{"id":681,"date":"2009-06-18T10:08:44","date_gmt":"2009-06-18T10:08:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/treeleafzen\/2009\/06\/unturning-japanese.html"},"modified":"2009-06-18T10:08:44","modified_gmt":"2009-06-18T10:08:44","slug":"unturning-japanese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/treeleafzen\/2009\/06\/unturning-japanese.html","title":{"rendered":"(Un)Turning Japanese"},"content":{"rendered":"

.<\/p>\n

Someone wrote our Treeleaf Forum<\/a> to comment …<\/p>\n

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I personally feel that there’s a wall between me and organized zenbecause organized zen is either Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, orChinese, and I am none of those. I’m just a guy in L.A. who presentlyfeels that all the cultural ornaments hanging from the zen tree arekeeping me from seeing the tree, or else enticing me away from the treeso that all I see are the ornaments …<\/i><\/p>\n

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So, must we bow, ring bells, chant (in Japanese<\/span>, no less), wear traditional robes, have Buddha Statues, burn incense? … All that stuff besides Zazen<\/span>. Are they necessary<\/span> to our Practice?<\/div>\n
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No, not at all!<\/span><\/p>\n
Wedon’t need anything other than Zazen, any of those trappings. In fact,they are no big deal, of no importance, when we drop all viewpoints insitting Zazen. Pursue your own Practice. Ultimately in Zazen, we sit with ourself andourself alone (literally, with our “self”), and wrappings, bells andwhistles are a sideshow. Ultimately, it is a matter of you exploringand sitting with your own “me myself and I” This practice is notlimited to any place or time … we drop all thought of place and time.It certainly is not Indian, Chinese, Japanese, French, Namibian or American<\/div>\n

On the other hand,<\/span>we have to do something, to greet each other somehow, read some words,dress some way. Why not do such things? As I often say, for example, wehave to do something with our hands when practicing ‘walking Zazen’ (Kinhin)<\/i> …why not hold them in the traditional manner of Shashu<\/span> (I mean, better than sticking ’em in your pockets)? <\/p>\n

As well, there are parts of our practice which we do BECAUSE we resist <\/span>(forexample, when visiting a temple for Retreat, I usually put my heartfully into ceremonies and arcane rituals BECAUSE I resist and thinksome of it silly or old fashioned). Ask yourself where that kind ofresistance is to be found (here’s a clue, and it is right behind yourown eyes<\/i>). <\/p>\n

What is more,<\/span>there is method to the madness, and many (not all) customs havecenturies of time tested benefits … embody subtle perspectives …that support and nurture Zazen Practice at the core. Many parts of ourPractice, though “exotic”, are worth keeping, even if they strikesomeone as strange at first. Bowing, statues, rigid decorum in the ZenHall and, yes, weird talks about Koans all fit in that category. Theymay seem like unnecessary “Japanese” or “Esoteric” elements at first,until you understand the role they serve. I have given talks on allthese things recently, for example …<\/p>\n

Bowing …<\/p>\n

http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/treeleafzen\/2 … eat-3.html<\/a><\/p>\n

On the other hand again,<\/span>it is okay to abandon or reject many practices. However, KNOW very wellwhat you are rejecting before you reject it.  Absorbwhat is useful and discard the rest. For example, I think Oryoki[formal meal ritual] is another example of a great practice, and worth keeping..<\/p>\n

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Some things I keep out of respect for TRADITION<\/span>[the robes, the ways of doing some ceremonies]. It is important to keepties to where we come from and to respect our ‘roots’. Some things also have a special symbolicmeaning<\/b> if you look into them, so worth keeping [for example, a Rakusu<\/i>]<\/p>\n

Butother stuff, no need to keep<\/b>: For example, I usually avoid to chant inJapanese or Chinese [except once in awhile, out of respect fortradition]. Tatami mats and Paper screens have nothing to do with Zenpractice particularly [but I happen to live in an old Japanesebuilding, so … well, tatami and paper screens!} \":D\"Some things I think are just dumb (except symbolically), like theKyosaku stick. Incense is great, until it was recently shown to causecancer. Many beliefs of Buddhism are rather superstitious things thatwere picked up here and there. I abandon many of those.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Theouter wrap of Zen Buddhism is changing greatly as it moves West. Thegreater emphasis on lay practice over monastics, the greater democracyin what was a feudal institution (arising in societies where theteacher’s word was law … oh, those were the days! \":wink:\" ), giving the boot to a lot of magico-supersticio hocus-pocus bunkum<\/span><\/b>,the equal place of women … heck, the use of the internet to bringteachings that were once the preserve of an elite few into everyone’sliving room.Those are good and great changes to the outer wrapping (youcan read about them in books like this one (author interview here: http:\/\/atheism.about.com\/library\/books\/ … anChat.htm<\/a> ). The coreless core, however, remains unchanged.<\/p>\n

Do not throw out the baby with the bath water<\/span>. Many completely “Japanese” or other exotic practices which seem silly at first are worth keeping. … <\/p>\n

… other things, like some of the arcane incense, bell & drum filled rituals, take them or leave them<\/span>. <\/p>\n

Gassho (an Asian custom of “Pressed Palms”), Jundo (a Dharma name)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/object><\/div>\n
(remember: recording ends soon after the beginning bells;<\/u><\/div>\n
a sitting time of 20 to 35 minutes is recommended)<\/u><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

To subscribe to “Treeleaf Zen” click here.<\/a><\/o:p> <\/o:p><\/p>\n

 <\/o:p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

. Someone wrote our Treeleaf Forum to comment … I personally feel that there’s a wall between me and organized zenbecause organized zen is either Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, orChinese, and I am none of those. I’m just a guy in L.A. who presentlyfeels that all the cultural ornaments hanging from the zen tree arekeeping me…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guided-meditation","category-meditation-techniques","category-zen-buddhist-meditation"],"yoast_head":"\n(Un)Turning Japanese - Treeleaf Zen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/treeleafzen\/2009\/06\/unturning-japanese.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"(Un)Turning Japanese - Treeleaf Zen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\". 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