Zen And Material Culture

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The stereotype of Zen Buddhism as a minimalistic or even immaterial meditative tradition persists in the Euro-American cultural imagination. This volume calls attention to the vast range of "stuff" in Zen by highlighting the material abundance and iconic range of the Soto, Rinzai, and Obaku sects in Japan. Chapters on beads, bowls, buildings, staffs, statues, rags, robes, and even retail commodities in America all shed new light on overlooked items of lay and monastic practice in both historical and contemporary perspectives. Nine authors from the cognate fields of art history, religious studies, and the history of material culture analyze these "Zen matters" in all four senses of the phrase: the interdisciplinary study of Zen's matters (objects and images) ultimately speaks to larger Zen matters (ideas, ideals) that matter (in the predicate sense) to both male and female practitioners, often because such matters (economic considerations) help to ensure the cultural and institutional survival of the tradition.

Zen and Material Culture expands the study of Japanese Zen Buddhism to include material inquiry as an important complement to mainly textual, institutional, or ritual studies. It also broadens the traditional purview of art history by incorporating the visual culture of everyday Zen objects and images into the canon of recognized masterpieces by elite artists. Finally, the volume extends Japanese material and visual cultural studies into new research territory by taking up Zen's rich trove of materia liturgica and supplementing the largely secular approach to studying Japanese popular culture. This groundbreaking volume will be a resource for anyone whose interests lie at the intersection of Zen art, architecture, history, ritual, tea ceremony, women's studies, and the fine line between Buddhist materiality and materialism.

Zen And Therapy: Heretical Perspectives

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by Manu Bazzano (Author)

Zen and Therapy brings together aspects of the Buddhist tradition, contemporary western therapy and western philosophy. By combining insightful anecdotes from the Zen tradition with clinical studies, discussions of current psychotherapy theory and forays into art, film, literature and philosophy, Manu Bazzano integrates Zen Buddhist practice with psychotherapy and psychology.

This book successfully expands the existing dialogue on the integration of Buddhism, psychology and philosophy, highlighting areas that have been neglected and bypassed. It explores a third way between the two dominant modalities, the religious and the secular, a positively ambivalent stance rooted in embodied practice, and the cultivation of compassion and active perplexity. It presents a life-affirming view: the wonder, beauty and complexity of being human.

Intended for both experienced practitioners and beginners in the fields of psychotherapy and philosophy, Zen and Therapy provides an enlightening and engaging exploration of a previously underexplored area.

Review

'In this book, which offers new insights on areas explored in his previous writings, Bazzano brings to bear his playful wit, widely cultured knowledge, and direct experience of both Zen and psychotherapy in a poetic investigation of important themes which will be relevant to both professionals and to the general reader.'

Caroline Brazier, author of Buddhist Psychology, course leader at Tariki Trust

'This book is a pleasure to read: an eloquent exploration of the "borderland" between Zen and psychotherapy. Writing with a wealth of experience from both sides of this borderland, as a Buddhist monk and a practicing psychotherapist, Bazzano brings a depth of insight which is original and stimulating.'

Dr Monica Lanyado, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, British Psychotherapy Foundation

'This brilliant book by Manu Bazzano is for those of us who are open and courageous enough to seek a more meaningful path. Bazzano is that rare, innovative thinker who can weave together scholarship and personal reflection and come up with stimulating and profound insights. He sees and feels deeply, and creatively synthesizes traditional approaches into an original worldview and shares it with us. A master of both psychotherapy and Zen Buddhism, Bazzano guides us between the two with wisdom, grace, and courage, and along with him we discover new ways that are surprising and exhilarating. Those of us who are not content with simplistic, status quo thinking or a quick fix but desire a fresh, transcendent approach to spirituality and secularity will be richly rewarded.'

David Forbes, PhD, LMHC, Associate Professor, School Counseling Program, Brooklyn College/CUNY

Affiliate Faculty, Urban Education Doctoral Program, CUNY Graduate Center

About the Author

Manu Bazzano is a psychotherapist and supervisor in private practice. He has studied eastern contemplative practices since 1980 and in 2004 was ordained a Zen monk in the Soto and Rinzai traditions. A primary tutor at Metanoia Institute, London, and visiting lecturer at the University of Roehampton, London, and various other schools and colleges, he facilitates workshops and seminars internationally. He is editor of Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy, and book review editor for Self & Society - International Journal for Humanistic Psychology

The Spirit Of Zen: The Classic Teaching Stories On The Way To Enlightenment

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Zen is probably the most well known yet misunderstood version of Buddhism in the West. The Spirit of Zen presents the most basic principles and practices of Zen in a simple yet authentic fashion. The Spirit of Zen guides you down the path to enlightenment with stories, history and practical guidance from the masters of Zen. Often the stories contained in these teachings are an attempt to shake the student out of his or her complacent accepting of 'things as they are.' By bypassing the ordinary mindset, the often puzzling actions of the Zen master to his students awaken something in them they didn't know they had. This is all part of the attempt of the master to awaken the student to the reality of his or her own being and place in the great scheme of things. By using these radical forms of teaching, the master is jolting the student out of any preconceptions they may have about spiritual attainment. Thus the famous dictum 'If you see the Buddha in the road, kill him.' The stories are arranged according to theme: Gradual Enlightenment, Sudden Enlightenment, Teaching Stories, Paradoxical Teaching, Eccentric Masters etc. Most of them are from traditional sources with some original additions from Taoist expert Solala Towler. The simple yet profound truths of spiritual practice and awakening are often best learned from stories, rather than ponderous dissertation. These stories are profound and illuminating while also being entertaining, contain the kernel or true flavor of Zen.