SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

4 Sōtō Zeneighteenth century, science was little more than pious learning.Only after the nineteenth century did science become an independentbranch of study. Essentially, science is that field ofscholarship which carries out experiments, observes, classifiesand collects various objects to give a rational explanation ofthem. The aim of science is to systematize knowledge, removingall inconsistencies and rejecting all arbitrary interpretations.As the result of science, mankind has received greatbenefits and enjoys unlimited advantages.Oriental civilization, on the other hand, is moral andreligious in contrast to the scientific character of Western civilization.The main religions of the world originated in the Orientand its adjacent areas. Occidental culture is directed outward,Oriental culture, inward. The former tried to cultivate the wildsof nature while the latter tried to refine the untamed mindthrough mental cultivation. Indwelling life is the subject matterof Oriental culture. Life is the source for building new things inthe midst of unending motion. Religion, philosophy and, in thebroad sense, morality explain our existence and take up thequestion of understanding birth and death: the purpose of life. Inparticular, religion stems from the pressing demands of ourindwelling life and sets as its goal our living within our RealSelves. Religion is the force by which man lives. When manloses sight of his spiritual purpose, life becomes suffering andman falls into despair. The chief characteristic of Orientalculture lies in its religion which is rich in spirituality and