P1+Zen,+Monks+and+Nuns

=P1 Zen, Monks and Nuns= Matthew L. Ben D.

The introduction to Buddhism was a spur to Japanese culture. It provided an outlet for the Japanese love and beauty. Zen Buddhism has been one of Japans religions sense the 12 century. Zen Buddhism stresses meditation called Zazen. The purpose of Zazen is to clear the mind of any thought and desire. Mediation is so relaxing that it is easy to fall asleep. A monk teacher would whack a student with a stick if they showed any signs of dropping off. The earliest exercise stages of meditation with the body started with breathing, bodily postures, parts of the body, and four elements found within it, and ending with cemetery contemplation.

Vipashyana Meditation begins with the meditator assuming a comfortable seating posture. Your feet would be crossed in the lotus position (with legs crossed and each foot resting on the opposite thigh). There is also the half lotus witch is when just one leg is crossed on the opposite thigh. While you are meditating your eyes are closed and one begins by focusing the mind on the phenomenon of breathing. This practice makes one aware of the three marks of existence. Monks and nuns sometime will meditate for hours and will fall asleep.

On the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 8th day of every month pulse all the other days containing those dates are days of begging. All the monks leave the monastery in groups of three and go to different parts of the town for three hours in the morning. People donate small amount of money or rice to the monks. Begins with the chanting of the scriptures. As they chant, the monks uncover their bowls and arrange them in a straight line under the direction of the head monk. The dining room is one of the three places for silence; the other two beings are the meditation hall and the bath. Monks Wake up every morning at 3:30 but in the winter they wake up at 4:30, they are awakened by the ringing of the small bell. Every monk takes turns as a waiter. The dining room usually located near the entrance to the monastery. At breakfast monks are only aloud to have three bowls of rice, pickled Saba.

As it said in __The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn__ monks have to shave their heads and wear robs. The monks are allowed three robes made of plain dyed material. There are different groups of monks that are called braches. The colors of the robes are dependent on the branch. The traditional robe color for the Theravada is either yellow or orange. The color for the Tibetan branch wears maroon robes. The Zen group wears black robes, ect. There are three types of monks, a novice that is usually a child and a full monk that’s an adult that has been trained to be a monk, and a head monk. The upper robe is worn covering only the left shoulder within the monastery. It is also tied firmly around the body of a novice monk. The robes are colored using dyes derived from clay, plants such as saffron and other natural materials. Monks and novices traditionally go barefoot. Monks are allowed to have very few possessions. Nuns wear Black robes of a novice.

= Nuns are a small part of japans social class. Zen Buddhism nuns could not become Zen teachers or Zen masters. They could not ordain their own female disciples. They could not reside inside temple compounds, even if no monks were present. They could not lead important religious ceremonies such as funerals (//soshiki//), a restriction which deprived them of an important source of income. Nuns ranked so low in the rigid social hierarchy of that time that their very existence went almost unnoticed by Tokugawa-period historians. = = = media type="custom" key="8452440"

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