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Keat 1 Christine Keat BLS 364 – 11D Mystics in America Research Paper Spring 2013 The Evolution of Zen in America As religions spread into new lands, they tend to take on a “local flavor” in response to the new culture and world views of the people it is being brought to. Buddhism is no different. Coming to the United States in the post-Enlightenment period, Buddhism appeals to those who seek explanations without the superstitions and blind faith required by the traditional Abrahamic religions as well as those who want to explore themselves and enhance the religion they already practice. Without its focus on any deity, Zen Buddhism allows everyone to adapt it in some way to what they already believe, and thus it will once again meld with new cultural ideas and evolve into something different. In the introduction to their book Awakening and Insight: Zen Buddhism and Psychotherapy, editors Polly Young-Eisendrath and Shoji Muramoto explained: On the other hand, no religion is more able than Buddhism to adjust to, and assimilate, the prevailing ideologies of its adopted cultures. The Buddhism of each country where it is practiced is characteristic of that society and culture: Indian Buddhism was speculative and logical through its interactions with Hindu philosophy; Chinese Buddhism was practical under the influence of Taoism and Confucianism; and Japanese Buddhism is aesthetic and merged with nature worship under the influence of Shintoism. American (and, to some extent, European) Keat 2 Buddhism seems to have developed against the background of psychology, as William James predicted a century ago. (pg. 9) The Spread of Buddhism Whenever a religion spreads to a new area, it will over time settle, grow and adapt to the new culture in which it finds itself. Originally teachings from the Buddha in India split into two schools: Theraveda and Mahayana. As Mahayana Buddhism moved into Tibet, it became Vajrayana Buddhism; Mahayana exported to China became Ch’an, which later made its way into Japan and became known as Zen Buddhism. Brought to the United States by Chinese and Japanese immigrants in the mid-1800s, Zen Buddhism has retained its name, but what sort of “local flavor” will America add to the Zen melting pot? Highlighting the differences In 1999 a conference was held in Japan which brought together Zen practitioners and professionals in the field of psychotherapy. While the Westerners expected to have meaningful interactions regarding the application of zazen as a therapeutic aide, they found that they did not have as much in common as they had thought. The Western participants were largely long-time practitioners of Buddhism (mostly Zen)—familiar with both psychotherapy and meditation—whereas the Japanese participants practiced either Zen or psychotherapy. This hidden and sometimes provocative difference between Western and Japanese participants was unknown until the conference was underway, but it became obvious in many group discussions in which Westerners were eager to ask questions about Zen practice and meaning, but the Japanese respondents could not relate their answers to any aspect of psychotherapy Keat 3 because they were not familiar with it. Nor did they seem curious about it. (Awakening and Insight Zen Buddhism and Psychotherapy, edited by Polly Young-Eisendrath and Shoji Muramoto, 2002, pg. 1) One of the ways in which Zen has obviously evolved since being brought to the United States is a result of the contact between different schools. Ideas can be exchanged between Japanese and Korean, Tibetan and Vietnamese schools. New schools which mix teachings and practices are already appearing. An example is the Boundless Way, a hybrid school or “Emerging Western Zen Sangha” (www.boundlesswayzen.org) which combines an ordained Soto lineage from Japan, a Korean Son lineage, and a Harada/Yasutani koan lineage from Japan. According to Prebish and Baumann in their book Westward Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Asia, …these new schools and lineages pluralize the spectrum of Buddhist schools and traditions present in Western countries. This plurality and diversity constitutes a marked characteristic of Buddhism in the West. In Asia, a country usually embraces one yana or major tradition, be it Theraveda in South and Southeast Asia, Mahayana in China and East Asia, or Vajrayana in Central and Inner Asia. In the West, however, all these different yanas have appeared in one country or region, perhaps even in one city... (Introduction pg. 4) Another evolution of Zen in the West has been through the teachings of D.T. Suzuki, who started the “separation” of the terms Zen Buddhism and Zen in order to offer it as something other than a historical tradition, to foster its acceptance among people who did not share the cultural and historical background of the Asian practitioners. Without Buddhism, Zen can be interpreted as “a free-floating state of being, rather than as a concrete, historical tradition shaped by years of reflection and practice.” (Westward Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Asia, Repackaging Zen for the Keat 4 West, David L. McMahan) This allows people to “try out” Buddhism without necessarily abandoning their existing religious affiliation. Several terms have become popular to describe these people, including “Buddhist sympathizers”, “night-stand Buddhists”, and “client Buddhists”; the latter specifically referring to those who pay for meditation instruction and retreats. Robert L. Sharf’s article on the development of modern Zen states: The second stage in the construction of modern Zen rhetoric consists in identifying the essence as a type of "experience." The heart of Zen thus lies not in its ethical principles, its communal and ritual practices, or its doctrinal teachings, but rather in a private, veridical, often momentary "state of consciousness." (pg. 45) Another difference we find between Zen Buddhism in Japan and in the U.S. is the role of women. In Japan, the female role has traditionally been minimal. In the West, there has been an increase in the number of women not only practicing but serving as teachers and holding prominent positions in all Buddhist communities, including Zen. Two of them, Pema Chodron of the Tibetan Buddhist school, and Angel Kyodo Williams of the Zen school, authored texts that we have studied in this class. Summary In conclusion, despite the relatively short time that Zen Buddhism has been present in the United States, it has already begun to be adapted to flourish in our culture. Thanks to the influence of D.T. Suzuki, the cultural traditions of Japan have been marginalized and Zen Buddhism has been repackaged as Zen. With a focus on the experience of meditation and its uses as a tool for selfawareness and even its benefits as a psychological health treatment, the connection to the traditional teachings of the Buddha is being minimalized. Women have increased their presence Keat 5 and authority in the Zen schools of the United States. Hybrid schools are developing thanks to increased contact between the different traditions. Finally, Zen is being packaged as an “experience” for professionals looking for a brief escape from the hectic pace of their everyday lives, and as a form of therapy for those who seek to accept inescapable physical or mental suffering. Keat 6 Works Cited Westward Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Asia. Edited Baumann, Martin and Prebish, Charles S. Berkley : University of California Press 2002. Introduction, and Repackaging Zen for the West by David L. McMahan Awakening and Insight: Zen Buddhism and Psychotherapy. Edited Young-Eisendrath, Polly and Muramoto, Shoji. New York: Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. Whose Zen? Zen Nationalism Revisited. Robert H. Scharf. EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 4/13/2012 12:14 PM via UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA GREENSBORO 9780585295930 ; Heisig, James W..; Rude Awakenings : Zen, the Kyoto School, & the Question of Nationalism Is Zen Buddhism a Philosophy? Henry Rosemont Jr. Philosophy East and West, Vol 20 No 1, (Jan 1970) pp. 63-72 www.boundlesszen.org www.americanzenteachers.org