A certain number teach Buddhism and help the laity to practise zazen. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.
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Buddhism is a religion that offers a spiritual path for transcending the suffering of existence. Release from this endless cycle is achieved only by attaining enlightenment, the goal for which Buddhists strive. According to tradition, the founder of Buddhism was born in B. Siddhartha left his palace, renouncing his princely life, and set out to find the cause of human suffering. He became a wandering monk.
After years of searching, he found his answer—his awakening—and proceeded to teach others. After his death, the Buddha's teachings were written down by his followers who spread his message. These texts are called sutras. An organized religion began to take form, and with time new branches of Buddhism emerged. Three main types of Buddhism have developed over its long history, each with its own characteristics and spiritual ideals.
Theravada or foundational Buddhism, the earliest of the three, emphasizes the attainment of salvation for oneself alone and the necessity of monastic life in order to attain spiritual release.
These three schools are not mutually exclusive but emphasize different practices. For example, while Theravada teaches that only a few devotees are able to reach enlightenment and that they do it alone, Mahayana and its later offshoot, Vajrayana, teach that enlightenment is attainable by everyone with help from buddhas and beings known as bodhisattvas those who have attained enlightenment but remain on earth to assist others on their paths.
A major, long-established East Asian route of trade and influence ran from northern China through the Korean peninsula and across the Korean Straits to Japan. Traveling along this route, Mahayana Buddhism was introduced to Japan from Korea in the sixth century traditionally, in either or , as part of a diplomatic mission that included gifts such as an image of Shakyamuni Buddha and several volumes of Buddhist text. As in Korea, the religion had a lasting effect on the native culture.
By the seventh century, when the religion was firmly established, Japan had dozens of temple complexes, various orders of priests, and a body of skilled artisans to craft the icons and other accoutrements that the practice of the faith required. Vajrayana or Esoteric Buddhist and its attendant pantheon of deities and secret, mystical rituals, was introduced to Japan in the early Heian period after by a number of Japanese priests.
They studied the religion in China and returned home to found influential monasteries, two of which became the centers of the main Japanese Buddhist sects, Tendai and Shingon. Images of wrathful deities, such as Fudo Myo-o Achala in Sanskrit , were introduced at this time as part of the Esoteric Buddhist pantheon.
In the late Heian period until and following centuries, Pure Land Buddhism became very popular. For a first-timer, it requires being in good health and fairly flexible, as it can be quite challenging for those who are not used to it. Indeed, it requires sitting during several periods of 15 minutes on a big flat zabuton and on a zafu, two types of Japanese cushions. However, for people with knee problems some alternatives can sometimes be found, such as sitting on a chair.
But what to do exactly when sitting? Actually, this is where zazen differs from other types of meditation. While the latter might encourage practitioners to think of an image or focus on a unique thought, zazen requires nothing except keeping a good posture and breathing: there is no goal or aim attached to it.
The popularity of Zen has even spread to the Western World. A pivotal point was when the Japanese monk, Soyen Shaku visited Chicago in It has since become the subject of many books written by Westerners, as well as the inspiration for a number of American Beat poets.
Why not try it for yourself? Rukku and Uohei. Umaisushikan Sendaihigashiguchishiten. Gion, Kawaramachi, Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Autumn Colors at Their Finest!
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