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 master is not suggesting that people can actually travel through time, but he is trying to make the point that a beginner's mind, a Zen mind, possesses the capacity to perceive time in this fluid fashion without the constraints imposed by the physical world. Moreover, Suzuki concedes that the process to achieving a Zen mind is not seamless or easy, and insists that proficiency in attaining a beginner's mind is a matter of practice and time. Nevertheless, the Zen master…...

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References

Baker, R. (1970). Introduction to Zen mind, beginner's mind. New York and Tokyo: John

Weatherhill, Inc.

Fields, R. (1981). How the swans came to the lake: A narrative history of Buddhism in the United States. Boulder, CO: Shambala.

Suzuki, S. Zen mind, beginner's mind: Informal talks on Zen meditation and practice.

Many early haiku poets recognized this, writing purely from the heart and without too much subjective interpretation, perhaps reflecting their adoption of Zen philosophy.

Basho is but one early haiku poet that took Zen moralisms and philosophies to heart when writing haiku. Many believe that Basho wrote purely from Zen tradition, providing contrasting images of time and setting using only observation. Basho notes that "from ancient times those with a feeling for refinement find joy in knowing the truth and insight of things" (Yasuda, 1973:3) reflected that haiku is more about understanding nature and one's path toward enlightenment.

Those creating haiku often attempt to suggest in the simplest manner possible things natural in nature; the job of the artist or poet is merely to suggest the essence of an object or event, expressing the qualities of the object which are natural art in and of themselves (Lieberman, 2005). This sentiment is clearly…...

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References

Aitken, R. & Matsuo, Basho. A Zen wave: Basho's haiku and Zen. New York:

Weatherhill:1978.

Bieler, J. "Haiku - Matsuo Basho." Naropa Institute, 1981, Sum. Available:

 http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/23.html

After all, it opened up trade, thus helping commerce and, subsequently Japan's economy. Not only that, but the exchange of information was useful to governmental practices that sought to establish themselves as powerful and influential.
"Jesuit" Christianity survived long enough to be "practiced" within temples, one such "Jesuit temple" being known to have existed in 1603 in the Japanese capital, Kyoto. Such temples served the Church to enact some of its speeches in trying to go against Buddhism and Confucianism theories and implement its own. In fact, such initiatives worked out in the Church's detriment in the end. Habian, who went on to become a most renown orator and advocated for Christianity, turned away from it when the persecution of Christians began and reinforced his public speeches to suppress the "new" religion. It is no wonder then that such occurrences led to an overall negative impression of Christianity. Surely, the…...

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Works Cited

Bloom, Irene. "On the Matter of Mind: The Metaphysical Basis of an Expanded Self." Individualism and Holism: Studies in Confucian and Taoist Values. Ed. Donald J. Munro & Arbor Ann. Michigan: Center for Chinese Studies (1985). 293-317. Paperback.

Earhart, Byron H. "The Ideal of Nature in Japanese Religion and its Possible Significance for Environmental Concerns." Contemporary Religions in Japan 11 (1970): 1-26. Print.

Fucan, Fabian. Deus Destroyed.

Kasulis, Thomas P. Zen Action Zen Person. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1981. Print.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig is perhaps one of the most unusually named works of contemporary philosophical narrative. The book takes the form of a novel in which certain philosophic truths about Zen are revealed. The book attempts to explicate Zen Buddhism for an American audience through the use of a narrative and a subject matter that will be understandable to an American audience.
The plot of the novel is deceptively simply.

The novel and philosophical classic tells the tale of a man named Phaedrus who is traveling across America with his troubled son and a couple, the Sutherlands. Phaedrus, the narrator later explains, is a kind of name for the author's former identity, the person whom he was before his electroshock treatments. As the group travels across the country, they discuss different philosophical issues, the Sutherlands espousing and emotional and impractical Romantic philosophy that ultimately…...

One of these core principles is evinced within the practice of zazen, or meditation. 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. esterners 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…...

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Works Cited

Suzuki, Shunryu. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice. New York: Weatherhill. 1970. Print.

During Sauzen, or the interview with the Zen master, the student is examined based on the life and spiritual knowledge he has acquired through the educational process. The close relationship between the disciple and the teacher is one of the main elements of the cultural and spiritual transmission

Rituals

The Zen rituals have a background and a history of thousands of years and have as main objective the enrichment of personal experiences. Due to their oriental origins, the ritual may be considered out-of-the-ordinary from the Occidental point-of-view. The ability of the ritual goes beyond the force of the words, and is something that is embraced by the whole community - they are widely accepted and used as a way of cultural experience, personal enlightenment and as social phenomena. A few aspects have to be settled first. These refer to the special terms denoting elements within the ritual and which transmit a particular…...

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Bibliography

1) John Daido. "Symbol and Symbolized." Mountain Record: The Zen Practitioner's Journal, XXV, No. 2 (2007);

2) Maspero, Henri. Translated by Frank a. Kierman, Jr. Taoism and Chinese Religion. pg 46. University of Massachusetts, 1981

3) Suzuki, Daisetz T. (2004). The Training of the Zen Budhist Monk. Tokyo: Cosimo, inc.

ISBN 1-5960-5041-1.

Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck.
Use the book to select one major theme and write a critical essay based on that theme.

Life is a gift unto itself. Living it will give us the satisfaction that we seek. There are no guarantees other than life is yours to live for as long as you have it. How you live it is your choice.

Everyday Zen

Red

Before delving into the major theme of Beck's book, it might be helpful to understanding her positioning for the book to know something about her. Charlotte Joko is head of the Zen Center of San Diego. In the 1960s she trained under Hakuun Yasutani Roshi and Soen Nakagawa Roshi. In 1983 she became the 3rd Dharma heir of Hakuyu Maezumi Roshi of the Zen Center of Los Angeles. Currently she teaches in San Diego, USA.

The main theme behind Charlotte Joko Beck's book is that life is simple: Life…...

Student C. stands, literally, with his big toe on the threshold of kensho; there is, as Yautani-roshi continually shouts but "one more step." Yet, it is the most difficult step of all. Divesting oneself of all other things is almost as nothing to divesting oneself of oneself.
At the discourse's end Student C. has yet to achieve kensho, but it seems inevitable. He has moved beyond the point of self-actualization and entered a phase of his enlightenment wherein a positive feedback loop is at work. As Yasutani-roshi explains in an earlier lecture, a man who sets his pipe down and loses it begins by searching aimlessly but the intensity of his search increases the longer it continues such that, not finding what he knows to be close, the man becomes obsessed with the search. At times Student C. expresses disillusionment and weariness with the search, as any true hero long…...

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Bibliography

1. Kapleau, Philip the Three Pillars of Zen. New York: Random House. 1989, Print.

2. Campbell, Joseph the Masks of God: Primitive Mythology. New York: Penguin Group. 1987. Print.

3. Campbell, Joseph the Hero with a Thousand Faces. California: Joseph Campbell Foundation. 2008. Print.

4. Dawood, N.J. (trans.) the Koran. New York: Penguin Group. 2004. Print.

He believes that fear of punishment for injustice is all that maintains our praise of justice. Gyges was willing to discard all sense of justice and nobility once the opportunity to act freely presented itself.
5. Socrates' use of the city as metaphor in his discussion of justice is the long way of describing the usefulness of justice and its application in human life. His description of a good city is based on the assumption that such a city would be, by matter of definition, just as a virtue. By showing that justice could exist to make a city better, if only in a highly idealized form, Socrates suggests that such a possibility is also available to individuals. His metaphor outlines how justice can be an integral part of civic and individual organization.

Socrates' city has been initially formed to promote the well being of all of its citizenry. This is,…...

Buddhism
Summary of the History of Buddhism and the Life of Buddha

Buddhism is known to be a school of ethical thoughts and philosophies, in addition to being a religion of worship. Different from other religious sects, the sole purpose of Buddhism is not just worshiping a certain god. Buddhism purposes to expound the thought of divine growth that brings about compassion and knowledge. With respect to history, the ancestries of Buddhism can be traced back to 563 BC. The word Buddhism comes from the term "Budhi," which means awakening. Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Guatama, who was later on referred to as Buddha. Guatama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment when he was 35 years old. In terms of the life of Buddha, it is acknowledged that he lived between the years 563 to 483 B.C, although it is estimated that he went on to live 100 years more (Brown, 2003). Legend says…...

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References

Seiler, P. (2015). Zen Buddhism. Christian Library. Retrieved 26 October, 2015 from:  http://www.christianlibrary.org.au/cel/documents/cults/16.html 

Gardner, G. (2015). Unique Teachings of Zen Buddhism. Opposing Views. Retrieved 26 October, 2015 from: http://people.opposingviews.com/unique-teachings-zen-buddhism-4917.html

Brown, K. S. (2003). Life of the Buddha. In Heibrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 26 October, 2015 from:  http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/buda/hd_buda.htm 

CNN. (2002). Religions: Zen Buddhism. Retrieved 26 October, 2015 from:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/subdivisions/zen_1.shtml

urkeman, Oliver. \\\"The Intimate Interrupter.\\\" Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, . pp. 101-109urkeman uses the story of Steve Young to make the point that when we distract ourselves from something unpleasant we only make the unpleasant thing worse for ourselves: but by attending to the unpleasant thing we can escape its unpleasantness and meet it head on and without as much suffering or agony or distress as might be the case had we tried to flee it. Distraction is what we should really strive to fight: it is the thing that keeps us from attending to the present. Even those things that we have as goalswe dont achieve them because we know it takes hard work, focus, energy, and commitmentand we can distract ourselves now with some fleeting sensation that satisfies for a moment (and then we chase after another and another) rather than…...

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Burkeman, Oliver. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"The Intimate Interrupter.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2021. pp. 101-109Burkeman uses the story of Steve Young to make the point that when we distract ourselves from something unpleasant we only make the unpleasant thing worse for ourselves: but by attending to the unpleasant thing we can escape its unpleasantness and meet it head on and without as much suffering or agony or distress as might be the case had we tried to flee it. Distraction is what we should really strive to fight: it is the thing that keeps us from attending to the present. Even those things that we have as goals—we don’t achieve them because we know it takes hard work, focus, energy, and commitment—and we can distract ourselves now with some fleeting sensation that satisfies for a moment (and then we chase after another and another) rather than focus on the end goal and get it done because distractions give us momentary dopamine hits; the end goal’s reward is too far away. Distraction rewards now—but it prevents us from reaching our goals. This is the point that Burkeman hammers home: “whenever we succumb to distraction, we’re attempting to flee a painful encounter with our finitude—with the human predicament of having limited time...” (105). He goes on to explain why boredom is actually a profound experience: it is recognition that one has limited control over the thing, the moment, the essence of now. Confronting that limitation is good for one, though: it was how Steve Young mastered the art of meditation; it is how one master’s control over oneself and frees oneself from succumbing to distraction after distraction. The goal of life is not to avoid the thing that we feel shouldn’t be happening, but rather to accept that it is happening and to be okay with that.For this annotation, I focused on using active voice.

Nirvana, or the goal of it, helps individuals cope with some of the most basic questions in life including why we are here, where we are in life, what we are doing, and where we are going. Through contemplation, the individual comes to a place of peace that allows him or her to look at these questions in a selfless way. By considering things from a selfless perspective, individuals will be more inclined to realize the truth of life. This truth can be attained through the four noble truths of Buddhism, which include the notion that life includes suffering, and that suffering is caused by desire or selfishness. Suffering can be overcome by following the Eightfold Path in Buddhism.
Following the Eightfold Path leads to Nirvana and it begins with an awareness of life's problem, determination to solve this problem, abstention from lying, evil speech, killing, stealing, and immorality. It…...

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Works Cited

Keenan, John P. "A Mahayana Theology of Salvation History." Buddhist-Christian Studies.

2002. JSTOR Resource Database. Site Accessed July 12, 2009. .

Monk, Robert, et al. Exploring Religious Meaning. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1987.

Williams, Paul. Mah-y-na Buddhism. Florence: Taylor and Francis. 2008.

Socrates and Zen
Socrates View of Life to Zenism

The objective of this work, Socrates View of Life to Zenism, will be to see if the sage Socrates agrees or disagrees with the way of the Zen masters. I noticed upon completion of the book, Dan Millman's semi-auto biographical tale, 'Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives,' that I was reminded of something I saw on TV in the cable system's reruns. Although simple, I was reminded of this -- When the student is ready the teacher will come.

That mantra came from a television series about a 'half American' and 'half Chinese' Shoaling monk. The Television series was Kung Fu and although the story was a little out of date, even for a western, the star of the show, Kwi Chang Cain, whenever in trouble or in a situation needing reflection, had an ancient memory jarred into the present…...

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References

Dharmaya, Namo. (n.d.). The Four Noble Truths. Retrieved December 2, 2003, at  http://www.omplace.com/omsites/Buddhism/4nobletruths.html#3 

Millman, Dan (2000). Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book that Changes Lives (20th Anv. ed.). Novato H.J. Krammer.

Millman, Dan. (n.d.). Dan Millman. Retrieved December 2, 2003, at  http://www.danmillman.com/ 

Sengtsan, Chien Chih. (n.d.). Hsin Ming (Verses on the Faith Mind). Retrieved December 1, 2003, at  http://www.texaschapbookpress.com/magellanslog5/Saltlick/hsinhsinming.htm

It is small, real elements like this that keep the characters' human consciousness alert and unable to yet make the final step towards enlightenment with a final departing from the real world.
Above the two rises the personality and figure of the Master Hyegok. A Zen master, he has devoted his entire life to learning about Zen uddhism and is now ready to pass that knowledge along to his pupils. With his time passing and his death approaching, he becomes more and more determined to leave the appropriate instruments for his pupils to use in order to achieve enlightenment and they use his teachings in order to attempt this after his death.

The "Ten ulls" pictures of the Zen tradition reflect the steps in the path to enlightenment and are a good fit on the stages that each of the characters in the movie have achieved. The bull itself is really…...

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Bibliography

1. Reps, Paul; Senzaki, Nyogen. Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings. (1957). On the Internet at retrieved on July 31, 2008http://www.iloveulove.com/spirituality/buddhist/tenbulls.htm.Last

Reps, Paul; Senzaki, Nyogen. Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings. (1957). On the Internet at retrieved on July 31, 2008http://www.iloveulove.com/spirituality/buddhist/tenbulls.htm.Last

The Japanese myth partly resembles that of Adam and Eve present in the Bible and in the Quran. However, the first beings in Japan are considered to hold much more power than their equivalents in the west. Another resemblance between the Japanese legends and those in the west is the fact that the kami are considered to live in the high planes of Takamagahara, somewhat resembling mount Olympus, from Greek mythology. Japanese mythology is different from other mythologies through the fact that all of the deities involved in it are good in their character.

In the sixteenth century, when Buddhism entered Japan, the locals had a hard time keeping Shinto as their main religion, since it had not been an organized religion. Even with the fact that Buddhism had been spreading quickly around the country, the presence of Shinto could be felt everywhere, in people's lifestyles and in their culture.

Shintoists consider…...

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Works cited:

1. Amudsen, Christan. (1999). "Insights from the Secret Teachings of Jesus: The Gospel of Thomas." 1st World Publishing.

2. Herman A.L. (1991). "A Brief Introduction to Hinduism: Religion, Philosophy, and Ways of Liberation." Westview Press.

3. Kato, Etsuko. (2004). "The Tea Ceremony and Women's Empowerment in Modern Japan." Routledge.

4. Kumagai Fumie, Keyser Donna J. (1996). "Unmasking Japan Today: The Impact of Traditional Values on Modern Japanese Society." Praeger.

Operation Anaconda was, at the time, the largest combat operation in Afghanistan as part of the War on Terrorism that was declared after the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  It was launched on March 2, 2002.  Major General F.L. Hagenback, the commander of the U.S. Army 10^th Mountain Division, was responsible for leading an offensive attack on al-Qaeda and Taliban forces that were located in the Shahi-Kot Valley/ Arma Mountain region near Zormat in Afghanistan.  It was the first major battle after the Battle of Tora Bora and was the first battle to feature American....

One of the more shameful moments in American history was the establishment of internment camps for Japanese-Americans during World War II.  Ostensibly started because the United States was at war with Japan, it is interesting to note that there were no similar internment camps for people of Italian or German descent, despite the fact that Italy and Germany were also part of the Axis powers that fought against the Allies in World War II. 

Prior to World War II, Japanese began immigrating to America for work opportunities.  They initially immigrated to Hawaii, which was annexed by the United....

One of the most interesting issues in international relations is the role that nuclear weapons play in the effort to obtain peace.  Many people suggest that nuclear weapons can preserve peace.  The United States was the first country to actively deploy nuclear weapons in an effort to shorten a war by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The widespread destruction, which was unlike anything ever experienced in a war up to that point, is often credited with ushering in the end of World War II, at least in the Pacific....

In turn-of-the-century America, there were some major civil rights advances for some groups, while other groups saw no advances in their civil rights and even saw advances that had been made begin to erode.  The time period was well after the end of the Reconstruction era and the beginning of Jim Crow laws, the rise of the suffragette movement, and a continued assault on rights for Native Americans.  There was also a significant increase in anti-Asian discrimination. Here are some suggested titles and thesis statements for an essay about civil rights in this era.

Essay Title....