Zen Mind Beginner free essay sample

Zen Mind, Beginner # 8217 ; s Mind Essay, Research Paper Doctrine Critical Book Review: Zen Mind, Beginner s Mind For my critical book reappraisal I chose to read, Zen Mind, Beginner s Mind, by Shunryu Suzuki. Suzuki was a direct religious descendent of the great thirteenth-century Zen maestro Dogen. Suzuki was already a profoundly respected Zen maestro in Japan when he came to America in 1958 meaning on a short visit. He was really impressed by the earnestness he found among Americans interested in Zen that he became a lasting occupant in San Francisco. His following became so big that it expanded into three major locations including, Zen Mountain Center, the first Zen preparation centre outside of Asia. He died at the Zen Center in December 1971 ; a twelvemonth after this book was published. I chose this book because Zen speculation is something that has interested me for a few old ages after larning briefly about it in high school. We will write a custom essay sample on Zen Mind Beginner or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Zen is something that I hope to seek in the close hereafter, perchance after I visit a Zen Center when I m in California this summer. However, after reading this book I have learned that Zen is non truly something which you are supposed to seek at, you re merely supposed to make it and non believe about it. Zen Mind, is composed of three major subdivisions with many sub-categories in each subdivision to explicate the subject. Separate 1 is entitled Right Practice. In this subdivision zazen is explained to the reader. Zazen is the name for seated speculation. Separate 1 was my favourite subdivision. There are many interesting thoughts and accounts found here. In this subdivision Suzuki explains Right Practice through negotiations on position, take a breathing, control, head moving ridges, head weeds, the marrow of zen, no dualism, obeisance, and nil particular. Correct position is explained depicting full Nelumbo nucifera place. Full Nelumbo nucifera place is when your left pes is on your right thigh, and your right pes is on your left thigh. He explains that when you cross your legs in this manner even though you have a right leg and a left leg, they have become one. The place expresses the unity of dichotomy. Lotus place is complete when you have your custodies cupped resting on your l ap. It is of import that when you sit in the Nelumbo nucifera place that you maintain your back to the full straight. Suzuki says, You should non be tilted sideways, backwards, or forwards. You should be sitting directly up as if you were back uping the sky with your caput. If you slump, you will lose yourself. ( pg.26 ) Breathing is the 2nd thought touched upon by Suzuki in this subdivision. He talks about how of import it is to let your head to follow your external respiration. As you regulate your external respiration and relax, your head is easy able to unclutter of all thought and your pattern will be pure. The absence of idea is the pure facet of zazen. To make nil but exist and have a clear head is what is desired in zazen. The subdivision on bowing smitten me as really interesting. It is symbolic of the subject of unimportance seen throughout Buddhism. Suzuki provinces, Sometimes a adult male bows to a adult female ; sometimes a adult female bows to a adult male. Sometimes t he adherent bows to the maestro ; sometimes the maestro bows to the adherent. A maestro who can non bow to his adherent can non bow to Buddha. ( pg.43 ) In many faiths there is normally a supreme being, something which is worshipped and that you humble yourself towards. I have a regard for Buddhism because of its equality it preaches. Turning up as a Catholic I was ever taught to humble myself before priests ; it wasn t frequently when they would make likewise for me. It seems that there is much less of a hierarchy in Buddhism than in other faiths, which is something that entreaties to me. The last subject in this subdivision is entitled nil particular. This subdivision talks about the simpleness in which you should near zazen. Zen pattern is the direct look of our true human nature. Beneath our complicated outsides we are really simple animals. Zazen allows us to set everything around us out of our head and loosen up into a brooding province. Suzuki explains that practising zazen s hould be nil particular. It is natural and can be done as modus operandi like traveling to bed each twenty-four hours. Right Attitude is the name of the 2nd portion in, Zen Mind, Beginner s Mind. Within this portion the subdivisions are entitled, resolved manner, repeat, Zen and exhilaration, right attempt, no hint, God giving, errors in pattern, restricting your activity, survey yourself, to smooth a tile, stability, communicating, negative and positive, nirvana, the waterfall. In this portion Suzuki explains the type of attitude you should hold when practising zazen. The subdivision on right attempt negotiations about the type of attempt you should set when practising zazen. Suzuki says, seek non to see something in peculiar ; seek non to accomplish anything particular. You already have everything in your ain pure quality. ( pg.59 ) Suzuki explains that to pattern omega azen you shouldn t attempt to concentrate on anything in peculiar, instead, seek non to concentrate on anything at all. To hold right attempt is to non set attempt into practising ; merely making is the end here. The subdivision after right attempt is entitled no hint. It is a good compliment to compensate attempt because it displays the subject of dichotomy that is ever re-emerging throughout Buddhism. No hint explains how to pattern zazen. In right attempt, Suzuki said non to seek anything when practising zazen, but here he says, When you pattern zazen you should make it with your whole organic structure and head, you should be concentrated on what you do. Make it wholly, like a good balefire burns its firewood. ( pg.62 ) The thought in this subdivision is to go forth no hint of yourself in any other activity than what you are making ( zazen ) . Suzuki explains that when we do something our head is cluttered with other things and our focal point is non complete. There are hints of others things on our head. The following subdivision on restricting your activity was besides really good. This subdivision spoke on how zazen is for everyone. It s non reserved for Buddhists entirely. Suzuki says, our pattern is for everyone, it has nil to make with some peculiar spiritual belief. ( pg.75 ) The cosmopolitan nature of zazen is explained in this portion and why everyone can pattern zazen. One last subdivision that I found interesting in this portion was the subdivision on stability. Constancy reminds us to, cultivate our ain liquors, ( pg.83 ) everything we need is within us. Suzuki speaks a spot on the importance of the sutras. The sutras he explains are simply a usher, something that points you in the right way. It s up to you to happen what you want in them. A instructor can merely learn so much to a pupil, the pupil has to come to his or her ain decisions on what they feel. Part 3 is called Right Understanding. It includes subdivisions on traditional Zen spirit, transience, the quality of being, naturalness, emptiness, preparedness, heedfulness, believing in nil, attachment/non-attachment, composure, experience/not doctrine, original Buddhism, beyond consciousness, and Buddha s enlightenment. Transience was the first subdivision in this portion that I truly enjoyed. This subdivision echoed the thought of impermanency that we ve learned this semester. The self-nature of all being is nil but alteration itself. ( pg.102 ) Suzuki explains transience as the basic instruction of Buddhism, alteration. The instructions of Zen aren t concrete and stiff, they are meant for you to happen your ain way. Suzuki besides did a chapter on the ever-important subject of emptiness. Suzuki provinces, If you want to understand Buddhism it is necessary to understand the thought of emptiness. ( pg.110 ) The Buddhist apprehension of life includes being and non-existence. We hav e learned these thoughts in our category this semester, nevertheless, the accounts in this book by Suzuki are hard to understand in some parts. The thought of being is surely a hard one to explicate, non to take away from what he wrote. I found this book as a whole really interesting. There were some subjects that we haven Ts discussed in category that were in this book which gave me a better apprehension of subjects we have discussed. For illustration, Transiency helped me understand emptiness better. The manner that Suzuki went through Zen Mind and zazen consistently helped me understand these hard constructs. Suzuki goes through each specific facet and gives metaphors and anecdotes to explicate these better. This technique was really effectual. The subdivision entitled survey yourself I found to be really good written and interesting. Suzuki says here, To hold some deep feeling about Buddhism is non the point ; we merely do what we should make, like eating supper and traveling to bed. This is Buddhism. ( pg.76 ) Most faiths call for you to make certain things and live a certain manner ( Ten Commandments ) . Buddhism wants you to analyze yourself and turn as an person. The thing that entreaties to me here is that other faiths seem to desire you to be portion of a corporate whole and wear t push for the individualism that Buddhism does. As a college pupil I found that I could associate to some of the things that Shunryu Suzuki spoke on in this book. Geting through college is non an easy undertaking. The focal point that is built-in in many of the Zen accomplishments I feel I apply to my ain life at times when I m analyzing for multiple trials and run intoing hard deadlines. In college there are many enticements to follow what is traveling on around you ; there are ever people that are traveling to seek to convey you down. Sing the world of things and maintaining a strong head merely as Zen Teachs are tools that I apply to my ain life as a pupil. I found many of the instructions in this book new and interesting. I didn t find anything that I could state I didn Ts like, It s all new to me and I m merely get downing to larn it, at this clip I can t be so judgmental.