Compare And Contrast Dogen And Hakuin - 1419 Words

Marilyn Montemayor Warner Belanger GC2Y Sec 06 May 4, 2016 Final essay: Dogen and Hakuin Compare and Contrast There are multiple schools in Zen Buddhism as well as multiple masters and teachers. Dogen Kigen, master of Soto Zen (1200-1253), as well as the Japanese monk who brought Caodong school of Chan over from China to Japan and then greatly modified it based on his own insights and criticism of Buddhism in Japan. Dogen lost his parents at a young age and became ordained at thirteen, and then became student of Eisai’s disciples, Myozen (1184-1225). Another master was Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769), Ordained at fourteen and given the name Ekaku which means â€Å"Wise Crane†. Hakuin is known for revitalizing the koan practice of the Rinzai School, which focused on â€Å"observing the key word†. Dogen founded the Soto school of Buddhism in Japan, which stressed silent sitting and a gradual path to enlightenment. Hakuin was a major critic of Soto Zen and believed that it was a fixation on emptiness rather than a path to enlighte nment. However, Hakuin did agree with Soto s accessibility to the common people since it was more popular among lower class people. Both Hakuin and Dogen were important leaders and though their approaches were vastly different each made a lasting impact on Zen Buddhism in Japan. The foundation of Soto Zen began during Dogens voyage to china when he started to question the effectiveness of the Koan practice. Dogen was the first in Zen to focus on intensive

Freedom and Equality Free Essays

Although freedom and equality are values that American’s hold dear to their hearts, they are difficult to enforce to an entire nation from the perspective of the US government. Freedom was easier breaking from the colonial days to a new constitutional government, one reason was because there was less people to govern, and secondly because only first class citizens (white male) had any true freedom to do whatever they we interested in. This was the case because all men were not created equal in the eyes of the wealthy white make, obviously I am generalizing, women and African Americans had a very difficult time even asking for the right to vote in the so-called free country. We will write a custom essay sample on Freedom and Equality or any similar topic only for you Order Now This being said true equality has never been mastered by the US Government, or any other governing body for that matter. The US today is still torn over the right to marry whomever you chose. This should be a no brainer in a country that prides itself on values of freedom and equality. Throughout the history of the United States government, I believe that equality has taken strides to encompass more and more people. I believe that equality is progress, and in this case it is progressing much further than freedom has. Most recently in this last decade or so since 9/11, freedoms have been stripped from civilians in order to promote safety. Under amendments such as the Patriot Act, the Executive branch has taken certain privacy freedoms from the citizens, informing us that the reason is to protect the Land of the Free. Quite a double standard when it comes to freedom and a governing body. If the citizens were to have every freedom that they so chose, without moral consideration, than laws would not be abided and the local or National governments would not have the freedom to enforce such laws that keep society running smoothly. How to cite Freedom and Equality, Papers

Communication Skills Essay Example For Students

Communication Skills Essay Communication is one of the most important aspects in everyone’s lives. I am currently an engineering major, which means good communication skills are more than necessary in my field. While I am comfortable with most forms of communication, there are times when I struggle to express my thoughts. One form of communication, would be online communication. I am especially comfortable communicating online through social media, as well as through email. To me, communicating through the internet is easy, since I get a chance to thoroughly process my thoughts, before I type them down. It is easy for me to establish what kind of tone I should use for different types of people online. An example of this would be using emoticons and abbreviations online correspondence with friends, as opposed to writing out every word when I am corresponding professionally. Although I am most comfortable through online communication, I prefer, and am best at carrying a one-on-one conversation. I’m good at reading and expressing myself through body language. I can quickly read facial expressions, and understand how the person I’m having a conversation with is feeling. Therefore, I can easily reciprocate, and contribute to the conversation. An example of this would be the time when my grandpa was terminally, ill and my mom did not know how to break the news to me. I was able to tell how nervous she was before announcing the news, just by watching her actions. I was able to tell she had bad news, because she did not look me in the eyes and could not focus on what she was doing. As stated above, I can work with most forms of communication. However, I have yet to master the communication skills of public speaking. I struggle with this form of communication, asI have stage fright. I would rather speak to a small group of people, than to a large crowd. An example of when I had trouble with public speaking, was when I had to give a 5 minute presentation to my engineering class. I was well prepared, and I knew the information well. However, when I stood in front of my peers, I mixed up the information, and was too nervous to execute what I had prepared. Im sure I can overcome this with a few more presentations, and master public speaking. Communication skills are important. I possess the ability to converse online, in person, and in public.