Buddhism: The Zen of Universal Liberation

Buddhism Get the latest headlines from the Buddhism GuideSite. The Zen of Universal Liberation 11 Jul 2011, 10:54 pm I decided to re-visit a book I began and abandoned awhile back -- Visions of Awakening Space and Time: Dogen and the Lotus Sutra by Taigen Dan Leighton. Taigen is a Soto Zen priest and dharma heir in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, and he also teaches at Loyola University in Chicago. The book seems to be written more for academics than for Zen students, however, so I regret to say it's a bit of a slog. Embarking upon a second attempt, I was struck by the very beginning of chapter 1 -- "In the modern Western appropriation of Zen Buddhism, Zen often has been viewed as an intriguing but abstract philosophical doctrine, or as a spiritual exercise designed to achieve higher states of personal consciousness or a therapeutic calm. However, the Zen tradition in East Asia developed as a branch of the Mahayana bodhisattva teachings, dedicated to universal liberation." So often I see westerners developing a romantic attachment to Buddhism, especially after reading a book or two about it. And then they make what they think Buddhism is into a container for their spiritual and humanistic ideals, while filtering out any part of it that doesn't immediately "make sense." The ideals may be perfectly fine ideals -- world peace, kindness, tranquility -- but dragging a container of ideals around with you is not what the Buddha taught. "However, the Zen tradition in East Asia developed as a branch of the Mahayana bodhisattva teachings, dedicated to universal liberation. What Taigen says here, I think, applies to all of Mahayana Buddhism, including Tibetan. This is the path of the bodhisattva. Taigen continues, "As a religion with soteriological aims, Zen is based on and grew out of a Buddhist worldview far apart from the currently prevalent preconceptions of a world formed of Newtonian objectifications. This objective worldview still clouds our attitudes toward many realms, including the study of religion, even though it has now been discredited by new cutting-edge physics." We don't see how much of what we call "reality" is being constructed moment-by-moment in our heads. We don't see how our own cultural biases shape our perceptions. Contrary to present� conventions, Zen Buddhism developed and cannot be fully understood outside of a worldview that sees reality itself as a vital, ephemeral agent of awareness and healing." Yes, exactly. OK, now just 128 pages to go. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.