The Nature and Rationale of Zen/Chan and Enlightenment

The Nature and Rationale of Zen/Chan and Enlightenment PDF Author: Ming Dong Gu
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000916359
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
This book initiates a paradigm shift away from Zen/Chan as quintessentially Buddhist and examines what makes Chan thought and practice unique and original through an interdisciplinary investigation of the nature and rationale of Chan and its enlightenment. Exploring how enlightenment is achieved through Chan practice and how this differs from other forms of Buddhism, the book offers an entirely new view of Chan that embraces historical scholarship, philosophical inquiry, textual analysis, psychological studies, Chan practice, and neuroscientific research and locates the core of Chan in its founder Huineng’s theory of no thinking which creatively integrates the Taoist ideas of zuowang (forgetting in seated meditation) and xinzhai (fast of heart-mind) with his personal experiences of enlightenment. It concludes that Chan is the crystallization of an innovative synthesis of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism as well as other resources of somatic and spiritual cultivation, and that enlightenment is a momentary return to the mental state of a baby before birth. This book will appeal to students and scholars of religion, philosophy, and neuroscience. It will also offer new insights to thinkers, writers, artists, therapists and neuroscientists as well as those practicing Zen, Mindfulness, and psychotherapy.

The Nature and Rationale of Zen/Chan and Enlightenment

The Nature and Rationale of Zen/Chan and Enlightenment PDF Author: Ming Dong Gu
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000916359
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
This book initiates a paradigm shift away from Zen/Chan as quintessentially Buddhist and examines what makes Chan thought and practice unique and original through an interdisciplinary investigation of the nature and rationale of Chan and its enlightenment. Exploring how enlightenment is achieved through Chan practice and how this differs from other forms of Buddhism, the book offers an entirely new view of Chan that embraces historical scholarship, philosophical inquiry, textual analysis, psychological studies, Chan practice, and neuroscientific research and locates the core of Chan in its founder Huineng’s theory of no thinking which creatively integrates the Taoist ideas of zuowang (forgetting in seated meditation) and xinzhai (fast of heart-mind) with his personal experiences of enlightenment. It concludes that Chan is the crystallization of an innovative synthesis of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism as well as other resources of somatic and spiritual cultivation, and that enlightenment is a momentary return to the mental state of a baby before birth. This book will appeal to students and scholars of religion, philosophy, and neuroscience. It will also offer new insights to thinkers, writers, artists, therapists and neuroscientists as well as those practicing Zen, Mindfulness, and psychotherapy.

The Nature and Rationale of Zen/Chan and Enlightenment

The Nature and Rationale of Zen/Chan and Enlightenment PDF Author: Mingdong Gu
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781032497655
Category : Enlightenment (Zen Buddhism)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"This book initiates a paradigm shift away from Zen/Chan as quintessentially Buddhist and examines what makes Chan thought and practice unique and original through an interdisciplinary investigation of the nature and rationale of Chan and its enlightenment. Exploring how enlightenment is achieved through Chan practice and how this differs from other forms of Buddhism, the book offers an entirely new view of Chan that embraces historical scholarship, philosophical inquiry, textual analysis, psychological studies, Chan practice, and neuroscientific research and locates the core of Chan in its founder Huineng's theory of no thinking which creatively integrates the Taoist ideas of zuowang (forgetting in seated meditation) and xinzhai (fast of heart-mind) with his personal experiences of enlightenment. It concludes that Chan is the crystallization of an innovative synthesis of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism as well as other resources of somatic and spiritual cultivation, and enlightenment is a momentary return to the mental state of a baby before birth. This book will appeal to students and scholars of religion, philosophy and neuroscience. It will also offer new insights to thinkers, writers, artists, therapists and neuroscientists as well as those practicing Zen, Mindfulness and psychotherapy"--

How Zen Became Zen

How Zen Became Zen PDF Author: Morten Schlutter
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824835085
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
How Zen Became Zen takes a novel approach to understanding one of the most crucial developments in Zen Buddhism: the dispute over the nature of enlightenment that erupted within the Chinese Chan (Zen) school in the twelfth century. The famous Linji (Rinzai) Chan master Dahui Zonggao (1089–1163) railed against "heretical silent illumination Chan" and strongly advocated kanhua (koan) meditation as an antidote. In this fascinating study, Morten Schlütter shows that Dahui’s target was the Caodong (Soto) Chan tradition that had been revived and reinvented in the early twelfth century, and that silent meditation was an approach to practice and enlightenment that originated within this "new" Chan tradition. Schlütter has written a refreshingly accessible account of the intricacies of the dispute, which is still reverberating through modern Zen in both Asia and the West. Dahui and his opponents’ arguments for their respective positions come across in this book in as earnest and relevant a manner as they must have seemed almost nine hundred years ago. Although much of the book is devoted to illuminating the doctrinal and soteriological issues behind the enlightenment dispute, Schlütter makes the case that the dispute must be understood in the context of government policies toward Buddhism, economic factors, and social changes. He analyzes the remarkable ascent of Chan during the first centuries of the Song dynasty, when it became the dominant form of elite monastic Buddhism, and demonstrates that secular educated elites came to control the critical transmission from master to disciple ("procreation" as Schlütter terms it) in the Chan School.

How Zen Became Zen

How Zen Became Zen PDF Author: Morten Schlütter
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780824870720
Category : Zen Buddhism
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Morten Schlütter takes a novel approach to understanding one of the most crucial developments in Zen Buddhism: the dispute over the nature of enlightenment that erupted within the Chinese Chan (Zen) school in the 12th century.

The Three Pillars of Zen

The Three Pillars of Zen PDF Author: Roshi P. Kapleau
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0307763579
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 481

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Book Description
In this classic work of spiritual guidance, the founder of the Rochester Zen Center presents a comprehensive overview of Zen Buddhism. Exploring the three pillars of Zen—teaching, practice, and enlightenment—Roshi Philip Kapleau, the man who founded one of the oldest and most influential Zen centers in the United States, presents a personal account of his own experiences as a student and teacher, and in so doing gives readers invaluable advice on how to develop their own practices. Revised and updated, this 35th anniversary edition features new illustrations and photographs, as well as a new afterword by Sensei Bodhin Kjolhede, who succeeded Kapleau as spiritual director of the Rochester Zen Center. A moving, eye-opening work, The Three Pillars of Zen is the definitive introduction to the history and discipline of Zen.

Zen Koan as a Means of Attaining Enlightenment

Zen Koan as a Means of Attaining Enlightenment PDF Author: Dai Z. Suzuki
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462901190
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
Zen Koan as a Means of Attaining Enlightenment Presents the history and application of the koan exercise—the means for realizing enlightenment—with depth and clarity. The koan system has effected a special development in Zen Buddhism, and is a unique contribution to the history of religious consciousness. When the importance of the koan is understood, it may be said that more than half of Zen is understood.

Enlightenment Unfolds

Enlightenment Unfolds PDF Author: Kazuaki Tanahashi
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834823942
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
Enlightenment Unfolds is a sequel to Kaz Tanahashi's previous collection, Moon in a Dewdrop, which has become a primary source on Dogen for Western Zen students. Dogen Zenji (1200–1253) is unquestionably the most significant religious figure in Japanese history. Founder of the Soto school of Zen (which emphasizes the practice of zazen or sitting meditation), he was a prolific writer whose works have remained popular for six hundred years. Enlightenment Unfolds presents even more of the incisive and inspiring writings of this seminal figure, focusing on essays from his great life work, Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, as well as poems, talks, and correspondence, much of which appears here in English for the first time. Tanahashi has brought together his own translations of Dogen with those of some of the most respected Zen teachers and writers of our own day, including Reb Anderson, Edward Espe Brown, Norman Fisher, Gil Fronsdal, Blanche Hartman, Jane Hirschfield, Daniel Leighton, Alan Senauke, Katherine Thanas, Mel Weitzman, and Michael Wenger.

Rational Zen

Rational Zen PDF Author: Thomas Cleary
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834829452
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
Zen has often been portrayed as being illogical and mystifying, even aimed at the destruction of the rational intellect. These new translations of the thirteenth-century Zen master Dogen—one of most original and important Zen writers—illustrate the rational side of Zen, which has been obscured through the centuries, tainting people's understanding of it. Rational Zen consists of enlightening selections from Dogen's two masterworks, "Treasury of Eyes of True Teaching" (the famed Shobogenzo, Japan's most sophisticated philosophical work) and "Universal Book of Eternal Peace," which until now has been unavailable in English. The translator also provides explanations of the inner meanings of Dogen's writings and sayings—the first commentaries of their kind of English. A compendium of authentic source materials further enhances the reader's insight into Dogen's methods, linking them to the great classical traditions of Buddhism that ultimately flowered in Zen.

How Zen Became Zen

How Zen Became Zen PDF Author: Morten Schlutter
Publisher: Munshirm Manoharlal Pub Pvt Limited
ISBN: 9788121512121
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
Description: How Zen became Zen takes a novel approach to understanding one of the most crucial developments in Zen Buddhism : the dispute over the nature of enlightenment that erupted within the Chinese Chan (Zen) school in the twelfth century. The famous Linji (Rinzai) Chan master Dahui Zonggao (1089-1163) railed against Heretical silent Illumination Chan and strongly advocated Kanhua (Koan) meditation as an antidote. In this fascinating study, Morten Schlutter shows that Dahui's target was the Caodong (Soto) Chan tradition that had been revived and reinvented in the early twelfth century, and that silent meditation was an approach to practice and enlightenment that originated within this new Chan tradition. Schlutter has written a refreshingly accessible account of the intricacies of the dispute, which is still reverberating through modern Zen in both Asia and the West. Dahui and his opponents arguments for their respective position come across in this book in as earnest and relevant a manner as they must have seemed almost nine hundred years ago. Although much of the book is devoted to illuminating the doctrinal and soteriological issues behind the enlightenment dispute, Schlutter makes the case that the dispute must be understood in the context of government policies toward Buddhism, economic factors, and social changes. He analyzes the remarkable ascent of Chan during the first centuries of the song dynasty, when it became the dominant form of elite monastic Buddhism; and demonstrates that secular educated elites came to control the critical transmission from master to disciple ( procreation as Schlutter terms it) in the Chan School. How Zen became Zen seeks to understand developments in Chan Buddhism from an angle that is radically different from most studies, which tend to depict this religious tradition as a closed system that is internally motivated. Scholars, Zen practitioners, and others interested in Chan and Zen thought will welcome this ground breaking study. Contents Introduction 1. Chan Buddhism in the Song: Some Background 2. The Chan School and the Song State 3. Procreation and Patronage in the Song Chan School 4. A New Chan Tradition: The Reinvention of the Caodong Lineage in the Song 5. A Dog has no Buddha Nature: Kanhua Chan and Dahui Zonggao's Attacks on Silent Illumination 6. The Caodong Tradition as the Target of Attacks by the Linji Tradition 7. Silent Illumination and the Caodong Tradition Conclusion

Zen Enlightenment

Zen Enlightenment PDF Author: Heinrich Dumoulin
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 1590305299
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
Enlightenment, the cosmic experience of universal unity, is a notoriously elusive concept in Zen. Here, the renowned scholar Heinrich Dumoulin traces the development of Zen and the concept of enlightenment from its origins in India through its development in China to its fruition in Japan. Delineating the Buddhist origins, as well as the Taoist and yogic influences, he traces the historical path Zen has followed, with special emphasis given to the development of koan practice and the writings of the great Japanese Zen master Dogen (1200–1253). He then brings the experience to life by presenting, in his own words, the enlightenment experiences of a number of contemporary practitioners of Zen.