Archiv für Begriffsgeschichte
April 9, 2026
Bret W. Davis
This article examines how the Zen Buddhist tradition has conceived of the relation between intellectual knowledge and holistic wisdom. It begins with some reflections on Aristotle and the history of Western philosophy in order to pose the metaphilosophical question of whether, in modern times, philo-sophia has become more narrowly philo-epistēmē. With this critical question in mind, and in...
Zen Pathways
February 10, 2022
Bret W. Davis
Abstract This chapter explains the importance of meditation for Zen in terms of what the Buddhist tradition calls the three levels of wisdom: received, intellectual, and experiential wisdom. As important as memorizing teachings and intellectually reflecting on them are, liberating wisdom can only be obtained experientially through holistic practice. Zen meditation is a non-discursive practice...
Zen Pathways
February 10, 2022
Bret W. Davis
Abstract This chapter provides instructions for practicing Zen meditation, zazen. It explains how to attend to place, body, breath, and mind. First, it explains how to set up a good space for meditation, and it discusses when, how often, and for how long one should meditate. Next, it explains in detail how the body should be positioned, either on a chair, in a cross-legged (Burmese, half-lotus,...
Zen Pathways
February 10, 2022
Bret W. Davis
Abstract This chapter explains why Zen cannot be sufficiently understood in terms of “mysticism,” if one means by mystical experience a transcendent or otherworldly experience that transports one beyond the mundane world. The path of Zen leads, rather, to a wholehearted and fully mindful engagement in the ordinary activities of everyday life. Zen master Zhaozhou says that “Everyday Even Mind is...
Zen Pathways
February 10, 2022
Bret W. Davis
Abstract: This chapter connects Zen’s teaching of wholehearted engagement in the duties of everyday life with the modern movement of Engaged Buddhism. It explains how Mahayana Buddhism stresses the spiritual significance of everyday life in the midst of society. This is exemplified in the Vimalakirti Sutra and also in the lessons that Zen master Dōgen received from two monastery cooks who were...
Zen Pathways
January 20, 2022
Bret W. Davis
This chapter introduces Zen as an “investigation into the self.” It relates this to the emphasis on self-understanding and self-realization in other philosophical and religious traditions, especially to Socrates’s understanding of the maxim “Know thyself.” It explains why meditation is central to Zen’s method of investigating the self, and specifically how Zen meditation alleviates the...
January 20, 2022
Bret W. Davis
This book offers an in-depth introduction to the philosophy and practice of Zen Buddhism. The author is a philosophy professor who formally practiced Zen in Japan for more than a dozen years and is authorized to teach Zen. During his years studying and teaching philosophy in universities in Japan, he worked closely with the leading contemporary representatives of the Kyoto School. The book...
January 19, 2022
Bret W. Davis
Abstract This chapter explains the differences between the meditation methods of the Sōtō and Rinzai schools of Zen. It begins by tracing the methodological disputes between these two schools back to the twelfth century, when the Linji (Japanese: Rinzai) master Dahui, who advocated the use of kōans, criticized the “silent illumination” taught by Caodong (Japanese: Sōtō) masters such as Hongzhi....