Finding A Middle Way Between Zen And Pure Land Buddhism

Finding a Middle Way between Zen and Pure Land Buddhism Introduction After the death of the historical Buddha occurred and his lineage had ended with Buddha Sakyamuni, his teachings spread in two main directions, southward (Theravada tradition) and eastward into China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan (Mahayana tradition)(Blake 16 March 2016). In East Asia, these teachings developed into ten different schools, several of which remain important to this day: Zen, Tantric and Pure Land (Li 4 April 2016). These schools of thought differ in many ways but also have overlapping similarities. The two schools can be seen as extremities and finding a najarjuna (middle way) is key to incorporate both schools in one’s practice. In my essay, I will explain†¦show more content†¦The goal of Zen Buddhism is to look towards the future, searching to attain satori (awakening). Through jiriki nembutsu (self-power chanting) the person is hakarai (calculating) their spiritual and material profit. Thus, Zen is an individual practice. Ultimately, Zen places a strong importance on embodying emptiness and not becoming attached to words said by the masters. For instance, in the koan, master Yanmen’s story shows that Zen is both verbal and actional, teaching his students that instead of getting attached to words, one must embody them. This was seen when one of his disciples asked if the dog has a Buddha nature, and the master replied: â€Å"no because he has the nature of karmic delusions† (Li 18 March 2016). In this example, the master was mocking the disciple’s lack of discipline because he got attached to the words. The master’s iconoclastic approach teaches its practitioners that one must embody the koan and zazen meditation. As in Zen, it is through embodiment that one reaches the Mahayana level of emptiness in order to reach their final goal- satori. In contrast to Zen, Pure Land views its practice through tariki (other-power). This reliance is referring to Amida Buddha’s compassion. The Pure Land practice is where one embodies the nembutsu (chanting) by repeating the words â€Å"Amida Buddha† several times until the tariki nembutsu (other-power chanting) becomes jinen honi (naturalness)(Shinran 142). Shinjing tells us to have true