Asian Philosophy Final Exam

Explain how Jon Kabat-Zinn uses Buddhist practice, especially mindfulness, to combat suffering

• begginer’s Mind

• Non-juding + grattiutude

• The Middle Way

• Letting Go

• Acceptance

• Non-Striving

• Non-dual awareness

• four nobel, truths and eightfild path

• needing a teacjer

• Bodhisattva Vow

• Buddha Nature

Begginer’s Mind

• We tend to bring ideas, attitudes and desires to every moment despite them being something new we have yet to experience

• The mind of expertise leaves room for few possibilities

• Stuck in ideas of how much we like or dislike something, what the outcome of a situation might be,

• Instead we must see things as if for the first time by letting go of assumptions, embracing curiosity, and focusing on the present rather than on future worries or past regrets

Non-Judging + Graditude

• We usually judge things in terms of what we like and dislike or want or don't want or what's bad or good

• Rather than having no judgements, non judging means to be aware of when we're being judgmental we are and not judge the judging

• This helps us notice when are judging is black of white, which is imprisoning because we see things as more negative than they really are

• Over time we will naturally start judging things as black and white less because we notice ourselves doing it. This is taking the middle path.

• We don't need criticize ourselves for having the judgement and force ourselves to see it differently right away, but just open our mind to other possibilities

• Opening our minds to other possibilities allows us to be grateful for the positive things that we might not otherwise notice

Middle Way

Letting Go

• Not clinging to what we want and allowing things to be as they are

• When you are trapped by your desire to the point where it becomes painful, let it go, so that you can receive new good things into your life

Acceptance

• Recognize that things are the way they are, even if they aren't how we want them to be

• This way we don't force things to be how they aren't

• Seems like this would allow you look for what is actually in your control to change rather being upset about what you can’t change

Non-Striving

Give yourself time away from your daily agenda to just do nothing, not be working to achieve some special state of relaxation or well-being or some better place in the future, simply exist and let things be as they are

Non Dual Awareness

Four Nobkle Truths + Eightforld Path

Needing a Teacher

Bodhisattva Vow

• A commitment to achieve enlightenment not just for oneself, but to liberate all sentient beings from suffering

• dedicating one's life helping others out of compassion, even if it means postponing one's own enlightenment

Buddha Nature

How does Jon Kabat-Zinn transform Buddhist teachings to meet the needs of modern individuals? (Upaya)

Explain how Thich Nhat Hahn uses Buddhist practice, especially mindfulness, to combat suffering