Concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Concepts - Essay Example The references that will be used are from Zen studies and its philosophical concepts, and also the famed work of Japan’s famed swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. Zen is the Japanese name of schools that belong to Mahayana Buddhism. Zen emphasizes the role of sitting meditation in pursuing enlightenment for the benefit of others, thus emphasizing compassion. Though considered simply a practice by most of its Western practitioners, Zen is in fact nothing less than a school of Buddhism; thus, it can even be considered a religion. It was only during the last century or so that Zen began to be viewed by Westerners as a philosophy, a way of life, a part of work, an art form, among others. Satori is a Zen philosophical term for reaching enlightenment. The word literally means "to understand." To emphasize further, it refers to "deep" or lasting enlightenment. Satori can be found in all life experiences for it is wrapped in all daily activities. Hence, the goal is to unwrap the meaning behind each moment in able to attain satori. Ross (1960) posited that the â€Å"awakening of Zen is satori, and the satori of Zen is recognizing the real noumenon of a person, his original feature, not necessarily recognizing the real substance of various acts† (p.45). The Zen Buddhist experience commonly recognizes enlightenment as a transitory thing in life, which is similar to the English term epiphany, and satori is the realization of a state of such epiphany as enlightenment. Since all things are regarded as transitory according to Zen philosophy, the transitory nature of satori is not limiting. On the contrary, such epiphany has a tremendous effect on Western philosophical u nderstanding of enlightenment. The transitory nature of satori owes much to the influences of Taoism on Chan Buddhism in China, from which the Japanese Zen came from. Taoism is a mystical philosophy that emphasizes the purity and importance of the moment. This emphasis on the importance of