As the author of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind denotes, "…by your practice of zazen you can cultivate this feeling" (p. 95) of totality and uniformity with the universe that is the primary focus of Buddhism.
Yet the way of actuating this ideal state of big mind is decidedly counterintuitive. Westerners are used to thinking of heaven as something that one has to earn by going out and accomplishing feats of altruism to demonstrate his or her worth. In Buddhism, however, when one practices zazen and reaches a state of enlightenment that connects one with the entire universe, the exact opposite is the methodology employed to do this. Buddhists must learn to reject all worldly things, all desires, and ultimately free themselves from external concerns in order to reconnect with the oneness that they were a part of before they were born. The key is to focus one's mind on nothing, on emptiness -- which is what zazen itself cultivates. The focus on emptiness inherently connects one with the universe, and not the mere physical world and the thoughts it motivates, as the following quotation from Suzuki demonstrates. "We say, everything comes out of emptiness. One whole river or one whole mind is emptiness" (p. 94). As this quotation implies, by emptying one's mind of conscious thought and desire, one can connect with the eternal, the all or "everything." The reference to the river is simply the conception that all things can be one, much like a river is, before events (such as a waterfall) separates the water into individual drops.
This concept is difficult for Westerners to understand. The point of nirvana, the big mind, and of Buddhism is to connect with everything (remember the gathering of family and friends on the first page, right?). Yet to do so, requires giving up and rejecting everything. This is...
According to Suzuki, when meditation is performed appropriately, time becomes a river that can be traveled: "When we experience this kind of truth it means we have found the true meaning of time. Time constantly goes from past to present and from present to future. This is true, but it is also true that time goes from future to present and from present to past" (pp. 33-34). Certainly, the Zen
Buddhist Overview of Religion In many ways, Buddhism is both a religion and a philosophy. Westerners tend to regard this religion based on its philosophical value for the simple fact that many of the core aspects of Buddhist tenets and traditions are contrary to conventional Western thought. It is critical to note that like most religions, Buddhism helps to identify a point in the cosmos of the believer, has a
Similarly, the passage from the Pali Canon makes reference to mindfulness, which is concretely obtained through watching the breath and observing feelings, thoughts, and sensations come and go: "So he abides contemplating feelings as feelings...He abides contemplating arising phenomena in the feelings, vanishing phenomena, and both arising and vanishing phenomena in the feelings." Nyanaponika Thera's writing based on the Pali excerpt demonstrates how conscious awareness of present in the
The Taoist concept of wu wei refers to "non-action." Misunderstood as a proposal for inertia or inaction, wu wei means letting go. Instead of interfering or trying to control external situations or people, I can use the principle of wu wei to allow genuinely wise action take place. A combination of Beginner's Mind and wu wei permit me to take my ego out of my interpersonal relationships. I greet
Education then is necessary to help prevent the failures of government - for Socrates, an aristocracy represents a rule by the "best" citizens whose educations have centered upon training the warrior-guardians to be swift, philosophic, spirited and strong. This education is significant because in order to prevent the corruption that power so often has upon those who wield it - it is the broadly educated, self-aware, and community-driven individual who
Buddhism The True Buddha Diamond Temple is located in a residential neighborhood in Flushing (3332 148th Street), allowing it to be intimately connected with the community and fully integrated with it. As with many Buddhist organizations, the True Buddha society is a global one and this temple is a branch of a worldwide organization known as True Buddha. The True Buddha Diamond Temple in New York is therefore part of a
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now