Zen: Master the Art Achieve Inner Peace and Happiness by Learning Zen Buddhism Today by Sara Wilson

Author:Sara Wilson
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: zen lifestyle, zen kindle, zen Buddhism, zen, zen mind, zen mediation, zen philosophy
Published: 2014-06-20T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5: Zen and the Western Lifestyle

Zen Buddhism has begun to flourish in the West over the last century, and there are a number of reasons that contribute to this. For starters, Buddhism doesn’t fit neatly into the modern conception of “religion,” nor does it align perfectly with the definition of “philosophy.” However, because it doesn’t prescribe any deities and avoids detailed dogmas about the afterlife, many people have been able to fit Buddhist ideas and practices with other religions, from Christianity to Islam to Judaism.

No matter your religious or philosophical beliefs, you can incorporate elements of Buddhism into your daily lifestyle. Whether the idea of meditation, or karma, or the Eightfold Path appeals to you, there’s nothing to stop you from selectively choosing the ideas that you like and living by them.

You can choose how much of Zen beliefs and practices you want to bring into your life, and then find ways of either changing your life around these new ideas or modifying the ideas to suit your life.

Many Zen beliefs are already compatible with the Western lifestyle, however. For example, the Eightfold Path matches up to much of Western culture’s understanding of morality and virtue. The ideals of peace, enlightenment, and nonviolence posited by Zen Buddhism are common throughout many other religions and cultures.

It’s also not difficult to pull Zen practices into a Western lifestyle. You might find time to meditate when you get home at the end of a long day, or perhaps even in a quiet corner of the break room at work. You might take up yoga lessons at your local gym, and use the stretching, poses, and breathing to practice your own form of meditation. It’s all a matter of finding out what works for you.

Even though Buddhism originated in Asia and has been heavily influenced by Eastern cultures and beliefs, it’s still possible to find commonalities between Buddhist ideas and Western culture. From there, you can determine how you want to implement Zen beliefs and practices in your life.

You don’t have to give up your own cultural heritage or deep-rooted philosophical views to understand and practice Zen Buddhism. It’s all a matter of determining what is beneficial to you, and from there you can craft your own special version of Zen Buddhism that’s ideally suited to fit your situation and needs.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.