Zen at War (2nd Edition)
by Brian Daizen Victoria
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Book Summary Information
Author: Brian Daizen VictoriaEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-06-28
ISBN: 0742539261
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Book Reviews of Zen at War (2nd Edition)
Book Review: Zen is Not Buddhism; Buddhism is Not Zen
Summary: 4 Stars
This exhaustively researched, well-documented and courageous book is incorrectly titled; it should have been "Buddhism At War" as that is its focus. Perhaps the editors/publishers were unwilling to draw the ire of the religious community or the existence of Damieville's "Buddhism And War" required another title; perhaps "Zen At War" was just more marketable.
As Victoria's book elegantly points out, however, every sect of Buddhism in Japan was part of "Imperial Way Buddhism". Buddhism morphed at every opportunity into what the Emperor and his bureaucracy wanted. Every accommodation was made if the Buddhists could use it to their political advantage, even if it contradicted their teachings or enabled the massacre of countless non-Japanese sentient beings.
A fundamental entanglement in this book is that "Zen", which translates as "meditation", is somehow dependent on Buddhism or that the two can only exist together. Meditation existed in the country of Buddha's birth (and in other countries) millenniums before he was born. All Buddhists do not meditate and all meditators are not Buddhists.
There is little doubt, and growing scientific evidence, that meditation develops concentration, detachment, heightened awareness, focus, clarity, etc. That is why so many cultures and countries embrace it for war and martial techniques, but also enhanced performance in commerce, athletics, artistic creativity, stress relief, flower arranging, calligraphy, etc.
A leading contemporary Zen teacher, Toni Packer, once far up the American Rinzai Zen Buddhist hierarchy, abandoned Buddhism entirely, forming an iconoclastic approach, a Zen completely stripped of any Buddhist doctrine, dogma, ritual, hierarchy, titles, robes, etc. Buddhism is not necessary for Zen or for enlightenment.
This leads to the second entanglement in this book, that enlightenment is uniquely Buddhist and therefore must align with Buddhist teachings. Enlightenment, as well as available documentation can attest, has occurred in every culture, climate, religious background, century, etc. To evaluate enlightenment by whether it abides by Buddhist doctrine is backwards at best.
The real blame here is on a religion, Buddhism, which was exploited by a militarist imperialist society in manipulating and disempowering millions and enabling the most heinous crimes. Rather than criticizing just Buddhism, however, perhaps the time has come for us to reevaluate the concept of religion. The real truth is so simple; it is just to be in one's natural state. Why are these religions necessary?
Summary of Zen at War (2nd Edition)
A compelling history of the contradictory, often militaristic, role of Zen Buddhism, this book meticulously documents the close and previously unknown support of a supposedly peaceful religion for Japanese militarism throughout World War II. Drawing on the writings and speeches of leading Zen masters and scholars, Brian Victoria shows that Zen served as a powerful foundation for the fanatical and suicidal spirit displayed by the imperial Japanese military. At the same time, the author recounts the dramatic and tragic stories of the handful of Buddhist organizations and individuals that dared to oppose Japan's march to war. He follows this history up through recent apologies by several Zen sects for their support of the war and the way support for militarism was transformed into corporate Zen in postwar Japan. The second edition includes a substantive new chapter on the roots of Zen militarism and an epilogue that explores the potentially volatile mix of religion and war. With the increasing interest in Buddhism in the West, this book is as timely as it is certain to be controversial.Japan Books
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