P7+Zen,+Monks+and+Nuns

=P7 Zen, Monks and Nuns= Michael C. and Jane B.

The religion of Zen Buddhism is a complete lifestyle. Zazen meditation helps people achieve enlightenment. Nobles have large mediation gardens which are used in meditation. Monks and Nuns are the followers of Zen Buddhism they both focus their life around meditation. Monasteries are where Monks and Nuns live they allow them to meditate and achieve enlightenment. Samurai meditation includes some different doings then normal Zen Buddhism.

Zen Buddhism is more than a religion in Japan, it is a lifestyle. In Zen Buddhism the people try to achieve enlightenment through the art of meditation. The religion is involved in their lives, an example of that is when carpenters sharpen they tolls as a Zen ritual. Self-understanding and self-reliance are really important ideas to Zen Buddhism. They believe that people are bore over and over again and if you live a good life, you will be rewarded with a better life in their next life. When people a temple, they burn a stick of incense, strike a gong, places their hands together and bowed toward a Buddha statue.

Zazen mediation plays a large part in Zen Buddhism as a religion. The purpose of zazen meditation is to clear the mind of all thoughts and desires. During zazen meditation, people face a wall and sit in a lotus position. In the lotus position, people cross their legs, the soles of their feet faces upward, they have a straight back, and their chin is tucked into their body. People often fall asleep when meditating because it is so relaxing.

Mediation gardens are key to zazen mediation in Zen Buddhism. Meditation Gardens often include Bonsai trees which are cut into certain shapes to be more perfect than in nature. The gardens are made to create a miniature country landscape. Water is often represented with sand or pebbles; and islands with masses of moss or rock material. There are they popular types of mediation gardens, they are tsuki-yama, rin-sen, and karesansui. Tsuki-yama means artificial, rin-sen means forest and water, and karesansui includes a dry rock type garden.

Monks and Nuns are people who follow the religion of Zen Buddhism. Monks focus their life around meditating. Sometimes when monks meditate they fall asleep because it is so relaxing. If they do fall asleep the head monk whacks them on a head with a stick. Retreats make it possible for monks to live their lives and mediate. Every monk has to take a turn being a waiter in the monasteries. A monk’s breakfast is very simple and limited because they are only allowed only have 3 bowls of rice a pickled plum and veggies. Before eating all monks must chant a scripture and uncover the bowls and line them up in a line under the instruction of the head monk. The leftover rice is offered to the spirits. The dining room is one of the 3 silent rooms. All monks beg for rice on the 1, 3, 6, and 8 of every month. Nuns are like monks except female and have much lower statuses and lower rankings. Nuns could never become teachers or Zen masters in the Tokugawa period. Also nuns always have to wear the black robe of novices.

Monasteries are where monks and nuns can go to achieve enlightenment. They also allow monks and nuns to have complete isolation which is needed in their serious life of meditation needs. Monasteries can be very powerful in feudal Japan, so powerful that some could have their own armies. Zen meditation played a very big part in the Japanese feudal system.

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