Zen Buddism
Zen Buddhism originated in the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Around 500 B.C. he was a prince in what is India. When he was in 20's, he was finally exposed to the laypeople outside the castle walls. Deeply troubled by the suffering he saw around him, he renounced his privileged life to seek enlightenment. After 6 years of struggling as an ascetic he finally achieved Enlightenment as he meditated under the Bodhi tree (wisdom tree). After this he was known as the Buddha (meaning "one who is awake"). Buddha realized that everything is subject to change and that suffering and discontentment are the result of attachment to circumstances and things that, by their nature, are impermanent. By getting rid of these things, including attachment to the false notion of self or "I", one can be free of suffering. The teachings of the Buddha have been passed down from teacher to student. Around 475 A.D. one of these teachers, Bodhidharma, traveled from India to China and introduced the teach
the mind. The main state of enlightenment reached is called Nirvana. If I were to partake in such a religion as Zen Buddhism I would not be able to live on the simple meals or the meditation because I am a very social and outgoing person. However, I find it an incredibly good religion for someone with extrodinary self-control and perseverance to reach enlightenment. I find this life in the Monastery to be both rewarding and challenging. If I were to live my life like Van de Wetering I would find it hard to just live on simple meals of stew and have no social life. Since I am a very social person, that would definitely be the most difficult part, living in silence for days at a time. In contrast, however, I find the meditation to be very rewarding if you want to find true enlightenment or Nirvana. If I put myself in Van de Wetering's shoes the meditation would have been the most rewarding thing I could do to clear and empty my mind. I find this process truly amazing,
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Approximate Word count = 663
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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