The Japanese Culture. China civilization. History Assignment

The Japanese Culture
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The Japanese culture is wide and complicated due to the number of changes it has experienced over the millennia. From the prehistoric Jōmon period, the country has acquired Asia, Europe, and North America influences in developing their modern contemporary culture. The uniqueness of the culture has seen it become relevant in today’s mainstream forms of entertainment and products around the globe. Their attention to detail and aesthetics resonates in their culture from the food, dressing, religion and their social beliefs make studying the culture interesting and fun. The more studies and readings I have come across in the thirteen weeks, the more respect I have acquired for the Japanese culture and history. For this assignment, I have used four resources: The Medieval Origins of the Eta-Hinin by Nagahara Keiji 1979, The Experience of Buddhism: Sources and Interpretations by John S. Strong, 1995, The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzō, 1906, and pink globalization by Christine Reiko Yano, 2013. This essay uses the sources to discuss the Japanese view of death, Buddhist religion, Chinas influence and portrayal of women respectively.
“The belief that death is polluting was rooted in Japan's primitive religion, which was widely practiced before Japan began to import Chinese culture.” CITATION Nag79 \l 1033 (Keiji, 1979) As a result, the eta-hinin, a group of people bottom of the traditional Japanese social order became the recipient of severe discrimination and ostracism. This stigma stemmed from their occupations such as undertakers, butchers, and executioners which the Japanese at the time considered covered by death. Today, the group is known as burakumin after the abolition of the eta-hinin status and makeup approximately two million of Japan’s population. However, this has not stopped the persistent discrimination against the group and it affects their employment and marriage prospects. Many interventions to abolish the discrimination have been madesuch as the Zenkoku Suiheishal movement of the 1920s and the buraku kaih5 undo also known as the movement to "free" the buraku since 1946. CITATION Nag79 \l 1033 (Keiji, 1979) To understand more, one needs to delve deeper into the root cause of this discrimination. The Japanese view of death was that it was pollution to the living and that people should keep their distance from it or anybody associated with it. One of the common practices was removing family members and individuals on the brink of death from the house otherwise death will pollute the house and affect the living days to come. Such notions can be seen in Kasuga gongen kenkie, paintings are done in 1309. By the 11th century, the practice was widely practiced and anyone with a connection to death was shunned from their families and community. Buddhism beliefs can be attributed as the main instigator to the discrimination of the eta-hinin people. Coupled with the fact they were placed at the bottom of social order, they had no choice but to do the jobs no one wanted to do which only intensified their oppression and separation from society.
“To practice meditation, you must pass through the barriers of the masters: Subtle realization requires that you must stop the wandering of your discursive thoughts. If you do not pass the barrier, if you do not stop the wandering, then you are a ghost flitting among the weeds.” CITATION Joh95 \l 1033 (strong, 1995) The importance of meditation is well documented and attributed as the hallmark of Zen Buddhism. One of the images associated with meditation is the stoic monk sitting full lotus on a tatami mat which has been popularized through mainstream references in movies and documentaries. Another feature of Zen Buddhism is the koan (Chinese: kung-an), which contains documentation of sayings and actions of previous Zen masters. It is therefore used as a learning and reference tool for students as they try to understand the Buddhist concepts to achieve realization. To determine if students have achieved full realization or awakening (satori), the masters conduct personal interviews with the students. The study of koans, therefore, needs to be treated as a form of concentration and not a conundrum one needs to solve. This is because concentration brings fort commitment and the study of Zen has to be true commitment. The study of Zen offers a social perspective as to how individuals should approach life in general. The process of becoming an arhat is tough, disheartening and even the achievements are not enough. Students that are content with small achievements never advance past the stage of sravakas (disciples) CITATION Joh95 \l 1033 (strong, 1995). Practice and commitment are key and meditation helps because true commit...