Are there any major beliefs in Zen?

Any major beliefs in Zen Zen is the meditation school of Buddhism. It's not clear whether you are asking about (1) are there any major beliefs in Zen or (2) are there any major beliefs in Buddhism in general Therefore, here are a few words about each (1) Zen Buddhism is a practice. Some people are confused and think that it is a religion with a creed or set of beliefs that one has to swallow to participate Not so!

The only faith initially required is that Zen practice may be beneficial. Without that faith, nobody would ever begin the practice. The initial faith required is similar to the faith required to begin any practice.

Unless you thought that you would be able to learn how to play the piano and benefit from it, you would never begin to practice piano playing. It is the same will all other practices Notice, too, that once one masters a practice, the faith that one might be able to master it is no longer required; it is replaced by experience. Therefore, the initial faith dissipates Zazen is the name of the practice of Zen Buddhism.It is the distinctive kind of meditation that Zen practitioners use.

The only faith required to practice Zen is that zazen may be beneficial to you That's it! Zazen is one way to train (purify, discipline) the mind. Many practitioners for many, many centuries have found zazen beneficial Might it benefit you?

There's only one way to find out! (2) Despite what the Buddha himself may have intended, Buddhism has become a religion. The Buddha actually wanted folks to discover for themselves what to believe.

This may explain why he never wrote a book; he didn't want people attaching to his beliefs. Nevertheless, Buddhism has developed a rich intellectual heritage--far too rich for a quick answer However, all Buddhist thinking begins with the Four Noble Truths According to the Buddha, the only way to begin the process of living well is to commit wholeheartedly to seeking it, accept the truth about reality, and live accordingly. For example, he says, "Take refuge in the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha, and you will grasp the Four Noble Truths: suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering, and the Noble Eightfold Path that takes you beyond suffering.

That is your best refuge, your only refuge. When you reach it, all sorrow falls away." The Buddha, The Dhammapada (Tomales, California: Nilgiri, 1985; E.

Easwaran, tr. ), p.133. Additional references are to this translation.

There are different ways to interpret this. What does it mean to take refuge in the Three Treasures? What are the Four Noble Truths?

What is the Noble Eightfold Path? The following answer may be sufficient initially To interpret the Three Treasures literally would be to claim that 'the Buddha' denotes the historical Buddha who lived some 2500 years ago, 'the Dharma' denotes his teachings, and 'the Sangha' denotes those people who practiced his teachings.It is more useful, however, to interpret them nonliterally. I suggest that we think of 'the Buddha' as denoting our Buddha-nature, the perfect enlightenment that is our birthright (whether we realize it or not); 'the Dharma' as denoting the undefiled pure truth that excludes nothing; and 'the Sangha' as the harmonious fusion of the Buddha-Treasure and the Dharma-Treasure.

After all, the Buddha encourages us to free ourselves from "worldly bondage" p.148. ; indeed, how could anyone else, including the historical Buddha, possibly free another? He says, "Now is the time to wake up .. .

Sitting alone, sleeping alone, going about alone, vanquish the ego by yourself alone. Abiding joy will be yours . .. " pp.

163 & 169.To interpret the idea of taking refuge correctly, think of a refuge as a commitment (rather than as a safe haven). Taking refuge involves a continuing sequence of decisions to throw oneself unreservedly into practice-enlightenment. In Invoking Reality, Loori uses the analogy of a child taking refuge in a parent's arms-but think of the child as being at a dangerous height needing to jump to be caught by the parent.

The child must trust unequivocally to jump, and, once the child jumps, there's no taking the leap back. Like the child, we, too, fear the consequences of taking refuge, of plunging wholeheartedly into practice-enlightenment, of letting go of all our many attachments, so we hesitate-at least until our realization of how much we are suffering and causing others around us to suffer provides a sufficient goal The First Noble Truth is that living is difficult, imperfect, flawed. Usually our lives are persistently and pervasively unsatisfactory.

Sometimes our suffering is acute; sometimes we are on fire. Often the misery is routine. Even moments of happiness are transitory and have a bittersweet quality; knowing they will soon end, we desperately cling to them.It's not as if our lives flow smoothly from one joyful experience to the next!

Humiliation awaits each of us. Who among us is exempt from decay and illness? Who among us won't suffer the infirmities of age?

Who among us won't die? Who among us has established loving encounters that are permanent? We are humiliated by being unable to control our destinies.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.