Socrates and Zen

Paper Summary:

This paper examines whether the sage, Socrates, agrees or disagrees with the Way of the Zen masters. The paper was prompted by Dan Millman's semi-autobiographical tale, "Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives". The paper examines the Four Noble Truths of Zen philosophy and concludes that Socrates, indeed, agrees with the ways of the Zen teachers.

From the Paper:

"Where I thought Millmen abandoned the more peaceful philosophies and adopted a more rigid code of a warrior was when he and Socrates discussed death. Having read the "Code of Bushido", the ancient Japanese philosophy of the Samaria, I feel Dan Millman is trying to piece together many philosophies through Socrates teachings. When the topic of death is broached for example, then a more austere philosophy of something that could be compared to Ninjitsu or the Samaria seemed to have come into play."

More papers on Socrates and Zen:

• Essay # 33518 : "Socrates and Justice"
• Book Review # 134172 : "Zen Mind and Zen Dialogue"
• Essay # 6193 : "Socrates and the Concept of Justice"

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