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The Religion of the Samurai and Origin of Man: A Study of Zen Philosophy and Discipline in China and Japan (Forgotten Books)
The Religion of the Samurai and Origin of Man A Study of Zen Philosophy and Discipline in China and Japan - Forgotten Books Author:Kaiten Nukariya Book Description: — "The philosophies of Buddhism and Zen, and to a lesser extent Confucianism and Shinto, influenced the samurai culture. Zen meditation became an important teaching due to it offering a process to calm one's mind. The Buddhist concept of reincarnation and rebirth led samurai to abandon torture and needless killing, while ... more »some samurai even gave up violence altogether and became Buddhist monks after realizing how fruitless their killings were. Some were killed as they came to terms with these realizations in the battlefield. The most defining role that Confucianism played in samurai philosophy was to stress the importance of the lord-retainer relationship; this is, the loyalty that a samurai was required to show his lord.
Bushido ("way of the warrior") was a term attached to a samurai "code of conduct" or way of life enforced during Edo period by the Tokugawa Shogunate, so that they could control the samurai more easily. Its deceptive simplicity led to countless arguments over its interpretation. Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai by Yamamoto Tsunetomo is a manual of instruction into the way of the samurai. Even as it was published, it received a number of reviews that criticized its strict and impersonal interpretations. If the lord is wrong, for example if he ordered a massacre of civilians, should he observe loyalty to massacre as ordered or should he observe rectitude to let the civilians escape unharmed? If a man had sick parents but committed an unforgivable mistake, should he protect his honour by committing seppuku or should he show courage by living with dishonor and care for his parents?
The incident of 47 Ronin caused debates about the righteousness of the samurai's actions and how bushido should be applied. They had defied the shogun by taking matters into their own hands but it was an act of loyalty and rectitude as well. Finally, their acts were agreed to be rectitude but not loyalty to the shogun. This made them criminals with conscience and eligible for seppuku." (Quote from wikipedia.org)
Table of Contents:
Publisher's Preface; Introduction; The Religion Of The Samurai; History Of Zen In China; History Of Zen In Japan; The Universe Is The Scripture Of Zen; Buddha, The Universal Spirit; The Nature Of Man; Enlightenment; Life; The Training Of The Mind And The Practice Of Meditation; Appendix Origin Of Man; Preface; Introduction; Refutation Of Delusive And Prejudiced (doctrine); Refutation Of Incomplete And Superficial (doctrine); The Direct Explanation Of The Real Origin; Reconciliation Of The Temporary With The Real Doctrine; Endnotes
About the Publisher:
Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, Esoteric and Mythology. www.forgottenbooks.org
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