Final trip- Zen Buddhism

I am glad that the Buddhist place was the last place we visited this J Term. It was the sacred space in which, as a class, we most fully participated in the worship service and I feel that our previous three weeks of study and cultural submersion allowed us to be open and respectful to the Zen practice. I know that the Zen meditation was hard for many people in our class but they recognized its importance and were, to the best of their ability, able to respect it. If we had gone to this place first, I don’t know if some people in the class would have been as respectful. However, there are more important reasons as to why I am glad we visited this place last.
Firstly, like I said, we fully participate in their worship service and I thought this was a fun way to end the class. I have meditated before but this was a new experience for me. It was nice having trained individuals who knew a lot about the Zen practices. Their guidance allowed me to get the most out of my time there. For example, we were instructed at one point to “let the sound of the bell enter into us” and I found that to be a moving experience. That sound similar to the striking of the leaders hand on the floor allowed me to momentarily clear my mind.
Secondly, and most importantly, the leaders explained things in a way that was very relatable to real life. Throughout this entire course I have been interested in how closely related all the religions are to each other. All of the religions we have studied present an aspect of a lifestyle rather than just a practice or dogma and I have been trying to see how I can relate parts of each religion to my life. It really impressed me when the one leader mentioned the story about his father dying. At his father’s deathbed he began saying Buddhist mantras until, without even noticing, he began saying the rosary. His dad was a devote Catholic and saying a Hail Mary for his dad was perfectly acceptable at that moment.
Hearing that story and also hearing how the people of this Zen Buddhism take their practices, especially the Koans, and incorporate them into the rest of their life was like the final piece of a puzzle I was trying to solve. After that visit and all the other visits and movies and readings and class discussions the picture was clear to me. Religion exists to help people live their lives and they are so closely related at times because as humans we naturally want certain things such as peace, love, structure in our lives and a connection to God or a higher source. I have learned so much from this course and I know that an understanding of other religions has strengthened an understanding of my own religion and how I should live my life; much like being able to understand the full mirror allows you to understand the empty mirror.