Beliefs and Philosophies in Zen Buddhism

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at how Zen Buddhism is a hugely complex and sprawling philosophical/intellectual construct that cannot be easily expressed. The paper attempts to outline what Zen Buddhism is by looking at what sort of mind-set it teaches and what it demands of its followers. Furthermore, the paper relates how, at its core, Zen Buddhism demands that people let go of the attachments and curious affectations which contribute to unhappiness insofar as these things offer a distorted view of what constitutes a good life. Additionally, the paper considers how Zen Buddhism argues against blindly accepting traditional knowledge and how it takes what could even be called a relativistic or post-modern approach to studying language and the written word. Lastly, the paper looks at the chief "truths", of which there are four, that informs Zen Buddhist thought. In the final analysis, the paper suggests that Buddhism is fundamentally about valuing experience and feeling over formal cosmologies and epistemologies.

From the Paper:

"For one thing, Zen Buddhism (Buddhism in general, really) teaches people to accept pain as the price one pays for growth. This pain is not a bad thing: on the contrary, pain deepens character and a deep character allows an individual to probe more deeply into the secrets of life. It is through pain that one embraces revelation - and Buddhism teaches people to accept discomfort as part of the learning process. In a closely-related vein, Zen Buddhism is a philosophy which encourages people to become less ego-centered. By effacing (in part) or by denying the ego, the individual takes the first step towards understanding the infinite, the metaphysical, and to developing a sincere religious consciousness (Suzuki, Essays in Zen Buddhism, 15-17). All of this, of course, is predicated upon personal self-inquiry and introspection."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Heine, Steven, and Dale S. Wright. The Zen Canon: Understanding the Classic Texts. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Questia.com. 20 Feb. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103539361>
• Kasulis, T.P. Zen Action/Zen Person. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press, 1981. Questia.com. 20 Feb. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=104375351>
• McIntosh, William D. East Meets West: Parallels between Zen Buddhism and Social Psychology. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 7.1 (1997): 37-52. Questia.com. 20 Feb. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=77021044>
• Suzuki, D.T. Essays in Zen Buddhism. New York: Grove Press, 1961. Questia.com. 20 Feb. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=10378515>
• Suzuki, D.T. Manual of Zen Buddhism. New York: Grove Press, 1960. Questia.com. 20 Feb. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=77431680>

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