Meditation and Arts in Zen Buddhism

Course Description

In this course, we will explore the history of Zen Buddhism from China to Japan to America and examine various facets of Zen, such as the philosophy, practice, rituals, poetry, music, paintings, and artistic expressions. For example, Zen monks expressed philosophical ideas in a particular layout of stones in Zen gardens. Zen masters composed poems to convey their understanding and encourage practitioners in the pursuit of enlightenment. And recently, Japanese Zen reformers composed new Buddhist hymns in order to provide an easily accessible practice for lay devotees. In order to understand these various facets, we will analyze classical Zen texts, read important secondary literature, and examine the visual culture of Zen Buddhism. Zen has further influenced the contemporary mindfulness movement, and we will compare secular mindfulness practices with traditional Buddhist ideas.

The practice that is most often associated with Zen Buddhism is seated meditation (zazen). In order to understand better the primary sources we examine, we will therefore meditate together at the beginning of each class. We will moreover visit a Zen center in the Bay Area to experience first-hand Zen practice in North America.