![]() ![]() Taitetsu Unno: In the Shin Buddhist tradition, as we listen to the teaching we are made to realize that we can never surrender ourselves. Tricycle: But how can we learn to surrender the ego-self voluntarily? ![]() The core of faith is surrender, the giving up of the small-minded ego-self. For example, recently I read an article in which an American Zen Buddhist described visiting Japan, and I realized that American Buddhism is “psychotherapeutic” Buddhism, whereas in Japan, Buddhism is “faith” Buddhism. I find the same problem in American Buddhism. ![]() That’s very hard for people to understand. In this country, martial arts are described as “self-defense.” In the martial arts in East Asia, the aim is to train oneself to such an extent that there is no “self” to defend. Here there is a cultural difference-I can use the example of the martial arts. In Buddhism, surrender is at the core of giving up the ego-self but we don’t use a special term for it, because the whole thrust of Buddhist life revolves around surrender, giving up the ego. Taitetsu Unno: In the first place, surrender is a Western religious category. Tricycle: Can you talk a little bit about how you understand surrender in Buddhist practice? ![]()
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