Zen Buddhism and the Warrior Tradition: Abstract
For centuries the government of Japan was organized under an empire. During the Heian period, the Japanese Empire continually became less unified. Feebler and feebler emperors relinquished their use of a centralized army and began relying solely on privatized military factions that followed aristocratic family lines. As the Emperor’s reliance on these militant clans became more prevalent, his absolute power decreased extravagantly. This new system of regional government bred a new class of aristocratic Samurai warriors that would compose the governments structure through the Kamakura period in Japanese History. During the late Heian period and through the Kamakura period Chinese Buddhism transfused with the native animistic religion of Shintoism, resulting in Zen Buddhism which was quickly became intertwined with the warrior traditions of the Samurai.
For Cathedral Pictures click on the picture . . .
Saint Paul's Cathedral
Zen Buddhism and the Warrior Tradition
The Zen Buddha
The "Starting Block"
Shaped and Ready for the Engraving
The Final Product: The Zen Buddha
The Carving represents a Zen Buddhist meditating. The Posture is erect to allow a confident and full breath. The body also recedes into the piece of
uncarved wood behind it, in the same way that a Zen Warrior recedes into nature. The body is coarse and stained, but the inside is not, a representation of the purity of soul that is emphasized in Zen. The face is expressionless, showing detachment and calmness.
Primary Source Document
Remembrance
"To what can our life on earth be likened?
To a flock of geese,
alighting on the snow.
Sometimes leaving a trace of their passage." - Su DongPo (1036-1101)(Su DongPo (Su Shi) Poetry)'
This is a poem written by the famous Japanese poet Su DongPo, who was one of the first Japanese scholars to unite Taoist and Buddhist beliefs into what formally became Zen Buddhism. His emphasis on one-ness with nature, but a strong connection with oneself defined him as an early Zen Buddhist believer. Warriors choose to define their existence by loyalty, service and honor, which upon death will not be forgotten nor mistaken just as the flock of geese may leave tracks upon the snow.
Su Dongpo in Straw Hat and Wooden Shoes
(Source 2.)
The "Zen idea of the essential oneness of all things, good and bad: whether in office or in lonely exile, Su was calm and self-possessed." - MetMuseum
From "Zen Buddhism" (Source 1.)
"Zen teaches that enlightenment is achieved through the profound realization that one is already an enlightened being" - (1)
"Zen Buddhism's emphasis on simplicity and the importance of the natural world generated a distinctive aesthetic, which is expressed by the terms wabisabi. These two amorphous concepts are used to express a sense of rusticity, melancholy, loneliness, naturalness, and age, so that a misshapen, worn peasant's jar is considered more beautiful than a pristine, carefully crafted dish. While the latter pleases the senses, the former stimulates the mind and emotions to contemplate the essence of reality." - (1)
Citations
1. Department of Asian Art. "Zen Buddhism". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/zen/hd_zen.htm (October 2002)
For centuries the government of Japan was organized under an empire. During the Heian period, the Japanese Empire continually became less unified. Feebler and feebler emperors relinquished their use of a centralized army and began relying solely on privatized military factions that followed aristocratic family lines. As the Emperor’s reliance on these militant clans became more prevalent, his absolute power decreased extravagantly. This new system of regional government bred a new class of aristocratic Samurai warriors that would compose the governments structure through the Kamakura period in Japanese History. During the late Heian period and through the Kamakura period Chinese Buddhism transfused with the native animistic religion of Shintoism, resulting in Zen Buddhism which was quickly became intertwined with the warrior traditions of the Samurai.
For Cathedral Pictures click on the picture . . .
Zen Buddhism and the Warrior Tradition
The Zen Buddha
uncarved wood behind it, in the same way that a Zen Warrior recedes into nature. The body is coarse and stained, but the inside is not, a representation of the purity of soul that is emphasized in Zen. The face is expressionless, showing detachment and calmness.
Primary Source Document
Remembrance"To what can our life on earth be likened?
To a flock of geese,
alighting on the snow.
Sometimes leaving a trace of their passage." - Su DongPo (1036-1101)(Su DongPo (Su Shi) Poetry)'
This is a poem written by the famous Japanese poet Su DongPo, who was one of the first Japanese scholars to unite Taoist and Buddhist beliefs into what formally became Zen Buddhism. His emphasis on one-ness with nature, but a strong connection with oneself defined him as an early Zen Buddhist believer. Warriors choose to define their existence by loyalty, service and honor, which upon death will not be forgotten nor mistaken just as the flock of geese may leave tracks upon the snow.
The "Zen idea of the essential oneness of all things, good and bad: whether in office or in lonely exile, Su was calm and self-possessed." - MetMuseum
From "Zen Buddhism" (Source 1.)
"Zen teaches that enlightenment is achieved through the profound realization that one is already an enlightened being" - (1)"Zen Buddhism's emphasis on simplicity and the importance of the natural world generated a distinctive aesthetic, which is expressed by the terms wabisabi. These two amorphous concepts are used to express a sense of rusticity, melancholy, loneliness, naturalness, and age, so that a misshapen, worn peasant's jar is considered more beautiful than a pristine, carefully crafted dish. While the latter pleases the senses, the former stimulates the mind and emotions to contemplate the essence of reality." - (1)
Citations
1. Department of Asian Art. "Zen Buddhism". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/zen/hd_zen.htm (October 2002)
2. "Su Dongpo in Straw Hat and Wooden Shoes [Japan] (1975.268.39)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/08/eaj/ho_1975.268.39.htm (October 2006)
3. http://www.chinapage.com/main2.html