{"id":1020,"date":"2024-06-20T12:40:19","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T17:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/youmightberight\/?p=1020"},"modified":"2024-06-20T12:40:19","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T17:40:19","slug":"an-introduction-to-zen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/youmightberight\/2024\/06\/an-introduction-to-zen\/","title":{"rendered":"An Introduction to Zen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
Buddhism<\/a> embraces a different worldview than most Western religions.<\/p>\n
Buddhism developed in response to Hinduism, which could be rigid and ritualistic. Siddhartha Gautama (now called the Buddha) was a seeker who found enlightenment under a bodhi tree, where he attained liberation from samsara<\/em>, the cycle of suffering.<\/p>\n
Buddhism is grounded in the Buddha, the dharma<\/em> (teachings) and the sangha<\/em> (community.) On his deathbed, the Buddha reportedly instructed his followers not to blindly follow any leader (even the Buddha) and to scrutinize any teachings (even the Buddha\u2019s teachings.)<\/p>\n
The Buddha is not a god, but a human being who realized his connection to everyone and everything.\u00a0He developed a \u201cmiddle way\u201d between self-indulgence and self-mortification to alleviate suffering. Buddhism is based on impermanence, imperfection, and selflessness.<\/p>\n
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Buddhism embraces a different worldview than most Western religions. Zen is experiential, not intellectual. Image from Pixabay\/jhollu7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Buddhism<\/h2>\n
The Buddha taught that everything is characterized by impermanence<\/em>, so attachment produces suffering, primarily related to fear about the future and regret about the past. Here and now, the grass is growing and the sun is shining, despite our fears and regrets. Some might think that \u201cdetachment\u201d means indifference. But, Buddhism is a compassionate tradition, and Buddhists care about all sentient beings.<\/p>\n
Of course, we cannot change imperfection<\/em> or eliminate the pains of death and illness and old age, but we can reduce the suffering associated with them. Buddhists reduce suffering by meditating, which involves clearing the mind, glimpsing the True Self (which is no-self), perceiving the Universe as it is, and recognizing our connection to the Universe.<\/p>\n
In Buddhism, the idea of self is not central. Buddhists seek \u201cno-self\u201d or selflessness<\/em>, avoiding attachment to the idea of a separate self and thereby reducing suffering. The notion of \u201cemptiness\u201d is related to the notion of no-self. When thinking about emptiness, it helps to define emptiness as \u201cwithout distinction or separation,\u201d rather than \u201cwithout mass or energy.\u201d<\/p>\n
How can we have no-self when we live in different bodies, respond to individual names and occupy unique places in space and time? The egoic self is a construct, which is ephemeral, not eternal. In the East, some practice self-inquiry, realizing that we create images of our selves and others\u2019 selves. As Christian mystic Thomas Merton wrote, \u201cMost of us live lives of self-impersonation.\u201d<\/p>\n
This worldview is very different from the worldview of religions such as Christianity, where the idea of self is central. Here, God is personal<\/em>. Christians hope to develop a personal<\/em> relationship with God, to embrace personal<\/em> responsibility and to attain personal<\/em> salvation.<\/p>\n
Some see Buddhism, particularly Zen, as a philosophy, not a religion. There are Buddhist Christians, Buddhist Jews and Buddhist humanists. For example, my Zen teacher is a former Jesuit priest and a well-known scholar of comparative religions. He is a practicing Catholic.<\/p>\n
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