First, take off the blinders

The West knows a lot of historical facts about Buddhism but, for the most part, seems to understand little.  It is the same with Zen Buddhism.  The problem is not corrected by studying in China, Japan, or even South Korea.  The crux of the matter is that unlike the Chinese, the West has little or no sense of the mystical nor even a willingness to correct the problem.  We should not forget that at the time Buddhism entered China’s borders, China already had a highly developed indigenous religious culture which was mystical in orientation.  

The U.S. has no such longstanding developed religious culture like China’s.  The same goes for Europe.  In this regard, the West has an occluded third eye when it comes to the mystical.  This is apparent when we look in the West for a first-person science that involves introspection as a means to uncovering ultimate reality.  There is none.  There is certainly nothing approaching China’s Taoism.  

The cultural blinders that the West was wearing when Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism crossed the Pacific only allowed it to see Protestantism, secularism, and scientific materialism.  But more, Western culture was also in the process of slowly disintegrating after a half century of brutal wars followed by an extended Cold War.  Unbeknownst to the West, it was slowly moving towards meaninglessness in which the meaning of life is lost, but camouflaged as progress.  Given the cultural blinders and the angst some in the West  sensed, Zen Buddhism seemed capable of offering something new—maybe a way to deal with meaninglessness. 

Still, we are not like the Chinese when Buddhism first crossed its borders.  The West’s problems are much different.  For one thing we in the West are faithless and overly skeptical of religion in general. Adding to the difficulty, the West has put all of its faith in science which is a case of the blind leading the blind, fully convinced they are sighted!  The West even has its science gods like Einstein who doesn’t compare with Lao Tzu or the Buddha.  

Neither science nor materialism can give us refuge from the constant threat of living meaningless and empty lives.  Nor can science or materialism lives annul the fear of death.  Something much more is required.  Buddhism and especially Zen Buddhism when it came to the West offered a means and still does.  But it cannot be implemented as long as we want to wear our cultural blinders which won’t allow for the mystical by which we explore the depths of our being for our true nature.

Comments

[Tobold Hornblower]

Thanks Methexis for that insightful post.

During my short visit to China I got the impression that the Chinese were taking Western materialism to a new level. The construction of shoddy buildings,roads, and smog which blocks out sun on most days are the products of "progress." The Communist gov. had constructed numerous temples, but the people (and monks) seemed concerned only with material success; luxury cars were common donations to the sangha.

It's a good thing some authors in the West, like the Zennist and Charles Luk, have captured the essence of what made Chinese Buddhism so grand and planted seeds for future scholars and practitioners to work from. I am thus quite confident that the tradition of esoteric Buddhism will continue to flourish like a lotus (tathagatagarbha) which emerges from the mud (of the skandhas)without stain.

[Methexis]

"The crux of the matter is that unlike the Chinese, the West has little or no sense of the mystical nor even a willingness to correct the problem."

21st century Chinese are more materialist than the average Californian. Recent polls have shown that China has the highest percentage of people who define their worth by the things they own:

"71 percent of Chinese said they gauge their success by the things they own significantly higher than any other nation in the world, a new survey found."

This is what communism does to a nation. It completely obliterates the culture and its spiritual core. Ex-communist countries are the worst and most brutally capitalist today, Russia, China, etc. This is what "Cultural Revolution" will do to a nation.

"The U.S. has no such longstanding developed religious culture like China’s. The same goes for Europe."

It's surprising that you would say that, because you're widely read in Western philosophy. What about the Eleusinian Mysteries?

"the Athenians, while initiating people into the Eleusinian rites, likewise display to those who are being admitted to the highest grade at these mysteries, the mighty, and marvellous, and most perfect secret suitable for one initiated into the highest mystic truths: an ear of corn in silence reaped."

It's clear from the writings of Heraclitus and Parmenides and later Plotinus that the West had a profound mystical tradition.

I will agree though, that the Greek stuff ultimately doesn't compare with the Zhuangzi. It's the single best book I've ever read, by far. Can't believe I haven't studied it earlier! There's nothing like it.

May I recommend the new translation by Brook Ziporyn. Ziproyn is the foremost living philosopher focusing on Asian thought if you ask me, and his translations are top notch.

This edition contains commentaries at the end, by the most important Chinese commentators (like Guo Xiang).