel the compromise of a Galileo or a Descartes. No excommunication of a Spinoza or the burning of a Bruno is possible for Zen." Zen scholar Kaiten Nukariya's 1913 "Religion of the Samurai" focuses on Northern (Mahayana) Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism in particular. This important book provides a wealth of detail, as well as very lucid explanations of seemingly elusive Zen Buddhist concepts. It includes an essay on the 'Origin of Man' by Kwei Fung Tsung Mih, a notable Chinese scholar who was the seventh Patriarch of the Kegon sect. Introduction Chapter I: History of Zen in China Chapter II: History of Zen in Japan Chapter III: The Universe is the Scripture of Zen Chapter IV: Buddha, The Universal Spirit Chapter V: The Nature of Man Chapter VI: Enlightenment Chapter VII: Life Chapter VIII: The Training of the Mind and the Practice of Meditation Appendix: Origin of Man: Preface Origin of Man: Introduction Chapter I: Refutation of Delusive and Prejudiced (Doctrine) Chapter II: Refutation of Incomplete and Superficial (Doctrine) Chapter III: The Direct Explanation of the Real Origin Chapter IV: Reconciliation of the Temporary with the Real Doctrine "As we shall see, this image of warrior Zen became increasingly romanticized toward the beginning of the twentieth century. Writing in 1913, the Zen scholar Kaiten Nukariya even went as far as saying that Zen monks and samurai were two sides of the same coin. Both lived with the same rules of discipline, the same spartan dignity, and the same ethos of mindful action." -Thomas David DuBois, "Religion and the Making of Modern East Asia"
Download or read book Japanese Warrior Monks AD 949 1603 written by Stephen Turnbull and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-06-20 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the 10th to the mid-17th century, religious organisations played an important part in the social, political and military life in Japan. Known as sohei ('monk warriors') or yamabushi ('mountain warriors'), the warrior monks were anything but peaceful and meditative, and were a formidable enemy, armed with their distinctive, long-bladed naginata. The fortified cathedrals of the Ikko-ikki rivalled Samurai castles, and withstood long sieges. This title follows the daily life, training, motivation and combat experiences of the warrior monks from their first mention in AD 949 through to their suppression by the Shogunate in the years following the Sengoku-jidai period.
Download or read book He s Leaving Home written by Kiyohiro Miura and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 1996 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the narrator begins taking his mischievous six year-old son Ryota with him to his weekly Zen meditation meeting, it's not so much for his spirituality but to afford his mother a bit of peace and quiet. So, when Ryota suddenly announces he wants to become a Zen monk, the surprised father imagines he'll outgrow it. In this Akutagawa Prize-winning semi-autobiographical novel, author Kiyohiro Miura explores a parent's conflicting emotions: pride at the noble path his son has chosen clashes with sadness over losing a child. By exploring aspects of Zen through one modern, everyday family's experience with it, the author succeeds in providing profound but accessible insights into a mysterious Eastern philosophy.
Download or read book S t Zen in Medieval Japan written by William M. Bodiford and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 1993-01-01 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores how Soto monks between the 13th and 16th centuries developed new forms of monastic organization and Zen instructions and new applications for Zen rituals within lay life; how these innovations helped shape rural society; and how remnants of them remain in the modern Soto school, now the lar
Download or read book Zen and Japanese Culture written by Daisetz T. Suzuki and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-02-12 with total page 608 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zen and Japanese Culture is a classic that has influenced generations of readers and played a major role in shaping conceptions of Zen’s influence on Japanese traditional arts. In simple and poetic language, Daisetz Suzuki describes Zen and its historical evolution. He connects Zen to the philosophy of the samurai, and subtly portrays the relationship between Zen and swordsmanship, haiku, tea ceremonies, and the Japanese love of nature. Suzuki uses anecdotes, poetry, and illustrations of silk screens, calligraphy, and architecture. The book features an introduction by Richard Jaffe that acquaints readers with Suzuki’s life and career and analyzes the book’s reception in light of contemporary criticism, especially by scholars of Japanese Buddhism. Zen and Japanese Culture is a valuable source for those wishing to understand Zen in the context of Japanese life and art, and remains one of the leading works on the subject.
Download or read book Japan and Zen written by Betty Ames and published by . This book was released on 1961 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
