Zen Buddhism

Term Paper # 101746

Zen Buddhism

This paper discuses Zen Buddhism as a form of Mahayana Buddhism, which is a tradition that has had much appeal to some westerners in the last generations.

3,015 words () | 8 sources | APA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper relates the history of Zen Buddhism, explaining that it originated in China and later spread throughout much of Vietnam, Korea and Indo-China. The author points out that Zen Buddhism demands a great deal of the follower but its gift is a pure simplicity that brings the transformation of the person and all awareness. The paper relates that many North Americans, including Heidegger, Erich Fromm, and Aldous Huxley, value the 'in the moment' focus of Zen Buddhism as a solution to fast-paced societies that cause many people to feel overwhelmed by stress. The paper relates that the aesthetics of Zen appeal to Westerners as seen in sand or stone 'Japanese' gardens that reflect the influence of Zen Buddhism.

Table of Content:
Introduction
The Buddha's Emissaries
Zen's Appeal and its Spread
Zen's Appeal to Non-Asian Persons
Concluding Discussion

From the Paper:

"Those leaving India for East Asia in the 6th century AD believed they carried a simple but very powerful message. The smile of the Buddha was a symbol that had spread through India by those known as the 28 Patriarchs, the symbol brought to China by Bodhidharma and later taken on to Japan. Part of the appeal of Zen Buddhism perhaps was its accessibility in societies where only the elite, indeed, only the philosophical or priestly classes, were literate. Zen's emphasis on personal consciousness, as aided by a learned teacher, appealed to people who were given simple - but extremely difficult meditative exercises to master."

Sample of Sources Used:

Anderson, Reb. (2001). Being Upright - Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts. Los Angeles and London: Rodwell Press.
Austin, James H. (1998). Zen and the Brain - toward an Understanding of Meditation and Consciousness. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Berthier, Francois. (2000). Reading Zen in the Rocks - the Japanese Dry Landscape Garden. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press.
Bodiford, William M. (1993). The Growth of the Soto Zen Tradition in Medieval Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Dumoulin, Heinrich. (1992). Zen Buddhism in the 20th Century. Trans. J. O'Leary. New York: Weatherill.