The Truth About Why Samurai were Fond of Zen

If there is one thing that all Japanese traditional cultures with the word 道 Dō in them have in common, it is 禅 Zen. Zen has been practiced by Japanese samurai since ancient times and has been passed down to this day. If you are a practitioner of a Dō art, you have probably felt its depth before.

Why did samurai favor zen so much?

So today, I will explain what zen is in the first place, as well as its characteristics compared to other religions, and how it spread throughout Japan. I will then explain the three reasons why the samurai actively practiced zen.

By watching this video, not only will you gain a deeper understanding of the culture and history of zen and Japanese religion, but you will also learn more about the way of the samurai. I am sure that after watching this video, you’ll want to start training zen yourself.

●Why Were Other Buddhist Sects Suppressed by Samurai Leaders?

[Time codes]
0:00 Let's START!
1:40 What is Zen?
6:06 Why Samurai Favored Zen
8:05 Today's Conclusion

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▼Related videos in this channel▼
-How Japanese People Came to Hate Religions
-How Samurai Trained Physically & Mentally Through Katana Training and Zen Meditation
-Inside a Kyoto-style Ryokan with a Private ZEN Garden

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●Why Were Other Buddhist Sects Suppressed by Samurai Leaders?

▼Who is Shogo? What is this channel about?▼

▼Related videos in this channel▼
-How Japanese People Came to Hate Religions
-How Samurai Trained Physically & Mentally Through Katana Training and Zen Meditation
-Inside a Kyoto-style Ryokan with a Private ZEN Garden

▼MY DREAM▼

“To make every Japan lovers’ dream come true, by making Japan a more secure, comfortable, and safer place for everyone to visit, study, and live in”

I will be using the profit I gain from this channel at restaurants, hotels, and cultural facilities in Kyoto to introduce them. The more you watch the videos on this channel, Kyoto and Japan will become a more exciting place, and you can support your own and others’ dreams in the future even more.

▼Join our Membership▼

●Membership benefits
-Limited behind-the-scene videos
-Weekly Zoom call or live stream
-Priority reply to comments

Every single yen we earn from this membership, we will be donating to groups of people who are fighting to solve social problems in Japan, the Japanese schools where foreign students can study, or use it to spread the works of people working with traditional culture in Japan to preserve the arts they are doing.

▼[Sub-channel] “Shogo’s Podcast”▼
Please subscribe!!

The perfect channel to learn about Japanese culture and history in your spare time, during your walk to school or work, and when you are cooking or doing house chores.

Not only will I be covering the topics in this main channel, but also some topics that you will only be able to enjoy in the sub-channel, like answering questions I receive, and my opinions towards some of the comments.

▼[Listen to the real voices of the Japanese] "Voices from Japan series"▼

▼[Places recommended to visit in Kyoto] "Kyoto Hidden Gems" series▼

▼Instagram▼
*Please ask me questions through the DM here!（⚠️I do not use e-mail）

[phdossantos]

As a zazen and aikido practicioner I have to say, this is by far one of the best explanations of zen available in youtube. Thank you so much. Gasho.

[TheoRae]

Less than 50k away from your goal, Shogo! And we're not even halfway through 2022. I'm so excited for you.

I can see how Zen could be a tool for coping with conditions like chronic anxiety (which is something I have) or dealing with stress and major life changes.

[ramblers]

When I first asked about Zen, and why I ultimately came to enjoy it myself, is how simple and elegant it is. It is not dismissive, it is practical, and whenever I asked about it I was just told there is not much else you can get from it unless you practice. Even if you are not about the spiritual aspects, it is a very calming element of your life once you start doing it. You gain a greater appreciation for all the little things in life.

[ladyscarfaceangel]

Thank you for this insight. I've been practicing Zen Buddisim for a few years now. I just started taking iaido classes a few weeks ago. I'm interested in improving my body mechanics & engaging my core. Trying to learn to engage our core muscles is so difficult. Sometimes frustrating when muscle memory kicks back in & I revert back to poor body mechanics. Drives me insane but zen helps me breathe through it & just accept that I'm learning a new habit. It will take time to break old habits & form new ones.

[ranekeisenkralle]

Not to disagree with you, Shogo, but I can think of another possible argument for the adoption of Zen: To create a feeling of inner balance within themselves - a counterpoint to the violence seen on the battlefield if you will, or in modern times a counterpoint to the stress of everyday life.

[madbuzz]

From my own (humble)experience I see a connection between the 'no-mind' concepts within the Zen teachings and in-the-moment activities, such as swordsmanship and archery. For me this translates very well to playing improvisational music also. The mind must be free to act and react instantaneously, this can be achieved by practicing continuously until all techniques and forms are completely internalised, then... we let the mind go free and unfettered... for me this is Zen.

[jayphillips]

Thank you so much for your wonderful videos. You are an amazing ambassador for Japanese culture. I love Japan, and you've only deepened my regard.

[sevenproxies]

Every culture has it's social problems.

Loving a culture, to me, is more about an appreciation of it's distinctness and uniqueness. A love of a culture does not condone or excuse it's contemporary social problems.

Instead, appreciation of the culture and a keen interest in it, will serve a person to gain a deeper understanding of it, and can be the sharpest tool for inventing solutions to it's social problems.

Like with a parent and a child. Parents (usually) love their children. And so they have the best circumstances to understand their children, and with the right motivation they'll be able to help their children when they see that their children have problems that needs to be solved.

[fridaywithmateobonus]

In my own situation, Zazen was like a medicine to calm the mind after 18 years of service to the US Marine Corps ... it gave me the power to calm my mind through the concept of empty mind ... easy to say, but difficult to do ... but through practice, it becomes a lifelong skill

[zenwisdom]

The other reason why warriors liked Zen might be that Zen by its nature is minimalist and that suited perfectly with the warriors because they spent most of their lives in battlefields or training so, accumulating materials would've simply been a distraction. Great video :) thank you

[SamyOnAir]

Another important aspect of Zen practice next to what has been said is: Being of help to others, guiding all beings on their way to realize their true nature.
This is due to the fact that Zen is Mahayana Buddhism

[Lori_P]

Thank you for explaining this concept in depth. Zen is one of those things you always hear about, but never really know the nuances of without taking a deep dive into it. It reminds me of Mindfulness: a sort of mental health thing that has helped me out immensely.

[joeyr]

As a martial artist and a manager myself, these are the exact reasons why I highly enjoy practicing zazen. Great video!

[raphaelcarvalhobezerra]

Namu Shakamuni Butsu! Proud Soto Zen from Brazil, here! Gasshō!

[MrMikkyn]

I’m not a big fan of Western Buddhism or the way McMindfulness is promoted and exported to the West. But there is something deeply contemplative, spiritual and transcendental about Zen. It is religious philosophy, but employed in a way without focusing on a missionary approach. I have a respect for the elitist and aristocratic dimension in Zen, the reverence for tradition and the the emphasis of having connection to nature not through attaching itself to countercultural lifestyles, but through an organic sense of nonduality, uninfluenced by rigid ideology and dogma, yet mentally disciplined in order to free the mind from attachments, and ultimately from itself. The Taoist dimension of Zen is something inexplicable. Beautiful. The Way that can be named is not the eternal Way.

[Anthropomorphic]

Hmmm... I think I've read that some modern militaries incorporate some Zen-inspired techniques into their training, for some of the reasons you've cited here. It's also argued, on a darker note, that Zen's deconstructive approach to the individual self can be used to make soldiers more obedient and more willing to kill.

[harishankar]

Iam from Tamilnadu...the birth place of founder of zen Buddhism Thank you a lot our Japanese brothers and sisters for protecting and practising zen teachings which our people forget to protect.... Thank you ✌🏻✨

[jlastre]

Many decades ago when I was a student in my Jesuit prep school in the late 70s I took a comparative religions class. Zen stood out as unique in its adoption by Samurais. I remember there was speculation in the text we used as to the reason for this appeal to a martial/military discipline.

[musamusashi]

In my late teens and early twenties i had the opportuniting to practice Kyudo in a Japanese cultural center in Rome, Italy. The 3 or more hours weekly session would include at least 1 hour of Zazen both seated and standing. Although i am not a Buddhist and i cannot say to have kept that formal practice over the years, i feel that it has been absorbed somehow and definitely gave me a lot in all aspects of life.