Zen and the Body: A Postmodern Ascetic? Bodily Awakening in the Zen Memoirs of Shozan Jack Haubner
In this article, I examine two memoirs by the American Zen Buddhist author Shozan Jack Haubner. Within the contemporary genre of American Zen autobiographical literature, Haubner’s books are special in that they explore Zen awakening as driven by the body. Penetration, pregnancy and sickness are the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/2/122 |
| _version_ | 1797396466797379584 |
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| author | Ben Van Overmeire |
| author_facet | Ben Van Overmeire |
| author_sort | Ben Van Overmeire |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this article, I examine two memoirs by the American Zen Buddhist author Shozan Jack Haubner. Within the contemporary genre of American Zen autobiographical literature, Haubner’s books are special in that they explore Zen awakening as driven by the body. Penetration, pregnancy and sickness are the main figures Haubner uses to show how his autobiographical protagonist accesses the Buddhist truth of no-self. Though these books can thus be said to map an ascetic quest for the erasure of individuality, this quest proceeds not through the imposition of will onto the body, but the body imposing its will on the self. Because this is somewhat different from how the ascetic self is usually theorized, I propose to call Haubner’s main character a “postmodern ascetic”. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:51:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9d89af09b6af45388499b076caf85938 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:51:43Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-9d89af09b6af45388499b076caf859382023-12-11T17:10:48ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442021-02-0112212210.3390/rel12020122Zen and the Body: A Postmodern Ascetic? Bodily Awakening in the Zen Memoirs of Shozan Jack HaubnerBen Van Overmeire0Division of Arts and Humanities, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan 215316, ChinaIn this article, I examine two memoirs by the American Zen Buddhist author Shozan Jack Haubner. Within the contemporary genre of American Zen autobiographical literature, Haubner’s books are special in that they explore Zen awakening as driven by the body. Penetration, pregnancy and sickness are the main figures Haubner uses to show how his autobiographical protagonist accesses the Buddhist truth of no-self. Though these books can thus be said to map an ascetic quest for the erasure of individuality, this quest proceeds not through the imposition of will onto the body, but the body imposing its will on the self. Because this is somewhat different from how the ascetic self is usually theorized, I propose to call Haubner’s main character a “postmodern ascetic”.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/2/122Zen Buddhismautobiographybodyqueer studiesasceticismCharles Taylor |
| spellingShingle | Ben Van Overmeire Zen and the Body: A Postmodern Ascetic? Bodily Awakening in the Zen Memoirs of Shozan Jack Haubner Religions Zen Buddhism autobiography body queer studies asceticism Charles Taylor |
| title | Zen and the Body: A Postmodern Ascetic? Bodily Awakening in the Zen Memoirs of Shozan Jack Haubner |
| title_full | Zen and the Body: A Postmodern Ascetic? Bodily Awakening in the Zen Memoirs of Shozan Jack Haubner |
| title_fullStr | Zen and the Body: A Postmodern Ascetic? Bodily Awakening in the Zen Memoirs of Shozan Jack Haubner |
| title_full_unstemmed | Zen and the Body: A Postmodern Ascetic? Bodily Awakening in the Zen Memoirs of Shozan Jack Haubner |
| title_short | Zen and the Body: A Postmodern Ascetic? Bodily Awakening in the Zen Memoirs of Shozan Jack Haubner |
| title_sort | zen and the body a postmodern ascetic bodily awakening in the zen memoirs of shozan jack haubner |
| topic | Zen Buddhism autobiography body queer studies asceticism Charles Taylor |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/2/122 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT benvanovermeire zenandthebodyapostmodernasceticbodilyawakeninginthezenmemoirsofshozanjackhaubner |