Thoughts on Meditation by Thomas Yuho Kirchner Lecture 3. on Zen Buddhism 3rd July 2024 скачать в хорошем качестве

Thoughts on Meditation by Thomas Yuho Kirchner Lecture 3. on Zen Buddhism 3rd July 2024

The Buddhist Society 100th Anniversary Memorial Lecture Series on Japanese Buddhism www.thebuddhistsociety.org Supported by the Numata Foundation PART II ZEN BUDDHISM with Thomas Yuhō Kirchner Lecture 3. Thoughts on Meditation Thomas Yuhō Kirchner Held in person at The Buddhist Society and online 3rd July 2024 Wednesday 27th June, Tuesday 2nd July and Wednesday 3rd July at 6.30pm Lecture 1. Buddhism, Zen, and the Question of Suffering – 27th June The image of Zen in the West has been largely shaped by the image of the Zen master, primarily powerful figures like Rinzai and Hakuin or joyful eccentrics like the ever-smiling Hotei. This image of positivity and joy has attracted many people to Zen (myself included), but it has tended to overshadow the fact that what has motivated meditation practice in Buddhism since the time of Shakyamuni is the question of dukkha, the fundamentally unsatisfactory nature of human existence. I would therefore like to start my series of talks on subjects relating to Zen with a discussion of dukkha: Buddhism’s understanding of what causes it, and Zen’s understanding of how, through the practice of meditation, dukkha can serve as a positive force for our growth as human beings. Lecture 2. What Can Christianity Offer Zen? – 2nd July One of the more encouraging developments in modern spirituality has been the fruitful dialogue between Buddhism and Christanity. An outsize role in this dialogue has been played by the Zen school and the contemplative orders of Christianity—not surprisingly, since in Buddhism and Christianity it has been Zen and the contemplative orders, respectively, that have maintained the strongest traditions of monasticism and the most focused concern with the internal aspects of the spiritual life. To a significant extent, however, the dialogue has been a one-way street. Although countless Christians with an interest in contemplative practice have taken up Buddhist forms of meditation as part of their life of prayer, there has been little corresponding influence of Christianity on Buddhist spirituality. Yet in my readings on Christianity I have often felt that Christianity has a deep understanding of important aspects of spirituality that are only implicit in Zen, such as the concept of grace. In this talk I would like to suggest several areas where Zen might have much to gain by an examination of such Christian insights. Lecture 3. Thoughts on Meditation – 3rd July The word “zen” means “meditation,” but the subject of meditation covers far more than what is usually discussed in Zen books. In this presentation I would like to discuss Zen meditation, of course (particularly the difference between the Rinzai and Soto approaches), but also cover such related subjects as the place of meditation in Buddhism (not as extensive as one might expect) and the value of meditation itself (as opposed to religious practice focusing entirely on good works). I will also discuss several non-Zen approaches to Buddhist meditation. About Thomas Yuhō Kirchner Thomas Yuhō Kirchner was born in Maryland, U.S.A., in 1949. He went to Japan in 1969 to study at Waseda University in Tokyo, after which he practiced Zen as a lay monk at Shōfuku-ji monastery under Yamada Mumon Roshi. Following ordination in 1974 he trained at the monasteries Kenchō-ji in Kamakura and Kennin-ji in Kyoto for seven years. He later obtained an M.A. in Buddhist Studies at Otani University in Kyoto and held positions at the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture in Nagoya and the International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism in Kyoto. Among his publications are The Record of Linji (2009), Entangling Vines: A Classic Collection of Zen Koans (2013), and Dialogues in a Dream: The Life and Zen Teachings of Muso Soseki (2015). Kirchner resides at the temple Tenryū-ji in Kyoto