Abstract
Ryumonji Zen Monastery and Clouds in Water Zen Center both belong to the same Sōtō Zen lineage, founded by the Japanese priest Dainin Katagiri some twenty-five years ago, and are both located in the same geographical region, the American Midwest. However, they show subtle but significant differences that would remain unnoticed if Sōtō Zen in the two institutions were to be studied only textually. In this paper, based on nine months of ethnographic fieldwork, I consider the differences between Ryumonji and Clouds by analyzing their practices in terms of the transformations of body and mind the practices generate in the practitioners. Ryumonji trains its practitioners primarily through ritualization of physical postures and gestures while Clouds uses psychological postures and gestures. As a result, practitioners at Ryumonji and Clouds develop different modes of attending to and understanding the world—what I call psychophysical skills. Based on my analysis, I argue for the need to develop a holistic approach to the study of Zen Buddhism that considers the religious practitioner as an indivisible body and mind in the world.
Presenters
Bishal KarnaAssistant Professor, Religious Studies, Nazareth College, New York, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Religious Commonalities and Differences
KEYWORDS
Religious Training, Transformation, Attention, Religious Skills, Zen Buddhism, American Buddhism
