PSY 432: PERSONALITY A NON-WESTERN APPROACH Chapter 17: Zen Buddhism Dainin Katagiri-roshi ( ) D. T. Suzuki ( ) THE INTRODUCTION OF ZEN TO THE WEST Alan Watts ( ) Shunryu Suzuki ( ) Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki introduced Zen Buddhism to the West Presented papers on Buddhism in 1930s; He went on a lecture tour of American universities in 1951, and taught at Columbia University from 1952 to 1957 Alan Watts popularized Suzukis ideas in US beginning in 1940s Born in England; Zen training in NYC; moved to California where he had large following in San Francisco area Shunryu Suzuki and Dainin Katagiri-roshi in US and Taisen Deshimaru in Europe These Soto Zen masters credited with spreading Zen in these areas in 1960s-1970s D. T. Suzuki Taisen Deshimaru ( ) Dainin Katagiri-roshi THE ORIGINS OF ZEN Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) Buddha means "awakened one" or "the enlightened one" In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Profound flash of awakening at age 35; spent the final 45 years of his life traveling to teach others and share his great discovery Originally, preserved through oral tradition; later written in Tripitaka Two major canons: Hinayana (Theravada school) and Mahayana THE ORIGINS OF ZEN Theravada Stresses renunciation of worldly life and promotes a monastic lifestyle Attempts to develop the practitioner in an arhat who through practice and discipline is liberated from suffering Stresses wisdom Mahayana Accepts that enlightenment is also possible for lay practitioners Bodhisattva is a person who vows to dedicate life to the salvation of all conscious, feeling individuals; they would not accept full liberation until all others are free from suffering Stresses compassion THE TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA Philosophical Roots Eternalist Position Posits for a universal creator (Brahma) Posits that individual souls (atman) transmigrate through many lives in order to become purified and rejoin the universal Brahma Atman continues eternally Annihilationist Position All that exists is the material substance evident to the senses and at death the individual was totally extinguished Person is completely destroyed at death THE TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA As a solution to the extremes Buddha advocates for this Middle Way position He advocated for a lifestyle that avoided the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification THE TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA Dependent Origination Buddhas Dharma Law of causality that says: This is, because that is; this is not, because that is not; when this arises, that arises; when this ceases, that ceases. Far-reaching truth that leaves nothing untouched and causally connects everything in the universe It implies that everything (internal or external), comes into existence depending on causes and conditions without which they could not be The causes and conditions can also be either internal or external There is no end to causal interconnectedness; nothing is ever truly independent or separate from everything else DEPENDENT ORIGINATION This concept results in an understanding of existence as a process of change, the result of an infinite web of causal conditions Birth and death mark neither the start or the end The conditions that result in our present existence represent a beginningless chain The consequences of our actions become causal conditions whose effects will continue after we die While our self or soul does not continue after death, the process does Who we are lives on in the effects we have on others No transmigrating souls; rather a continuing karmic process THE THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF EXISTENCE The Buddhist view of the material world is founded on three understandings: Anicca (Impermanence) Buddhists believe nothing is permanent Clinging to the notion of permanency adds to our dissatisfaction and suffering Dukkha (Suffering) All life involves suffering People may be happy for most of their lives, but in the end they must face physical decay and death THE THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF EXISTENCE Anatta (Nonself) There is no permanent identity or existence All parts are impermanent and ultimately an illusion Wise or enlightened Buddhists are detached from material goods and images of themselves BUDDHAS SOLUTION TO THE DUKKA The Four Noble Truths 1. People suffer (dukkha) all our lives, we hurt physically and emotionally 2. This suffering is caused by desire, greed, ignorance, and attachment we can adapt to physical pain, but unfulfilled longings and cravings make our suffering deep BUDDHAS SOLUTION TO THE DUKKA 3. To remove suffering, we must remove desire, greed, ignorance, and attachment if we stop the things that cause us to desire, then suffering will stop taming our desires requires great discipline 4. To end suffering and achieve enlightenment, unending peace, and freedom from all desire, people should follow the Noble Eightfold Path See next slide BUDDHAS SOLUTION TO THE DUKKA The Noble Eightfold Path The Buddha proposed a way to deal with human expectations and desires and avoid sorrow, called the Noble Eightfold Path It describes ways to think, behave, and meditate to avoid suffering Consists of: 1. Right Understanding 2. Right Thinking 3. Right Speech 4. Right Action 5. Right Livelihood 6. Right Effort 7. Right Mindfulness 8. Right Concentration Eightfold Path Nirvana The union with the ultimate spiritual reality Escape from the cycle of rebirth NIRVANA The ultimate state of mind in Buddhism Not a place like heaven, but rather a mental state in which all cravings, desires, and dualistic ideas have been completely extinguished through the complete realization of anicca and anatta Liberation is within the grasp of every person VASUBANDHU & THE EIGHT CONSCIOUSNESSES Vasubandhu posits that all can be experienced in mind only There is experience but there is no subject (no atman) having the experience Vijnana is consciousness which is a multilayered concept that includes conscious and unconscious aspects VASUBANDHU & THE EIGHT CONSCIOUSNESSES There are Eight Consciousnesses with the first five corresponding to our five senses Manovijnana Is below the five sense consciousnesses Is our thought consciousness; allows for awareness of thoughts concerning what we see, hear, smell, taste, or touch VASUBANDHU & THE EIGHT CONSCIOUSNESSES Manas Acts as our mind where the information is given further cognitive processing through memory, evaluation, conception, and imagination Allows us to become aware of being aware and results in the delusion that we must be a self having the awareness The illusion of a subjective I or ego is the source of all our psychological problems VASUBANDHU & THE EIGHT CONSCIOUSNESSES Alayavijnana This is our vast storehouse of consciousness Passive or potential ground out of which emerge the other seven consciousnesses Repository of all potential mental activities of the other consciousnesses These potentials exist in the form of seeds which when developed produce all sorts of mental phenomena VASUBANDHU & THE EIGHT CONSCIOUSNESSES Alayavijnana The seeds also affect each other They are watered by conscious activities This is why mindlessness of thoughts is so important THE PRACTICE OF ZEN Zen masters say that those who say what Zen is do not know what it is; whereas those who know what it is do not talk about it but teach the practice of Zen so that others will be able to experience it The practice of Zen is the systematic training of the mind designed to create in the disciple a mental state that will permit the realization of enlightenment THE PRACTICE OF ZEN Zazen Sitting meditation Essential part of Zen practice Mind and body are not separate Posture is expressed in the mental state that accompanies it THE PRACTICE OF ZEN Rituals Buddhists believe rituals help them achieve enlightenment, either in the present life or in the future Rituals also bond them with the Buddhist community The main rituals are meditation, worship at home or at a temple or shrine, rituals marking milestones in life, and festivals THE PRACTICE OF ZEN Meditation The Buddha used the Hindu techniques of meditation to gain enlightenment Meditation quiets the mind so the meditator can more fully enter the spiritual world Buddhists who meditate can bring about a state of mindfulness (awareness only of the present moment) by focusing on the act of breathing THE PRACTICE OF ZEN Meditation Meditators can also focus on a visual object, such as a flame, a sacred diagram, or a mandala They can recite or chant a word or phrase, called a mantra, such as the Mahayana Om Mani Padme Hum mantra (Hail the jewel in the lotus) Sand Mandela THE PRACTICE OF ZEN Chanting Important thing is to just chant Dont expect anything from it This like all Zen activities is autotelic Not a form of prayer; not aimed at a superior power, nor does it petition anything When chanting, just experience the sound THE PRACTICE OF ZEN Bowing Not an act of worship but an action expressing respect and gratitude Bowing in front of an altar is an exercise that helps to subdue the ego and express gratitude All statues in Zen temples are symbolic of mental states and abilities; they do not represent God or other holy figures The important thing when bowing is to just bow; expect nothing out of it THE PRACTICE OF ZEN Eating Whether done with the traditional oryoki bowls or in the everyday setting, the key element is the maintenance of mindfulness When eating, just eat Give food your undivided attention FIVE APPROACHES TO ZEN PRACTICE Bompu Zen Zen practiced for a profit; mental health, stress management; sport performance Gedo Zen New Age practitioners use Zen to engage in higher states of consciousness Shojo Zen Practice for the sake of ones own liberation FIVE APPROACHES TO ZEN PRACTICE Dijo Zen (Great Vehicle) Practiced for the sake of liberating all people Saijojo Zen Zazen practiced for the sake of practicing zazen with no expectations EASTERN THOUGHT & PSYCHOTHERAPY Eastern disciplines aim to help the everyday lives of normal or healthy individuals; concerned with the alleviation of the unnecessary suffering caused by the delusion of the separate self Western psychotherapy attempts to heal the neurotic person by strengthening ego; developing a stronger self Yet, this notion of the self is the considered to be the root cause of human by the Buddhists Eastern psychotherapy attempts to dissolve the experience of the self as a separate entity and replace it with a feeling of interconnectedness EASTERN THOUGHT & PSYCHOTHERAPY Morita Therapy Quiet therapy The method consists of isolated bed rest which allows patients to come in touch with thmeselves This is followed by periods of light and then heavier manual work, and a period of retraining to help patients rejoin normal life During part of the treatment the patients keep a diary with therapist adding his or her own notes to it Standard hospitalization lasts between days EASTERN THEORIES Strengths Highly practical Allow for deeper awareness that transcends everyday consciousness Many eastern ideas incorporated by personality theorists (Jung, Horney, Allport, Rogers, Maslow, etc.) Weaknesses Clearly not intended to be a science CREDITS Some of the slides in this presentation prepared with the assistance of the following web sites: