Zen Ritual: Studies of Zen Buddhist Theory in PracticeSteven Heine, Dale S. Wright When books about Zen Buddhism began appearing in Western languages just over a half-century ago, there was no interest whatsoever in the role of ritual in Zen. Indeed, what attracted Western readers' interest was the Zen rejection of ritual. The famous 'Beat Zen' writers were delighted by the Zen emphasis on spontaneity as opposed to planned, repetitious action, and wrote inspirationally about the demythologized, anti-ritualized spirit of Zen. Quotes from the great Zen masters supported this understanding of Zen, and led to the fervor that fueled the opening of Zen centers throughout the West.Once Western practitioners in these centers began to practice Zen seriously, however, they discovered that zazen - Zen meditation - is a ritualized practice supported by centuries-old ritual practices of East Asia. Although initially in tension with the popular anti-ritual image of ancient Zen masters, interest in Zen ritual has increased along with awareness of its fundamental role in the spirit of Zen. Eventually, Zen practitioners would form the idea of no-mind, or the open and awakened state of mind in which ingrained habits of thinking give way to more receptive, direct forms of experience. This notion provides a perspective from which ritual could gain enormous respect as a vehicle to spiritual awakening, and thus this volume seeks to emphasize the significance of ritual in Zen practice.Containing 9 articles by prominent scholars about a variety of topics, including Zen rituals kinhin and zazen, this volume covers rituals from the early Chan period to modern Japan. Each chapter covers key developments that occurred in the Linji/Rinzai and Caodon/ Soto schools of China and Japan, describing how Zen rituals mold the lives and characters of its practitioners, shaping them in accordance with the ideal of Zen awakening. This volume is a significant step towards placing these practices in a larger historical and analytical perspective. |
Contents
Rethinking Ritual Practice in Zen Buddhism | 3 |
Ritual in Japanese Zen Buddhism | 21 |
Chan Rituals of the Abbots Ascending the Dharma | 83 |
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Zen Ritual: Studies of Zen Buddhist Theory in Practice Steven Heine,Dale S. Wright Limited preview - 2007 |
Zen Ritual: Studies of Zen Buddhist Theory in Practice Steven Heine,Dale S. Wright Limited preview - 2007 |
Zen Ritual: Studies of Zen Buddhist Theory in Practice Steven Heine,Dale S. Wright Limited preview - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
abbot ancestors assembly awakening Baizhang Bodhidharma bodhisattva Bodiford Buddhist ceremony Ch'an Chan monasteries Chan school Chan teachers Chanyuan qinggui Chinese Buddhism Collcutt Confucian context Dharani dharma hall dharma transmission disciples Dōgen Edo period Eihei kōroku Eiheiji Eisai emperor enlightenment Five Mountains formal Foulk fugin Hawaii Press head temple historical Ibid incense institutions Japan Japanese Zen jōdō Ju-ching Kagamishima Kamakura Keizan kinhin Kinhinki kōan Kōshiki Kyoto lectures lineage means medieval Menzan merit monasteries monastic practice monks mortuary nuns Ōbaku patriarchs performed precepts recitation religious Rinzai rites ritual ritual practices Rules of Purity sage sangha sangha hall says scriptures seated meditation sermons Shōbōgenzō Shukushin Sōjiji Sōtō school Sōtō Zen Sōtōshū spirits Sung sutra chanting Suzuki T'ien-t'ung Tang Tathāgata teaching Tendai texts Tokyo training monasteries trans translation University of Hawaii University Press Vinaya walking wisdom women Yanagida zazen Zen Buddhism Zen masters Zen monasteries Zen monastic Zen ritual