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Satori / Enlightenment
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Satori (Îò Japanese
satori; Chinese: w¨´ - from the verb, Satoru) is a
Zen Buddhist
term for
enlightenment. The word literally means "to
understand". It is sometimes loosely used interchangeably with
Kensho, but Kensho refers to the first perception of the
Buddha-Nature or True-Nature. The kensho experience may
not hold as further training is still necessary by the Monk or Lay. Satori on the other hand refers to the lasting experience. Think of when
a baby first walks, after much effort, it stands upright, find its
balance and walks a few steps, then falls (Kensho). After continued
effort the child will one day find that it is able to walk all the time
(Satori).
Once the True-Nature has been seen. it is customary to
use Satori when referring to the enlightenment of the Buddha
and the Patriarchs, as their enlightenment was permanent.
The Zen Buddhist experience commonly recognizes
enlightenment as a transitory thing in life, almost synonymous with the
English term epiphany, and Satori is the realization of a state of
epiphanic enlightenment. Because all things are transitory according to
Zen philosophy, however, the transitory nature of Satori is not regarded
as limiting in the way that a transitory epiphany would be in Western
understandings of enlightenment.
The transitory nature of Satori, as opposed to the more enduring
Nirvana that is sought in the Buddhist traditions of
India, owes much to Taoist influences on
Chan Buddhism
in China, from which
Zen Buddhism
of Japan evolved.
Taoism (Daoism)
is a mystical philosophy that emphasizes the purity of
the moment, whereas the
Hindu
roots of Indian Buddhism lend a longer view toward
escaping the Karmic prison of perpetual
reincarnation in the material world. From Taoism's attention to
the importance of the moment and Mahayana Buddhism's almost nihilistic
denial of the validity of individual existence, Zen Buddhism with its
concept of the transitory state of Satori was born. |
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