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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page research paper that how Zen Buddhism in Japan differs from other forms of Buddhism and how Buddhism, in general, provides an example of how the Japanese assimilated foreign elements in their own culture. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khzenjap.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
in Japan is not the original Chinese Zen Buddhism. As with so many other initially foreign cultural elements adopted by the Japanese, they have made Zen Buddhism their own, so
that its theory and practice fits with the Japanese culture. Adaptability has long been a feature of the Japanese. For example, roughly a thousand years ago, the Japanese had
no written form of language (Japanese Writing). However, when the Japanese came into contact with the Chinese ideographic writing system, they quickly adapted it to their own language. The initially
Chinese characters have changed over centuries of use in Japan to the point where, today, Chinese and Japanese people can only guess at the meanings of the symbols in each
others languages (Japanese Writing). As this demonstrates, the Japanese took a foreign element and made it their own. A similar process occurred with Zen Buddhism. During the fifth
and ninth centuries, Japan was an active importer of culture, both from China and the Korean Peninsula (Tradition and Culture). Among the imported cultural elements were writing, Buddhism, and Confucianism
(Tradition and Culture). Founded on the teachings of the Buddha, Gautama Siddhartha, Buddhism originated in India in the sixth century BC (Kinboshi media). Buddha taught that all human life involved
suffering, and that this suffering could only be escaped through giving up selfish desires. This spiritual "enlightenment" could be accomplished by following the teachings of Buddha. Numerous variations of Buddhism
formed in the centuries that followed. Zen Buddhism originated in China during the time of the Tang Dynasty (Watts 49). In 1191, the Zen sect of Buddhism was introduced into
Japan from China (Kinboshi Media). The Japanese Soto Zen tradition was founded shortly thereafter during the Kamakura period by Dogen Kigen (1200-1253) (Williams 477). This form of Zen emphasized
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