A report on "The Gateless Gate" answering 8 provided promps. (Book Report Sample)

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Due Date Issues of Religiosity According to The Gateless Gate The role of an individual, as outlined in the text, The Gateless Gate, is to seek enlightenment and free self from suffering. Seeking enlightenment is the heart of Zen. In Case 1, it is evident that one “must pass through the barriers (gates) set up by the Zen masters” (4). Passing through such barriers requires focused hours of meditation. One of the barriers one should pursue is “Mu,” a sole wall in pursuit of Zen. Individuals who successfully go through this barrier have a first-hand encounter with Joshu’s face. After breaking the wall, one spontaneously merges one’s internality and externality. It is through the pouring of the entire energy without giving up that a torch of truth illuminates the universe, giving a sense of knowledge and wisdom. The koans are also impactful in this realization, although their relevance depends on the interaction between students and their masters. A koan, therefore, shifts an individual from un-enlightenment to enlightenment. In Zen Buddhism, the community/sangha is one of the three treasures. The role of the sangha is to convey Buddhist traditions. According to The Gateless Gate, meditation and mindfulness are critical components of Buddhism. As evidenced in Case 1, meditation is the pathway to seeking enlightenment. Regardless of whether individuals are enlightened, it is apparent that they are obliged to uphold ethical standards of excellent conduct. Case 2, through the narrative of Hyakujo, illustrates what happens if individuals engage in unethical misconduct, which makes them fall under the law of karma. Altogether, subject to the cause and effect and free from it are viable possibilities and, at the same time, irredeemable errors. Besides conveying traditions, the sangha also embraces positive peer pressure. The koans, which involve interaction between two people, are perfect examples of how positive peer pressure is yielded. The realization of the ultimate truth starts with eliminating the shroud resulting from afflictive mental states. Such processes require uprooting “all the normal workings of one's mind” (Case 1 p.4). Uprooting normal mental functioning helps break the barriers to enlightenment. However, removing cognitive veils is among the most sophisticated endeavor. Regardless of the complexity, removing the mental and cognitive shrouds is central to realizing the ultimate truth. When one suppresses the mental veil, one must recognize the mind. After the realization, it is not necessarily essential to be mindful of the body (Case 9). Praise is meaningless if there is a complete union of the mind and body and characterizes a sage's life. The partnership also aligns with the merging of internality and externality, as argued in Case 1. In the same vein of seeking ultimate truth and its realization, spiritual cultivation and awakening, which is the pinnacle of human capacity, is achieved through meditation. The mind plays a significant role among individuals affiliating with Zen Buddhism. The mind is impactful among those intending to master Zen since it is the ultimate hub of processing stimuli and conceptualizing reality. Thus, it helps to master sound and colors and appreciate objects (Case 16). Happiness is guaranteed if the mind is not crowded (Case 19). The absence of a crowded mind is the basis of Fukestu’s quick responses to external stimuli on the road. In contrast, the conception of no mind is problematic as individuals can hardly conceptualize reality. In koan, Rational thought is vital. A Zen master guides students in thinking outside the mental loop to realize their Buddha nature, focusing on perfecting personhood. During the teaching, a Zen master helps the student reconcile rational and irrational thinking. The reconciliation is through the body-mind condition, achieved through lotus and semi-lotus postures. Language in koan is essential for instruction and learning. A master-disciple relationship in Zen Buddhism is encouraged, precisely in different koans. Both the master and the disciple benefits from the relationship. The disciple learns from the master’s experiences, while the master learns through questi...