Zazen is originally a form of Buddhist practice. It has been used by various Buddhist sects since ancient times. By concentrating the mind and focusing on one place, Buddhists can achieve a state of lightness of body and mind, and a state of pure enlightenment over time.

In the era of Kamakura and Muromachi shogunate , what role did Japanese Zen play in the formation of Bushido ? It has to be said that compared to Pure Land Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism Zen had a greater influence on the samurai of the Kamakura and Muromachi eras.

The concept of Japanese Zen

Zen was introduced by Japanese monks Eisai and Daoji who returned from China in the 12th and 13th centuries AD. Zazen is originally a form of Buddhist practice. It has been used by various Buddhist sects since ancient times. By concentrating the mind and focusing on one place, Buddhists can achieve a state of lightness of body and mind, and a state of pure enlightenment over time. But Zen Buddhism regards this practice as the main body of the sect. Eisai went to China twice. After returning to China, he spread the Linji Zen sect and wrote "On Promoting Zen and Protecting the Country", emphasizing that Zen is the highest state of Buddhism. Although Zen was resisted by traditional Japanese Buddhist sects, it was welcomed by the Kamakura samurai.

When he came to power in Hojo, he summoned Song Zen monks such as Wu Xuezu Yuan and Daxiu Zhensheng to Kamakura to promote Zen Buddhism in order to compete with the Buddhist sects in Kyoto. Zen Buddhism aims at simplicity and asceticism. Hojo Tokiyori and the Kamakura samurai practiced Zen enthusiastically. Zen Buddhism has since become samurai Buddhism, and "samurai good at Zen" has become a fashion among the Kamakura samurai. Zen Buddhism has had a great spiritual influence on Japanese samurai. At that time, most of the people who believed in Zen in China were literati and officials, but in Japan, its followers were mainly samurai. So, how did Buddhism, which is compassionate and opposed to killing, become a samurai religion that advocates killing?

First of all, the cultivation method advocated by Zen is simple. It is believed that as long as you persist in sitting and meditating, you can eliminate "delusions" and become a Buddha. Zen Buddhism advocates "not establishing words, teaching to outsiders, directly pointing to the human heart, and becoming a Buddha by seeing one's nature." It does not advocate reciting or worshiping Buddha statues. Therefore, this cultivation method is very suitable for the tastes of illiterate warriors. However, Zen Buddhism has strict requirements for zazen, which requires extremely strong endurance, so that zazen practitioners can cultivate the courage to eliminate all distracting thoughts and be fearless when mountains and rocks collapse. In the words of Zen Buddhism, it is to achieve "breaking the prison of life and death, and then seeing that the past mind is not accessible, the present mind is not accessible, and the future mind is unavailable. There is no thread hanging in the chest. However, since the position is true, it can be used effectively."

Through this strict and long-term practice, the courage and courage of the warriors can be trained, so that they can disregard life and death on the battlefield. This precept-like tendency suited the lifestyle and mental state of the samurai class. Warriors take fighting as their profession, running between arrows and rocks, and entering and exiting the gate of life and death, so they need a spiritual pillar that supports them to follow their master regardless of life or death.

Japanese historian Kiyoshi Inoue once said that the "samurai religion" of Zen "does not use words to explain, but uses one's own experience and practice to achieve death-consciousness. At this point, it is congenial to the samurai who are only engaged in war."

Secondly, Zen Buddhism "does not establish words, but communicates from heart to heart" and does not advocate worshiping Buddha statues. It advocates becoming a Buddha through simple and easy "sudden enlightenment". This also adapts to the living conditions of samurai who have a low cultural level and have no time to read scriptures and worship Buddha. Not only that, the practice of Zen is usually in the mountains and forests. Through Zen practice, you can get close to nature. Samurai grew up in the countryside, like to be close to nature, and have a simple personality. Therefore, many warriors accepted Zen Buddhism and sat in meditation to seek enlightenment.

Third, the reason why Zen can become the religion of samurai is that it meets the psychological needs of samurai. At this point, Zen Buddhism is closely related to the formation of early Bushido. In his book "Zen and Japanese Culture", Japanese scholar Suzuki Daijo made the following discussion on the relationship between Zen and Bushido: "The practice of Zen is simple, decisive, self-reliant and self-denying. This tendency of discipline is completely consistent with the spirit of the samurai.

As a samurai, He should look directly at the target in front of him, and never look around. In order to crush the enemy, he must move forward bravely, and must not have material desires, love, or any intellectual evil thoughts, because in the heart of a warrior, even a small frivolity of reason will block his progress, and lingering love and material possessiveness are even more huge obstacles when he decides to advance or retreat.A truly outstanding warrior should be a strict ascetic. And Zen gave him this iron will just when he needed it. "

Japanese philosopher Hiroshi Nagata also believes: "Zen's subjective idealism preaches that 'the heart is the Buddha', regards the intuitive and arbitrary and empty sense of truth as the supreme, and the self-denial characterized by making people's hearts like wood and stone, is indeed suitable for the psychology of the samurai class. It is no accident that many Zen influences can be found in the Bushido that began to take shape since the Kamakura period. "

The impact of Zen on Bushido

Zen had a significant impact on samurai. First of all, it helped samurai overcome the fear of death and enhance the courage to defeat the enemy. As a practical morality, the core values ​​of Bushido are loyalty and bravery. To achieve these two points, one must adhere to the practice of abstinence and asceticism, and find spiritual support for it in morality and philosophy.

Loyalty and bravery allow samurai to decide their path once they decide. After that, just move forward courageously and never retreat. Buddhist concepts also let the samurai know that there is no difference between life and death. Zen Buddhism believes that "life and death are the same" and believes that as long as you deny the self as the source of obsession, enter a state of selflessness and selflessness, and completely cut off the fetters of life and death, you can "see your nature and become a Buddha." Their courage to move forward and their spirit of seeing death as home comes naturally from their belief in Zen Buddhism's "life and death are the same".

Zen Buddhism breaks the "closed door" between life and death. Beyond death and life, the samurai practice Zen to achieve such a state: "If you can have only one thought, there will be no worries and no fear. It is like wearing heavy armor and entering the array of demon thieves. Although there are many demon thieves, they will not be harmed by the demon thieves. Regardless of the demon thieves, all the demon thieves surrendered. "

Japanese ethicist Toru Sagara believes that the Bushido of the Kamakura period was the Bushido of "death awareness". "Death without fear" became the highest spiritual state of the samurai. In the Kamakura shogunate is about to At the time of its demise, when the Rokupora shogunate army led by Hojo Nakatoki was attacked by enemy forces in Omi, with no hope of breaking out and the defeat determined, all 432 of Hojo Nakatoki's samurai committed suicide. Scholars who praised bushido in later generations called it the most glorious thing the Kamakura samurai did.

Bushido advocates martial arts, accepting death as home, and serving the master on the battlefield. This is the duty of a samurai as a warrior. Zen Buddhism does not propose ethics for samurai, but through belief in Zen Buddhism, samurai can overcome their fear of death, which is especially important for samurai who face the threat of death every day. This idea of "life and death are the same" has an immeasurable impact on the warriors who live among the arrows and stones every day.