Influence of Zen Buddhism in Japan


japan.zenEven in today’s globalized society, if there is one developed country whose people stand out as significantly distinct and unlike anybody else on this plant, it is Japan. In spite of the prosperity, highly industrialized economy which is inseparably integrated with the rest of the developed world, any first hand interaction with Japanese society and people will immediately make you feel that you are in a different place. One of the reasons for this uniqueness is the influence of Zen Buddhism

Zen Buddhism in Japan
The word “Zen” derives itself from the Sanskrit word “Dhyan” which means meditation. An integral part of all ancient religious philosophies in India, meditation has always been an important means of self realization in Buddhism. In 475 A.D., BODHIDHARMA, a Buddhist master, travelled to China and propagated Buddhism there. His teachings lead to the acceptance of “Dhyan”, which came to be called there as “Chan”, and gave rise to the Ch’an school of Buddhism that became one of the popular religious faiths in China. Around 1200 A.D., Ch’an spread to japan, where it was called “Zen.”
In this time, this school of philosophy became an essential part of Japanese religious practices. More importantly, it was embraced as a way of life, and influenced many aspects of Japanese culture and tradition.

What is Zen? 

Zen as a religious philosophy is unique, and very different from not only Western religions like Islam and Christianity, it is also quite different from other Buddhist sects because of its emphasis on self realization as the essence of Zen. Much like Sanatan Dharma, which is usually referred as Hinduism, Zen undermines the importance of words in scriptures and religious texts, with a view that words are always open to interpretation and their meaning invariably depends upon the person making use of them. As we so often observe, this is a limitation that affects all written words of law, including statutes, religious texts and other rules-they can all be interpreted differently an lead to disputes.

Zen emphasizes on developing an understanding about one’s own self and the universe, and then being able to discern the duties of the individual as well as his or her code of conduct. The initial reliance of these philosophies is derived from ancient Buddhist texts like the Mahaprajnaparamita-sutra which emphasizes the doctrine of emptiness, the Lankavatara-sutra which describes the doctrine of Consciousness and the teachings of the Buddha in the Avatamsaka-Sutra. These teachings have been analysed and described in great detail by many Japanese zen maters, who in the process, also developed many practices that are unique to Zen in Japan.

Another aspect of Zen is its importance on meditation, and the “aasana” or the positions of the body to be used by those entering such meditation. While Zen can be described as being equivalent to an intuitive understanding, Zazen is sitting meditation referring to the different positions in which body is maintained, and includes a number of manners and etiquette on which great emphasis is placed.

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