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Zen Buddhism

By,
Soutsada Sikhounchanh
&
Sabrina Fuentes
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Buddhism A Brief History


Founder of Buddhism is Buddha Shakyamuni
a.k.a Siddhartha
Born royal prince in 624 BC in Lumbini (orig. northern India, but now a part of
Nepal)

Two different schools of Buddhism


Theravada (The Teachings of the Elders)
Mahayana (The Great Vehicle) branch where Zen Buddhism stems from

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Theravada
Comprising 38% of all Buddhists
Typically found in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka
Came about in the 3rd century (BCE) Teaching according to this
school of Buddhism is very plain and straightforward

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Mahayana
Largest branches of Buddhists, comprising ~56-62%
Typically found in China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Tibet, Vietnam,
Nepal, Bhutan, and Mongolia
There are 8 major schools, which includes Zen Buddhism

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The Spread of Buddhism

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What is Zen?
Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism, which in any language,
means meditation
Emerged in China about 15 centuries ago

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Zen
Under the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng (638-713), Zen shed some of
its vestigial Indian trappings, becoming more Chinese
Zen organized itself into five houses or five school
Zen is sometimes called the face-to-face transmission of dharma
outside the sutras (Sanskrit scripture)

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Mahayanas Lineage

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Zen Buddhism
Bodhidharmas definition: Direct pointing to the mind; no
dependence on words and letters
Not an intellectual discipline you can learn from books
Practice of mind and seeing into ones nature
Main tool is zazen daily zazen is the foundation of Zen practice
enlightenment is achieved through the profound realization that
one is already an enlightened being
enlightenment is a result of ones own efforts deities and
scriptures can offer only limited assistance

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Jack Kerouac & Zen


Buddhism
In the 1950s, Kerouac was practicing Buddhism and studying
primary texts with the view that he was destined to teach the
dharma and convert millions of people
What started as a mere fascination with Buddhism in 1953 ended
with a 420-page Buddhist text in 1956 (Book of Dharmas)
Was heavily influenced by Gary Snyder who was a practitioner of
Zen

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Dharma Bums - Boddhisatva


But Im the old mother of earth. Im a Bodhisattva (Kerouac, 22)
Princess says this right before indulging in the orgy with Japhy, Ray, and Alvah

The Bodhisattva women of Tibet and parts of ancient India were


taken and used as holy concubines in temples and sometimes in
ritual caves and would get to lay up a stock of merit and they
meditated too (Kerouac, 22)
The definition of Boddhisatva is anyone who directs their attention to practicing
the way of life of Buddha
Do you think Princess qualifies to be a Boddhisatva?

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Dharma Bums - Mandala


Im doing a magic mandala thatll not only help us on our climb
but after a few more marks and chants Ill be able to predict the
future from it (Kerouac, 39)
Japhy Ryder mentioned this before the group hike
Japhy added the magical element to what is, according to Zen Buddhism,
spiritual in nature

Mandala is a spiritual symbol used in Hinduism and Buddhism


representing the universe
Can be used as an aid to meditation, helping the meditator to envision how to
achieve the perfect self
A tool to help aid in the process of obtaining enlightenment through Zen
meditation

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Mandala

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Dharma Bums - Nirvana


Nirvana is the moving paw (Kerouac, 108)
The first thing Ray sees when he opens his eyeshis dogs paws moving in
the grassas he walks his dog and meditates
This scene in the book describes the peaceful place of Rays retreat from the
unaccepting nature of his family towards his beliefs

In Buddhism, nirvana is the highest state that someone can attain,


a state of enlightenment, meaning a persons desires and
suffering go away

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Dharma Bums - Samapatti


The warm wind made the pines talk deep one night when I began
to experience what is called SamapattiId go a little drowsy in
the mind but somehow physically wide awake sitting erect under
my tree (Kerouac, 111)
This seems to give Ray a great feeling of wholeness within his beliefs and also
comes about with a deep communing with nature and the required
disconnection with the material and stressful world around him
In this state, Ray somewhat opens up to sensory enlightenments that bring
about changes in his whole being

In Sanskrit, Samapatti means Transcendental Visits and stands


for correct acquisition of Truth

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Where does Zen Buddhism


stand today?
Two of the five Zen schools, Rinzai and Soto
The West took an interest in Zen after WWII and now Zen is
establishing itself in North America, Europe, and elsewhere
Zen has a large impact on art and culture of Asia, especially China
and Japan

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Zen Buddhisms Influence

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Zen Buddhism
Ultimately Zen is about coming faceto-face with yourself, in a very direct
and intimate way.

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Questions?

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Citations
Department of Asian Art. "Zen Buddhism". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Haynes, Sarah. An Exploration of Jack Kerouacs Buddhism: Text and Life. Thezensite.
Contemporary Buddhism, 2 Nov. 2005. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
History of Buddhism. Kadhampa Buddhism N.p., 2007. Web. 16 Nov. 2014
OBrien, Barbara. Zen 101: Zazen and Zenspeak. about religion N.p., N.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Peto, Alan. Schools In: Comparing Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism. Buddhism N.p., 21 Jul.
2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
The Buddhist Schools. Buddhist Studies N.p., 2008. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
"Zen." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Premium Service, 2004. Web. 16 Nov.
2014.

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