Buddhism transition to the West By Barry Magid

The Westernization of Buddhism and Zen Practice

The goal of this investigation is to explain the westernization of Buddhism as discussed by Barry Magid in his book “Ending the Pursuit of Happiness.” Zen Buddhism is a synthesis of Indian Buddhism and Taoism. The combination first appeared in China and then expanded to Japan and Korea. Zen seeks to understand the idea of correct living without being mislead by rational language and thinking. According to Barry Magid’s book, substantial advancements will occur during the transition phase of Buddhism to the West are only the practices that ordinary people need to practice through their normal lives. This idea is now a dominant form of the American Zen practice. The attempt of establishing the psychoanalysis and Magid thoughts about Buddhism practice begins by acknowledging the idea that “Zen Buddhism is a psychology in its individual right.” It is also important to realize that the discussions of wood, clay, and Gold as forms of Buddhas help in the distinction of boundaries that people made among themselves and to what they are related and connected to in various investigations. For an extended period, it has become hard to get an analysis of people willing to agree that the Zen were masters in their forms. After we agree that the goals and concepts of Buddhism are incommensurable, then we can begin exchanging ideas and experiences that enrich various systems. Magid creates a rich roadmap about the modern “psychological-minded Zen” by including our personality in regards to our lives and also fixes the dirty human mind that people consider as unacceptable.

The Evolution of Zen Buddhism in America

The history of Zen Buddhism over the past millennia consists of some few notable exceptions from the religious practice and monk history. Some vibrant monastic societies have already established themselves firmly in America (Magid and Barry 89). The history of Zen Buddhism continues to shift gradually, inexorably and subtly through the monastery that lays practice into their everyday life. Lay practice as Kafka quotes is a tradition of the people who do not come from a humble background or the residential community. It also refers to individuals who have never be ordained as priests. Sometimes one can use it to apply to people who never live the life of monks. The term continues to evolve as it finds new levels and expressions of obligation.

The Role of Ritual and Tradition in Zen Practice

Barry Magid says that “Ritual can never be hereditary, and if one need it, then you must get it through hard labor (Magid and Barry 38).” We are not part of the passive recipients of Buddhism transition to the west. We reconstruct it by suggesting that it is a living tradition that occurs in our lives through the efforts we put up and through our individual choices. Barry Magid fellow writer, Kafka quotes that relationship we possess to tradition insists that our job should be made new. After reading how people traditionally practiced Zen over the past years in Japan and China, and after thinking about the past generations that our teachers were trained, then we come up with the decision of how we need to follow their footsteps. We also gain ideas of where we should branch off our paths too. One wonders how the Asian culture needs to be assimilated and studied so that to ensure that we maintain a genuine connection with the psychic ancestors.

The Intersection of Psychotherapy and Zen Practice

Magid also suggests it is necessary to place vital importance on the achievement of the students through actual realization. One, however, wonders how the American Zen teachers can be comfortable through the training they offer to the modern generation and to students who never mind about Bodhi-dharma. It is necessary to ask ourselves about the views of rigors through the traditional monastic training as the means of conceivable accomplishments through varying ways. It also needs to consider various ways regarding how we see ourselves more so through the regular practice because it is a means that helps us to practice various forms of life that people cherish for their sake. It is also important to question ourselves whether a practice that has no gain is a means that can be conceived through the myriad forms. Lay, therefore, appears to be a different and multiple means that practitioners need to involve in their lives (Porter and Kenneth 87). All these issues end up pointing at various trends from the Americanization of Zen after begging training and psychotherapy that can be dismissed by various Zen scholars and tutors who always operate in a perfunctory manner. Working through the use of emotional practice can be considered as a watering down form of real life things. Over the past few years, individuals appear to have transformed this kind of attitude from various levels. Most of the American Zen tutors living in the current generation are trained through psychotherapy forms.

The Quest for Happiness and the Dangers of Fixation

Barry Magid suggests that out individual “pursuit of happiness” can be an actual source of suffering. He goes on to look at the unique look at “secret practices” about what we do in our lives when trying to meditate so as to feel calm. He attempts to discover the “Remedial fantasies” regarding the spiritual practice (Magid and Barry 36). Magid says that these ideas that people can fix regarding the disordered human things are unacceptable. By looking at the transition of Buddhism to the West, he tries to help us to evaluate various issues and avoid most of these pitfalls. He ends up by laying a roadmap about the current “psychosomatic minded Zen” which includes our personality, the entire journey of life just as it was pioneered by his tutor, Joko Beck. Magid incorporates psychoanalysis in suggesting how his teacher was by increasingly opening the idea that psychotherapy and Zen were able to work profitably in tandem. He, however, does not bring up a clear line between what people do through their Zen practice. He also talks about what causes other people to seek for therapy. Kafka, on the other hand, suggests that “he does not see an average student from Zen from struggling with various problems, addictions, and maladaptive habits.” These are the issues that most folks address while undergoing a therapy (Porter and Kenneth 37). After reading Franz Kafka letters to Family, editors, and friends, one gets the idea that it is important to learn from the past problems. He suggests that “a book is a frozen sea within us.” By this, he suggests that it is unfortunate that the western engagement has psychologically fueled us towards the needs of becoming misunderstood.

The Importance of Compassion and Connection

The key theme that we learn from Buddhism is that not every man for himself. It affirms that meditation is a fundamental activity that should be maintained solitarily. According to Zen and other practices of meditation, it is necessary to perceive such issues from an isolated mind. By being a psychoanalyst and Zen teachers, people need to work with others so as to help each other solves problems. Every individual who goes for meditation and therapy practice can feel that an issue is wrong and that it should be fixed. Magid, therefore, suggests that it is important to find a sense of life through the fulfillment of a grounded life. Most of the old teachers indicate that the primary importance of meditation is to learn how to suffer perceptively.

Finding Happiness and Overcoming Challenges

Summing up, the life of a Buddhism can include an inescapable difficulty and suffering. The byproducts gotten from meditation can, however, allow one to experiment how to live happy and calm. One can be willing to live through pain and without compounding issue through addictive strategies. Each one of us should try to cure himself in one way or another. Our hopes however disappear, and people appear not to be clear about what they seek in life and how they’re going to successes. One can talk about different issues regarding his hopes so as to get from meditation but it is unfortunate that from the back of the minds there are great fantasies that something can fix us sometimes in life. A true religion should always show human beings how to think critically and what they should never think about in life. It is, therefore, important to question ourselves through the use of great questions instead of coming up with great answers.

Works Cited

Magid, Barry. “A Conceptual and Clinical Integration of Psychoanalysis and Zen.” Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Integration: An Evolving Synergy 66 (2015): 99.

Porter, Kenneth. “Can There Be a Spiritual Psychoanalysis?.” Psychoanalytic Perspectives 10.2 (2013): 235-269.