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Zen and Tibet
By
Kelvin Thompson
Origins of Tibet
In prehistoric times, it’s supposed that Tibet was composed
of inland sea surrounded by woods and snow-covered
mountains. Human life eventually showed up there, forming
individual tribes. 418 years after Buddha’s death, the
individual tribes united under King Nya-Tri-Tsenpo as a
single Tibetan Nation.
Buddhism begins in Tibet
During the rule Lha-Tho-Ri-Nyen--Tsen, the twenty-eighth
king, that the next most significant event in Tibet’s history
occurred. “A volume of Lord Buddha’s teachings fell into his
hands, and the spread of Buddhism in Tibet began.” (Dalai
Lama). But the 33rd king established Buddhism more firmly
with noble customs of spiritual and material life, and ten rules
for religious services.
Buddhism Enters Japan
•Arrived via several gifts from Korean political delegation,
including: Buddha statue, sutras, religious objects, and a
letter praising dharma
•Was initially only accepted by imperial court and
disseminated
•Associated with magic and used mainly for abundant rain
and healthy crops
•Did not replace indigenous Kami (shinto deities),
acknowledged their existence and influence.
Buddhism in Japan
•In Japan, during its development, Buddhism’s tendency was to
find enlightenment in the “structure of secular life”
(Viewonbuddhism.org)
• Well known examples of Japanese arts that accomplish this
task are the tea ceremony, calligraphy and theater.
• Buddhism initially wasn’t a practical religion, being more used
by learned priests to pray for prosperity of the imperial house.
•797:Imperial palace moves to Kyoto, more characteristically
Japanese Buddhism emerges
•Two monks, Saicho and Kukai comprehensively synthesize
chinese doctrine of buddhism, “furnishing all essentials for the
entire further development of Japanese Buddhism”
(viewonbuddhism.org)
•Syntheses spawned two systems of buddhist teaching and
practice
The major schools of thought (Tendai, Shingon, Kegon) were
superseded by two main streams of thought in the early
feudal period: Zen and Pureland. Then Zen itself split into two
sects: “Rinzai and Soto” (Dailylife2.abc-clio.com)
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Emphasized Beliefs
•Zen: emphasized hidden meditation
•Pureland: emphasized divine intercession
•Rinzai: Emphasized meditation
•Soto: Emphasized “Shocking the mind through antirational
puzzles” (Dailylife2.abc-clio.com)
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Modern Japanese Buddhism
Most Buddhist sects still manage to make a living by holding
various social functions, especially funerals and ceremonies
for the dead. After virtually every Buddhist funeral in Japan,
the deceased is cremated and expectantly the priest and
temple receive donations for their services.
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Modern Tibetan Buddhism
After the death of Mao Zedong, an influential cult leader, the
Chinese government adopted a more liberal policy on
religion, allowing traditional religions to resurface, including
Buddhism, Daoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism,
which were denominated as the five religions of china.
Buddhism’s return has been amazing, with its temples
drawing many faithful Buddhists and visitors. The government
has no major conflicts with Buddhism, aside from Tibetan
Lamaism, which is important to Tibet’s cultural identity.
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There are about ten great sects in Mahayana Buddhism such
as Pureland school, San-Lun school, or the Madhyamika
school in China, Japan , Korea, and Tibet. “This school
actually no longer exists in China... but still exists in the
Tibetan Buddhists.” (Zenguide.com). Zen has some particular
similarities to a school of tibetan buddhism called Dozgchen:
•Buddhism and Dozgchen both encourage acceptance of of
man’s natural feelings and desires.
•Emphasizes meditation
•Encourages searching for Enlightenment
Conclusion
I’ve learned a lot about the histories behind Tibet Buddhism
and Zen Buddhism, my conclusion is they share similar
philosophies about meditation, but differ in their methods to
finding enlightenment. I still have a lot to learn about Zen and
Lamaism separately to better understand them in comparison.
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•Perez, Louis G. "Religion in Japan: Modern World." Daily
Life through History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.
•"Religion in China: Modern World." Daily Life through
History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.
•Nyingma. 2005. 11/22/10
•His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Interview with Barkha Dutt.
NDTV.
•Viewonbuddhism.org. Rudy Harderwijk. 11/22/10
•Zenguide.com. Alan Do. 11/22/10
•His holiness, the dalai lama. My Land And My People. New
York: 1962