Download Mysticism – Final Paper

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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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