Here & Zazen: Buddhism in Japan
Founded in India in the 6th to 5th centuries B.C., Buddhism came to Japan in the 6th century A.D. via China and Korea, bringing with it the concept of eternal life. By the end of the 6th century, Buddhism had gained such popularity that the prince regent Shotoku, one of Japan's most remarkable historical figures, declared Buddhism the state religion and based many of his governmental policies on its tenets. Another important Buddhist leader to emerge was a priest called Kukai, known posthumously as Kobo Daishi. After studying Buddhism in China in the early 800s, he returned and built temples throughout Japan, including the famous 88 temples on Shikoku island and those on Mount Koya, which continue to attract millions of pilgrims today.
Probably the Buddhist sect best known to the West is Zen Buddhism. Considered the most Japanese form of Buddhism, Zen is the practice of meditation and a strictly disciplined lifestyle to rid oneself of desire so that one can achieve enlightenment. There are no rites in Zen Buddhism, no dogmas, no theological conceptions of divinity; you do not analyze rationally but are supposed to know things intuitively. The strict and simple lifestyle of Zen appealed greatly to Japan's samurai warrior class, and many of Japan's arts, including the tea ceremony, arose from the practice of Zen.
Zazen, or meditation, is practiced as a form of mental or spiritual training; laypeople meditate to relieve stress and clear their minds. You achieve zazen in a cross-legged lotus position with your neck and back straight and your eyes slightly open. Usually done in a group -- in a semidark room with cushions, facing the wall -- meditation is helped along by a monk, who stalks noiselessly behind the meditators. If someone squirms or moves, the offender is whacked on the shoulders with a stick to help him or her get back to meditating. There are several Zen temples where foreigners can join in zazen; if you'd like to try it, contact the Tourist Information Center in Tokyo or Kyoto, or check the Japan Times to see whether a session of zazen is being organized with English-language instruction.
