Zen and Modern Japanese 禅と現代の日本人

A branch of Buddhism, Zen originated in India and was brought through China and Korea to Japan. After developing into a religious organization around the 6th century, it made its way to Japan in the 13th century .

Because the samurai government supported Zen, many Zen temples have survived to the present day.

Zen meditation is called zazen, and it requires its followers to sit down on the floor and close their eyes for long periods, Their daily lives are structured from morning to night, and in many cases the practicing of zezen begins early in the morning .

For ordinary Japanese people, Zen is associated with gardens and temples. Many prominent Zen temples and their gardens can be found in Kyoto.

A typical Zen garden is called a sekitei, or " stone garden " . The beauty of this type of garden is found in its minimalism, and consists solely of stones and sand.

with Zen developed many types of art and ceremonies. one of the most well-known of these ceremonies is the tea ceremony . called sado. In this ceremony , green tea is served using several highly sophisticated rituals that are based on Zen thinking .

Zen and Modern Japanese

Zen thinking is still alive and practiced among the Japanese in their daily lives.

For example, just as in Zen training, in the spheres of education, business, and sports the Japanese tend to accept and welcome tough feedback from bosses or coaches.

And sometimes they actually love doing tough exercises and drills to shape their mental or physical strength, even if they don't see it as being logically connected with the actual technique in the sport or performance that they are trying to become more skilled at . In the workplace, people evaluate others on how much effort they show rather than the result of effort itself. And above all, people still consider silence a virtue , and those who talk a lot or often complain or make excuses are not appreciated . Many of these Japanese cultural traits are related closely to old Zen traditions .

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