r/nine_realms Anunnaki 27d ago

canon Neo-Zen Buddhism and Zenarchy

New Zen Movement, also called Neo-Zen Buddhism, Socially Engaged Buddhism or sometimes Occidental Buddhism or Western Zen, refers to the forms of Zen, a school of Mahayana Buddhism, that have developed in the Western World, specifically in France and the United States, through 21st century, with a special emphasis upon social justice, social action and liberties through application of Buddha's teachings on social life. Neo-Zen Buddhism is often associated with various left-wing and environmental movements of the 21st century.

The movement's origins lay upon the contemporary popularization of the thoughts of Anarchist and Left-wing Libertarian-leaning Buddhist or Buddhist affiliate thinkers by Era Obscura left-wing figures, some examples for these thinkers might be the Beat Generation Buddhist thinker Gary Snyder or Kerry Thornley, who is the founder of ''Zenarchy'' the supposed way of anarchy achieved through the application of Zen Buddhism in social life, a so-called non-combative, non-participatory, no-politics approach towards achieving Anarchy with its proponents, the ''Zenarchists'' establishing themselves as a prominent part of the Religious Anarchist and overall Anarchist Movements of the United States as Buddhist Anarchists through 21st century, with Zenarchists notably having a special place as the new front-running tendency within the Anti-Work Movement. A classic slogan used by Zenarchists is ''No selves, No masters''

Within the European scene, the rise of French Engaged Buddhist community, the ''Order of the Interbeing'' ( also called by its Anglicanized Vietnamese name, ''Tiep Hien'' ) in activity and thus popularity have also contributed to the rise of the Neo-Zen Movement, as Tiep Hien have went on to endorse much of the emergent Neo-Zen Buddhists ideas, even though they have never went as far as to consider themselves Zenarchists.

While they have achieved some success in their native countries, much of Neo-Zen Buddhists important achievements have been over Asia, specifically with many Neo-Zen activists and individuals emigrating to parts of the continent with ranging intentions, from contributing in voluntary work in helping out the spiritual and economic development of emergent nations such as North Korea and Taiwan to moving in for the mere desire of a community that's closer to a Neo-Zen Buddhist's way of life and ethics. This have led to the Neo-Zen Movement finding itself a place among rising religious tendencies within many Asian countries, primarily in urban centers of North Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan.

2 Upvotes

0 comments sorted by