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Zen Buddhism
A sect of Buddhism that focuses on sitting meditation and enlightenment through silence.
411 Questions
There are a variety of different 'methods' to practicing Buddhism taught by a variety of different schools. Meditation is often central but some do not emphasise the importance of meditation as much as altruistic practice. All should involve the study of the Buddha's teachings to an extent. One of the most important points is that enlightenment is inherent in all life.
Dhamma practice is best out lined by the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. These are body, feeling, mind, and mental objects. Any time the mind shifts focus it will be to one of these four things. Much of Dhamma practice is looking at the rapid movements of the mind, what is considered playful to the mind, and why? There were 2 things important to the fruition of my practice.
1. Was the fact that the four foundations of mindfulness are meant to be taken "separately" when ever the mind naturally wonders there.
2. Is how to make this mindfulness practice become an "established habit" so the sobering powers of mindfulness give real strength to the mind.
When the mind starts with the breath and then wonders to be playful with a part of the body mindfulness of the body will show its 32 parts, decomposition, and ultimate dissatisfaction. As this exercise is repeated, when ever the mind wonders to play with the body or anyone else's body, the mind will start "firmly" staying with the breath. This is because why would it ever want to leave?
When the mind starts with the breath and gets pulled to feelings mindfulness of feelings come into play. Those solid "I" feel pleasant…"I" feel pain……"I" feel neutral………becomes separate, very small, " i " feel pleasure……" i " feel pain…. " i " feel neutral. If your body was a kitchen one feeling would be a chair over their, another feeling would be a refrigerator over there, while another feeling is a stove over there. All those pieces of furniture are not "you" and you of course are not them. They like wise are not a solid part of each other.
The mind again stays with the breath strongly because why would it ever want to leave?
As the mind becomes "established" in mindfulness it becomes a factor of awakening. You are starting to awaken and you "know" right here and right now this is true. Most people are afraid to investigate more because they're afraid of what they will find. Once mindfulness becomes "established" its power breaks any fears. Once your mindfulness can start seeing the sobering strength of its own power "you are not a beginner anymore"
No matter what kammatic ups and downs life throws at you this strength can see through all obstacles. Looking at the highest mountain what force on earth can move it, not anything small let me tell you. That's how much force will be needed to move you too, not anything small. Here is a link for more reference into the Four Fundations of mindfulness. It is a long sutta given by the Buddha called the "Maha-satipatthana Sutta" http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.22.0.than.htmlJust copy and paste the link into your web browser.
Most people in Varanasi are Hindu because it is right near the river Ganges
"Buddha was born at Kapilavastu,
enlightened at Magadha,
taught at Varanasi,
entered Nirvana at Kusinagara."
Where does hand clapping originated?
The origin is not known given that its origin is not recorded anywhere in history. The closest theory that holds any clout is that early in the evolutionary process, clapping was a learned behavior that was used to call attention before the use of a language. One can see how it could grow from calling the attention of another to signal food or danger to signaling a pleasing act.
What types of Buddhists are vegetarian?
There are many Buddhist traditions. Some are vegetarian and some aren't. Even within a single tradition, some sanghas (communities of practitioners) are vegetarian and some aren't. For example, some Zen Buddhists are vegetarian and some aren't. So there's no general answer that can be given to this question. There is no consensus because there is no common creed in Buddhism. Instead, the Buddha gave his followers recommended practices and instructed them to find out for themselves. He did tell his followers not to kill but to cherish all life. However, he himself was a mendicant, and, when someone gave him meat, he ate it.
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Why is Zen Buddhism more prone to violence than Tibetan Buddhism?
Answer 1
Since Buddhism teaches non-violence to all sentient beings I can't even think of any violence that Zen or any other Buddhist tradition has perpetrated.
Answer 2
The issue lays with interpretation of the way in which a person should attain selflessness. In most Tibetan forms of Buddhism, the idea of transcending the self is a universal transcendence. A person is to become an element of all people and all people are to become the individual. In this way, a person has no individual facets that would spawn violence or disunity. People would be in natural harmony with one another as they would all be the same.
In Zen Buddhism, especially in Japan, the transcendence was localized. A person would shed his form of self to become one with the rest of his nation and to have the will of his leader pass through him. He was an element and portion of the people as a whole and was as necessary in defense as offense. As a result, he cannot manifest any opposition to the policies of the country because in so doing, he asserts self in opposition to the national interest. Killing those who threaten the natural trajectory of the nation becomes a part of a person's required attitude.
As to the claim in Answer 1, there are numerous violent actions that have been taken by believing Buddhists throughout history; they are just less publicized in the West than they are in Asia. Consider the Buddhist support of the Emperor of Japan in World War II for the reasons given in this answer. Consider the Tibetan alliance with the Zhungrar Confederacy, a Mongol Tribe that pillaged much of West China and the "Stans". Consider the current violence against the Burmese Muslims in Rohingya led by Buddhist monks. Consider that during the Sengoku Jidai Period in the Japanese history, nearly every major clan had Buddhist Warrior Monks and had Yamabushi Monks as lead commanding generals. Consider that the first to revolt against the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty in 1351 (Red Turban Revolt) were the Members of the White Lotus Society, a Buddhist movement.
What would be the Buddhists' most holy book?
There are many books and texts used in Buddhism to instruct in its practices and beliefs. Same are discourses on positions and teachings, others are records of the Buddha's sermons and lectures.
So there is not one book that is especially important and equivalent to a Qur'an or Bible.
It is important to remember that "holy" implies something given by a deity to mankind, either directly ot through messengers. Buddhism has no deity. As a consequence there is no "holy" anything.
Where do Buddhists go to worship?
Buddhists don't actually "worship" or "pray" insofar as they don't ask a higher power for intercession in their lives. They do meditate, and conduct ceremonies. Many Buddhists have altars at home where they make offerings, or they might have a puja room, which is a dedicated place to practice. Monasteries and nunneries sometimes conduct ceremonies, and offer a place for people to make offerings of butter lamps, perform prostrations or perform other rituals. Tibetan Buddhists will also make offerings on the tops of high passes, and visit stupas or other shrines where relics of the Buddha or other important lamas are kept. In addition, there are a variety of holy sites to which they will make pilgrimmages.
What do you do or are supposed to be thinking of when doing meditation?
Actually, to start off, you are supposed to clear your mind COMPLETELY. Take about 5-7 breaths or count backwards from 2o until you are totally relaxed. When you are grounded... it depends on where you want the meditation to go (past life, a sacred place, etc.) You can find all sorts of different meditations and different ways to do it if you do a search on google. Or you can just figure it out for yourself. Good luck ;)
What is a different word for zen?
Wikipedia answers this one best:
The Japanese word Zen is derived from the Chinese word Chán, which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which means "meditation" or "meditative state."
So the word is used to refer to the school of Zen Buddhism and does not itself contain any other significant meaning. It should also be worth noting that Zen is a word like tsunami in that it's a word English borrowed from Japanese.
What is the Catholic Church's teaching on Zen philosophy?
I don't know, but i have found it interesting that there is a monastic tradition in the Catholic Church (e.g., Trappists) that resembles Zen practice in certain ways.
Also, recent scholarship (sorry, I don't have the citations handy but they can be easily found on Wikipedia.org) that it appears that St. Iehosaphat may have been none other than Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha. So if they canonized him they can't think too badly of him, can they?
Also, see the books of Thomas Merton. Also see the book "The Cloud of Unknowing." Also search on "Catholic meditation blog" for contemporary thought on the subject.
Further, take a look at the Christian Mystics: Meister Eckhart, John of the Cross and Jacob Boehme. Zen does not end there, but the similarities are remarkable.
There is a real spin of an answer in the Catholic Encyclopedia.
Any person who wishes to achieve Enlightenment.
-form a tiny bud springs a tree on many branches, every castle commences with the laying of the first stone the journey of a thousand miles begins with a singe step.
Zen chuzzle is a bit like Classic chuzzle but with a few differences. The game never ends at all! The rules are simple: you drag a row or column so three or more of the same colour of furry animals are together. The difference is every time you fill the flask a furry animal comes out and sits in the left hand bottom corner ( out of the playing area of course). Once you get five furry creatures they flash and form a horizontal line of colour behind the flask. Once you get all the different colours, they disappear and a charm forms over the first column.
How did lenses making develop historically?
the development of compound lens devices did not occur until 1600. That year, Dutch lensmaker Hans Jannsen and his son, Zacharias, mounted sliding lenses
Do both men and women host a Japanese tea ceremony?
Yes, both men and women can host a tea ceremony, though in origin it was mostly a monastic (male) practice from when it was introduced from China around the 10th century. By the 16th century it had attained most of the characteristics we associate with this ceremony today and was practiced by all levels of society.
Are there Buddhist centers in Guernsey?
No, but there are groups with which you can practice.
Google 'Buddhism Guernsey' and you will find one of them, a Soka Gakkai / Nichiren group. There is also a Zen group which meets less often at the moment. This is advertised in the 'community diary' of the Globe, a local free newspaper.
What is the holy book of sicks?
There is no specific holy book known as the "holy book of sicks." It might be that you are referring to specific teachings or texts associated with a particular belief system or organization. Can you provide more context or details for clarification?
