quick look on invaluable Japanese culture (8) DNA from zen
(8) DNA from Zen
Zen was brought in from China by Japanese great priests, Eizai and Dougenn, during Kamakura era. Since then, it has been the central pillar of Japanese spiritual formation.
It influenced on every part of Japanese life and culture such as religion, bushido, painting, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, haiku and so on. It aims to get through the truth by intuition. We can say that Zen locates at the opposite pole against science.
A human brain is composed of the right and the left brain. According to recent study on a brain, the left brain is superior to literacy, analysis, thinking logically, while the right brain is superior to artistic appreciation, general understanding, intuition.
Science which is outstanding in the fields of analyzing any phenomenon, thinking thoroughly by language or developing idea theoretically, can be recognized as the gift child of the left brain. As science grows and contributes lots to a modern society, the importance of the left brain is growing accordingly.
However there should be reasonable reason why a brain has been composed of two separate parts. A brain must be able to perform properly only when two parts are well balanced.
The end of Zen is to be a part of nature. In other word, the end is to realize that people can survive only in the providences of a great nature.
Even though Japanese people are enjoying westernized modern life, Zen is still left inside Japanese mind. It may be modern Japanese mission to revive Zen spirit which can warn the whole world that human being should not rely on science blindly.
Zen garden (k-kabegami.sakura.ne.jp)
Solid morals and public spirit
Dr.Nitobe Inazou wrote「Bushido, The sole of Japan」around a hundred years ago for the purpose of letting western people to understand Japanese mentality or Japanese way of religious thinking. He explained about Bushido education which highly values dignity and personality.
Most foreigners who visited Japan just before the Ｒevolution, were struck to find not only samurai but also townspeople and farmers were educated , polite and blight.
Above indicated that people in Edo era found it comfortable to follow samurai’s way of living and high morals.
Just after the Revolution, Meiji government did “ Haihannchikenn “. It was a complete reformation of 260 year’s Edo reign. They utterly reformed Edo regime and thoroughly renewed governmental organization. Concretely Meiji government deprived hereditary provincial lords of traditional privileges by abolishing provincial domains. The government in succession deprived Samurais of their privileges. It was so drastic change that it could have caused civil war, but actually it was done quite calmly.
It requires tremendous efforts to build even one runaway, one road or one public building in a current modern society which is based on private property system.
Nowadays public interests and private interests often collide badly and cause severe turmoils. However in Japan one and half century ago, solid morals and public spirits outdid private interests with only few disturbance.
At the occasion of the HannshinnAwaji Great Earthquake and recent the Great East Japan Earthquake, suffered people made line orderly to receive meals or daily necessities provided urgently. Foreign press men were deeply struck to watch such disciplined behaviors of the suffered and admired solid morals established in the society of Japan.
