This supreme moment in the life of an artist, when expressed in Zen terms, is the experience of enlightenment. As mentioned above, it is very interesting that enlightenment, a Buddhist concept, affected Japanese art and aesthetic concepts. Zen and Japanese Culture English Edition. Close or press ESC or click the overlay. The Japanese people have long set a high value on aesthetic senses since ancient times. As a result, the peculiar culture which is not seen in other countries blossomed and many aspects of the modern Japanese culture come from it.
Parts of Japanese culture has been introduced to people in other countries recently, so the number of people from other countries who are interested in Japanese culture has been increasing. However, the Japanese aesthetic senses, which are the bases of Japanese culture, have been nurtured through a long history, intertwining various elements intricately, such as climate, geographical features, religion, customs and so on.
Therefore, they are very difficult to understand not only for people from other countries, but even for the Japanese people. It's no exaggeration to say that paintings are what express aesthetic senses at all times and places.
The kakejiku is an art which expresses the Japanese aesthetic senses. The kakejiku has long been used in traditional Japanese events, daily life and so on since ancient times.
As a result, there are various customs of kakejiku in Japan; kakejiku and the life of the Japanese are closely related. We can see Japanese values through kakejiku. The kakejiku is a cultural tradition which the Japanese people should be proud of. However, many people in other countries don't know much about it because it hasn't been showcased as much. This is why I decided to try to introduce it. The kakejiku world is very interesting and beautiful.
We want not only the Japanese, but also many people from other countries to know and enjoy it. To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us. All Rights Reserved. OSO version 0. University Press Scholarship Online. Sign in. Not registered? Sign up. Publications Pages Publications Pages. Recently viewed 0 Save Search. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content.
The essence of Zen Buddhism is that all human beings are Buddha, and that all they have to do is to discover that truth for themselves. All beings by nature are Buddhas, as ice by nature is water. Apart from water there is no ice; apart from beings, no Buddhas.
Zen sends us looking inside us for enlightenment. There's no need to search outside ourselves for the answers; we can find the answers in the same place that we found the questions.
Human beings can't learn this truth by philosophising or rational thought, nor by studying scriptures, taking part in worship rites and rituals or many of the other things that people think religious people do. The first step is to control our minds through meditation and other techniques that involve mind and body; to give up logical thinking and avoid getting trapped in a spider's web of words.
It was called Ch'an in China. Zen's golden age began with the Sixth Patriarch, Hui-neng , and ended with the persecution of Buddhism in China in the middle of the 9th century CE. Most of those we think of today as the great Zen masters came from this period. Zen Buddhism survived the persecution though it was never the same again in China. It was popularised in the West by the Japanese scholar Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki - ; although it was found in the West before that.
If you're a westerner you may find it hard to shake off the intellectual and dualist ways of thinking that dominate western culture: these can make it difficult for westerners to come to Zen. Zen Buddhists pay less attention to scripture as a means of learning than they do to various methods of practising Zen. The most common way of teaching is for enlightenment to be communicated direct from master to pupil. Zen practices are aimed at taking the rational and intellectual mind out of the mental loop, so that the student can become more aware and realise their own Buddha-nature.
Sometimes even mild physical violence is used to stop the student intellectualising or getting stuck in some other way. Students of Zen aim to achieve enlightenment by the way they live, and by mental actions that approach the truth without philosophical thought or intellectual endeavour.
Some schools of Zen work to achieve sudden moments of enlightenment, while others prefer a gradual process. Search term:. Read more.
0コメント