From my experiences (I gave up classifying my beliefs. I usually say universal Gnostic) the west has, as a culture, no understanding of Zen, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism (aside from jokes about jelly beans), Shinto, Jainism, Sikhism... the list goes on.
In my opinion, there's a large difference between eastern thought (which I call philosophy and/or spirituality) and western religion (religion). The primary difference being the three major western religions (Judaism, Islam, Christianity) are external in nature. There is a series of rules that govern what you do, and if you follow every single one (or, for most, the ones that are important/the ones most other people follow) you get a single grand reward when you die, and go to some good place. If you don't, you go to a bad place when you die. Semantics and details aside, that's the core of each.
Not only that, there seems to be a lack of desire among these three to even understand each other, or subgroups of the same label. (What's the difference between Sunni and Shiite? Orthodox and reform? Baptist, Pentecostal, Anglican, Catholic?)
There isn't terribly much room for self-examination here. You either follow rules, or not. However, you mention combinations of eastern and western beliefs. This has happened before (Sufism, Thomas Aquinas, classical Gnosticism and Unitarian Universalism come to mind), but never in a large group of organized people.
I hope I answered at least part of your question, let me know what parts weren't clear.
Quite informative actually. But I always wonder why some religion spread as it is now. Why isn't there proto-Buddhism in the west, or is it once a group of religions settled, them are stabilized to the general populations till new needs arise. We have all this time in the history to blend in different religions why isn't it a common theme? Also, is there just West vs East major groups? What else could happen as once people always says infinite possibility of believes existed, why we get all these giant groups with narrow believes? Causing by the nature of human mind? or if history is set off in different directions, a religious belief like native American believes in partially animals/natural blend in with spiritual, also can rise up as major religion? just happen they develop in the wrong place, in the wrong time? Or we are destine to have monotheism?
I still need to get around to examining and using things like meditation and mindfulness, though.
About meditation, if I may borrow the words for quote, isn't a practice solely in Buddhism. It may be one of a practice in it, but many religions has same principle about it, with different name. Taoist may called it 修練 (training the inner world? I don't know how to translate that), Some christian may called it getting closer / hearing to God alone (probably one of the function of monastery as I believe, and I believe there is a word for that, or "meditate" the word in English originally just for the use of that in the first place), I believed that Islamic believes have them too, Not mention the Hinduism, its originated believe is what probably invented the form we familiar with itoday. And it's not the only way Buddhism believes to achieve enlightenment. There are many many more. It's Zenist mostly focus on that (not all just, of course), and one major difference separate us from Buddhism. The benefit of it, true of not, are practical one, at least it helps me going to sleep every night. And partially I am not doing it cause believes as well, but my requirement of martial art practice as Taiji. They require some time to get used to the working of Qi in your body, meditation is just happen to be beneficial at both. And you can be a Zenist without the literally meaning of medication. But it helps a lot. Since it better to think alone and be clear about something yourself first.
The Chinese Buddhism view about meditation as 靜觀 (quiet 靜 observed 觀). And the word for mindfulness 念. If you breaks it down, isn't that mysterious at all. Combining 觀 and 念, you got the phrase in Chinese 觀念, as thoughts, thinking. (A great deal of daily use of Chinese phrases are affected by Buddhism concepts, to a point we don't even think about it anymore. They become basic idea). And it just means to observe what's going on in your mind(head). The strictly form of meditation is largely comes from Hinduism. But in Zenist we prefer just the pure meaning about it. If the external practice like how to sit, what position, what kind of standard you need to follow can help, it can help and one can be glad, else you just sit down, find a quiet place, and let go one thought by examine it, put it down, and next, till there is no more there. Nothing mystery about it, but not easily to do that if you are not used to it. Many thoughts fused together, and not known which way to go. So yes, it can be dangerous as one may claim, but if you are already tend to confused yourself everyday, sooner or later you'll end up be crazy someday (maybe when very old and not thinking clearly), and you just put that contradicting thoughts and outcome in the heads till its too late.
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Topic: Eastern Religion (Read 4208 times)