Zen: Understanding the Practice

What is the main goal of Zen practice?

• To achieve enlightenment

• To clear the heart and mind

• To learn about Zen history

• To become a Zen master

What does it mean to have a beginner's mind in Zen?

• To have an open mind

• To be a know-it-all

• To be a Zen master

• To have preconceptions about Zen

What problem does Zen bring attention to?

• Lack of historical accuracy in Zen texts

• Loss of the beginner's mind

• Cultural appropriation of Zen

• Inability to learn anything

What is the aim of the critical debunking of Zen in Western academia?

• To preserve the spiritual and romantic image of Zen

• To expose the biases of Asian and Western authors

• To promote the traditional self-conceptions of Zen

• To encourage the study of Zen as academic history

How should Zen teachings be approached in the modern Western world?

• By detaching from present circumstances

• By studying the history of Zen beliefs and practices

• By relating them to our real lives

• By preserving them as relics in a museum

Who can practice Zen meditation?

• Only Buddhists

• Only religious individuals

• Only spiritual but not religious individuals

• People of all religious and secular worldviews

According to Stephen Batchelor, what is the core of Buddhism?

• Religious beliefs and rituals

• Traditional teachings and practices

• Spiritual path without religious traps

• Becoming better Christians

What did Yamada Kōun want his Christian students to achieve through Zen practice?

• To become better Christians

• To become Buddhists

• To cease being Christians

• To practice Zen without any religious beliefs

What is the main purpose of Zen kōans?

• To test a student's awakening

• To provide historical narratives

• To trigger a student's enlightenment

• To teach about Zen history

How should Zen teachings be applied to our lives?

• By studying the history of Zen masters

• By questioning our presuppositions

• By detaching from our present circumstances

• By focusing on the religious aspects of Zen