Abdullah Shaheen 101100558

Introduction

After taking this course my views on how I can study different types of religion have changed
greatly. My initial thought on how I can study religion was just reading religious books as the
Quran or the Bible. As I believed that this was the only trustworthy way to studying the religion
itself. This was a challenge as being a Muslim I never showed any interest in reading religious
texts other than my own. Once I began this course, I came to realize that there are other ways,
such as research online or just simply watching documentaries about other religions. I have
always been interested in learning about the Japanese religion and their way of living. This
course not only strengthen my knowledge about the religions followed in Japan but also many
other related religions. After viewing the assigned readings, participating in group discussions
and watching various videos on YouTube, I was able to develop my understanding on different
cultures and the history of various religions in east Asia.

Daoism

Daoism is a philosophical practice that originated in China. It emphasizes living in harmony

with the Dao. Daoism is about the Dao. This is usually translated as “the way”. The Dao is an
important idea taught in many Chinese philosophical schools. Many of the ideas about
Daoism come from these Chinese schools. Daoism is a tradition of philosophy that is deeply
fixed in China. The Dao is not God and is not worshipped. Daoism includes many divinities,
that are worshipped in Chinese temples. Daoism includes many concepts that talk about the
world such as the source of creation the ultimate, the inexpressible and indefinable, the
natural universe as a whole, the way of nature as a whole.
The Zhuangzi is an ancient Chinese text, which contains stories and narratives that
demonstrate the true nature of the model Daoism. Named after the author himself, Master
Zhuang, the Zhuangzi is sideways with the Tao Te Ching. These are the two foundational
texts of Daoism and is usually considered the most important of all Daoist writings. Though
mainly known for his philosophical work, the Zhuangzi is regarded as one of the greatest
literary works in all of Chinese history and has been called "the most important text for the
study of Chinese literature The Zhuangzi consists of a large collection of stories which are
usually entertaining in nature. While other ancient Chinese philosophers focus on moral and
personal duty, Zhuangzi talks about carefree wandering and becoming one with "the Way" by
following nature. Its main themes are The Dao, Non-Action, Naturalness and the usefulness
of the useless.
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This idea of the Way has a deep meaning for Daoists. Confucius also talks about the Way,
but in the Analects, it has a mainly moral meaning. If a person lives according to the Way in
Confucianism it usually means cultivating one’s goodness in order to live according to what is
just and right within society. If we take a look at Daoism the Way has a more strongly
metaphysical and naturalistic meaning. The Dao is the foundation of all things, and that to
which all things return. The Way is also the basis of all things, it itself is described by the
people as ‘nothingness’. Although it cannot itself be contained in words or concepts The Way
is also the foundation of words.
There is a definite way that Daoists have of going along with the Way and that is called ‘non-
action.’ This theme is similar to that of the Confucian model of ‘living in harmony’ and yet the
way to attain it is not through ritual. The idea of non-action is gentle and effortless a kind of
going along with things that avoids wearing yourself out on doing what is unnatural to you.
This is what is achieved through non-action. Naturalness is what you return to after the
process of unlearning the common rituals. Dissimilar to Confucianism, which believes that
human goodness is achieved by each individual acting according to his or her role, Daoist
naturalness is achieved by taking away all of the non-natural social conventions forced on our
natural way of being. It is also translated as ‘self-so-ness’ and ‘freedom.’ By acting according
to one’s nature, one is believed to be demonstrating the Way. The theme of the usefulness of
the useless explains Zhuangzi’s alternative to the rules of society. He claims that those things
which are regarded as ‘useless’ by our society are precisely those that are truly ‘useful’ to
themselves. For example, people with disabilities will not get drafted for war.
To study Daoism I used a direct approach in which I used this slides and watched videos on
this topic. This enhanced my learning, especially watching videos as I am more of a visual
learner. I was able to understand various topics about Daoism. Some information that was not
touched on the videos fully, I was able to research them on google. The slides on Cu-Learn
helped strengthen this knowledge. Being a student who has never studied other religions
before this categorial approach helped me learn quickly and efficiently.

Page References used from the lectures:

1. Themes of Themes of Zhuangzi’s Basic Writings in Daoism lecture 4.1
2. The Way (Dao) Daoism lecture 4.1
3. Non-Action Daoism lecture 4.1
4. Naturalness Daoism lecture 4.1
5. The Usefulness of the Useless Daoism lecture 4.1
6. Point of View of Zhuangzi’s Basic Writings Daoism lecture 4.0
7. Zhuangzi (ca. 370-287 B.C.E.) Daoism lecture 4.0
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Zen Buddhism

Zen Buddhism is a combination of Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism. It began in India,

spread to China, Korea and Japan. Zen is about attempting to understand the meaning
of life and not being misinformed our logical thoughts. Zen is something a person does.
It's not a concept that can be described in words. A person has to experience Zen in
order to understand and fully know what it is about. It's not a concept that can be
described in words. We cannot simply learn the truth or understand everything by
rational thoughts, examining old scriptures, taking part in worship rites and rituals or
other things that many people religious people do. We must control our minds through
meditation and that involve mind and body and to give up logical thinking. That is what
Zen is all about.

Buddhism has gone through a few transformations to get to where it is today. When
Buddhism migrated from India to China it went thought the influence of Confucian and
Daoist teaching before it moved to Korea and Japan. In Korea and Japan, it changed
even more through the influence of Shinto and Shamanism. For example, by looking
closely at Zen Buddhism we can see a Confucian-style emphasis and a Shinto-esque
belief that ultimate reality is dynamically at work in everyday life. If you visit Mount Hiei
in Japan today, the monuments and scrolls there proudly show that Mount Hiei is the
‘Mother of Japanese Buddhism’. This clearly shoes how Japan has influenced and
formed Buddhism.

Dogen Zenji was a Japanese Buddhist priest. Originally, he was trained as a monk in
the Tendai School in Kyoto, he was eventually dissatisfied with the teachings and
moved to China to pursue out what he believed to be a more faithful Buddhism. He
remained there for five years. After returning to Japan, he began encouraging the
practice of zazen (sitting meditation). When he broke relations with the Tendai School,
after several years of likely friction between himself and the school, left Kyoto for the
mountainous countryside where he founded the monastery Eihei-ji, which remains the
head temple of the Sōtō school today. Rather than just teaching Buddhist teachings,
Dogen used poetic language to express the understanding od his own insight and
experience. Firstly, there is the obstacle of poetic language and Dogen refers himself as
travelling around like a cloud. Then he uses precise language such as ‘enlightening’.
Finally, there is the fact that Dogen usually described experiences that are exceptional,
which might require the ability to creatively put oneself in another’s shoes.
Bendōwa (Negotiating the Way) is Dogen's earliest known writing in Japanese. It was
not well known for hundreds of years until 1673, when it was found in a temple in Kyoto.
In 1684, it was added in manuscript form as the first fascicle of the 95-fascicle edition of
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Dōgen's already well-known master compilation, the Shōbōgenzō. The main themes of
Negotiating the Way were Enlightenment, Dharma and Zazen. The goal of Buddhism is
called nirvana since this is the freedom from suffering. This term itself means something
to extinction. It also has a positive sense of absolute liberation and bliss. Nirvana was
translated into enlightenment in the 18th century as a reflection of European view that
Buddhism represented a somehow more rational form of religion. Dogen has a very
particular understanding of enlightenment since he thinks that the realization of
enlightenment is related to practice of seated mediation and further practice of this
mediation is enlightenment because it is a practice of enlightening others.
Dharma is a word that has a long history in Asia and is used frequently to mean ‘duty’.
In Buddhists context in mostly means teaching and truth. So when Dogen says that he
learnt dharma in china and now he must spread it in Japan. He is saying that he learnt
the truth and it was taught by Buddha. Since Dogen is a Buddhist, dharma also means
the true nature of all things. It is significant that Dogen believe that there is only one
dharma and that is zazen.
Dogen explains the meaning of zazen using the term ‘just-sitting’. He grants an almost
magical power to the seated position of meditation. In this position a person must not
engage in any other task. The task is just to sit. The instructions for zazen direct the
disciple to sit in a quiet room, breathing rhythmically and easily, with legs fully or half
crossed, spine and head erect, hands folded one palm above the other, and eyes open.
This is in one sense of development of original enlightenment. For Dogen enlightenment
is original practice.
I used texts from books about Zen Buddhism that I found, this approach to learning
really helped me understand and believe about the religion to a further extent as some
of these books were used to teach Buddhism to students and are still used in teachings
at schools. This fundamental way of learning strengthen my knowledge about the
religions and it was much easier for me really imagine what the people believe and why.

Page References used from the lectures:

1. That’s so Zen! Lesson: Zen Buddhism 8.0
2. The Mother of Japanese Buddhism? Lesson: Zen Buddhism 8.0
3. Themes of Dōgen’s Negotiating the Way (Enlightenment)
4. Themes of Dōgen’s Negotiating the Way (Dharma)
5. Themes of Dōgen’s Negotiating the Way (Zazen)

Conclusion
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Taking different approaches to learning raised the bar for my understanding about other
religions. Especially the group discuses, they helped me ask questions and gather views other
people have about the topic. This really gave me an idea on how others view the religion as we
are all from different backgrounds. The internet source review assignment increased my
knowledge by taking me to different websites and seeking out information from there showed
me what people around the world view the specified religion as. The weekly lessons were the
most helpful as from those I was able to deeply learn about different topic every week.
Furthermore, the self-tests showed me how much I understand the topic as they tested my
knowledge.

Citations:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism - Wikipedia
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/taoism/ - BBC Religions, what is Daoism?
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Daoism - Daoism Chinese Philosophy and Religion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen - Wikipedia Zen

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/subdivisions/zen_1.shtml - BBC Religions
https://www.zen-buddhism.net/beliefs/beliefs-and-dogmas.html - Beliefs and Dogmas