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, paintings, and music. 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. Practitioners expressed the spiritual depth of Zen through paintings, which are often characterized by serenity and unadorned loftiness. 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.
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 and everyone is encouraged to engage in daily meditation practice throughout the quarter. We will moreover visit a Zen center in the Bay Area to experience first-hand Zen practice in North America.
Meet the Instructor: Michaela Mross
“I first encountered Zen Buddhism as a high school student when I read Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryū Suzuki, the founder of San Francisco Zen Center. Suzuki's book inspired me to visit regular meditation sessions at a local Zen Center. Later, I pursued a Ph.D. in Japanese Studies with the aim to do research on Zen Buddhism, especially on its history, rituals, and music. After having studied traditional monastic chanting performed exclusively by monks and nuns, I now examine lay Buddhist choirs that sing modern hymns written in the last 70 years. Over the course of my studies, I have spent over seven years in Japan and visited many Zen monasteries, where I participated in meditation and rituals. I am looking forward to sharing these experiences with you.”
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