Asking about Zen : 108 answers / Jiho Sargent.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sargent, Jiho.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Zen Buddhism--Miscellanea.

Zen Buddhism.

Genre:

Trivia and miscellanea.

Physical Description:

187 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Weatherhill, 2001.

Summary:

Asking About Zen is a user-friendly introduction to Zen by an American Zen priest presiding over a temple in Japan. Sargent covers all the bases -- teachings, practice, the priest-hood, temples and temple life, religious services, Zen etiquette, and general characteristics of Japanese Buddhism. The question-and-answer format makes the book highly accessible to the novice, yet Sargent goes into considerable detail when appropriate, providing an insider's look at Zen life and practice that will illuminate even the advanced Zen student.

Contents:

Zen in Theory

1. Why Zen? 13

2. Why do people do zazen? 19

3. What is "just sitting"? 22

4. What is a koan? 23

5. What is koan practice? 24

6. What is satori? 27

7. What is kensho? 28

8. What is the difference between zazen and other forms of Buddhist meditation? 30

9. What is the difference between zazen and meditation in other religions or practices? 32

10. Do you have to be a Buddhist to practice zazen? 33

11. Is zazen good for curing psychological or neurological problems? 35

12. Will zazen make me feel peaceful? 36

13. Do you have to go slightly crazy to reach enlightenment? 37

14. Do you have to like Japanese culture to practice zazen? 38

15. Why are there so many rules about exactly how and when to move? 39

16. Why do Zen groups use table manners and utensils that ordinary Japanese no longer use? 41

17. Why do I need a teacher and why should the teacher be a priest? 42

18. Can't I just read about Zen? 44

19. Can't I just do zazen alone? 45

20. Why do people bow to their cushions? 47

21. Zen is said to be apart from sacred texts, so why do some people chant sutras instead of just doing zazen? 47

22. Can I continue my studies or career while I follow the Zen path? 48

23. What should I read about Zen? 50

24. I want to experience "the real Zen," so I plan to go to Japan even though I don't understand Japanese. After all, Zen is supposed to be beyond words, so I can just feel the meaning, can't I? 51

Zazen in Practice

1. What is the lotus position and why should we sit that way? 54

2. What other positions are acceptable for zazen? 56

3. Can I do zazen in a chair? 58

4. What clothing is suitable for zazen? 59

5. How can I stop thinking? 60

6. Why should I keep my eyes open? 61

7. Why shouldn't I move during zazen? 62

8. What do I need in order to do zazen at home? 64

9. How long should I do zazen at home? 67

10. How can I know it is time to lengthen my zazen periods? 68

11. How can I do zazen while I am parenting a young child? 69

12. What is a sesshin, and why do people participate in sesshin? 70

13. Every Zen temple in Japan has daily zazen, doesn't it? How can I find one to attend? 72

14. How can I find a zazen group outside Japan? 74

15. Why do Zen priests hit people with a stick during zazen? 75

16. What if my foot goes to sleep? 77

17. What should I do when my legs hurt? 78

18. I often feel very warm during zazen, even if the room is cool. Why does that happen? 79

19. What should I do when I itch during zazen? 80

20. What should I do if I feel sick during zazen? 80

21. What should I do if I have to sneeze or cough? 81

22. After long periods of zazen, I notice I feel grouchy, and a friend reports the same thing. Is this a common occurrence? 82

What Is a Zen Priest?

1. Can I stay in your monastery? 83

2. Why do you say "clerics" or "priests" instead of "monks"? 84

3. What is the point in becoming a Zen cleric? 87

4. How do you become an ordained cleric in Sotoshu? 89

5. How do you become an ordained cleric in Rinzaishu or Obakushu? 92

6. Why do Zen clerics shave their heads? Why don't all Buddhist clerics do so? 93

7. What is the meaning of the clothing worn by Zen priests? 94

8. What is a typical day in the life of a priest? 96

9. What is a typical day in the life of a priest-trainess? 100

10. Are there any women Zen priests? 101

11. Why can male priests marry but female priests cannot? 103

12. How are priests appointed to temples? 104

13. Why is it usual for priests' sons to inherit temples? 105

14. Why do some priests have jobs apart from their temples? 106

15. Can I become a Zen priest without going to Japan? 107

16. Why is there such a distinction between priests and laypeople? 108

What Are Zen Religious Services Like?

1. What activities are there in Zen temples besides zazen? 110

2. What do the drums, gongs, and bells during services signify? 112

3. What sutras are chanted in Zen temples? 114

4. What is a Zen funeral like? 115

5. What is a Buddhist grave like? 119

6. What is a Zen memorial service? 121

7. What "prayers" are used in Buddhist services? 124

8. What is the meaning of the beads that Buddhists use? 126

9. In Japan, Zen and other Buddhist priests traditionally officiate at funerals, but weddings are usually done by Shinto priests. Is there such a ceremony as a Zen wedding? 127

10. Why does Zen include ancestor worship? 128

11. Why is there no music in Zen temples? 129

12. How does someone get a Buddhist name, and when do people use their Buddhist names? 130

13. Why should Westerners chant in Japanese? 132

14. What are the main Buddhist holidays marked by temples? 134

15. Why do those statues have caps and bibs? 137

16. What are those papers pasted on temples and tied on nearby trees? 138

17. What does Zen say about creation? 139

18. Does Zen have angels? 140

What Titles and Honorifics Are Used for Zen Priests?

1. What terms should I use to address, and to refer to, Buddhist clerics in general and Zen clerics in particular? 142

2. What does sensei mean, and who can be called a sensei? 144

3. Who is a roshi in Sotoshu? 144

4. Who is a roshi in Rinzaishu or Obakushu? 145

5. Who is a roshi in Sanbokyodan? 145

6. Who is a Zen master? 146

7. What about docho and kancho? 147

What Characterizes Japanese Buddhism Overall and Zen Buddhism in Particular?

1. What is Zen? 148

2. What are the differences among sects within Japanese Zen? 149

3. What are the differences between the Zen sects and the rest of Japanese Buddhism? 150

4. How is Buddhism different from Christianity? 153

5. Isn't all Japanese religion Zen? 154

6. Is Zen a religion? Is Buddhism a religion? 156

7. What god do Zen Buddhists worship? 156

8. Why is Zen so authoritarian and hierarchical? 158

9. Aren't all Buddhists vegetarians? 159

10. What precepts must Zen priests observe? 160

11. What precepts must Zen laypeople observe? 163.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 173-178).

ISBN:

0834804948

OCLC:

48013551