Ethics of Japanese Buddhism, Shintoism, and Confusion Philosophy

Zen Buddhism in particular has become a method of training in perfection, a method of concentration and self-control, a training in efficiency, in aesthetic appreciations, and in creativity. Outside Japan, it is rare to find techniques of mysticism practiced by many without the reward of a religious mystic experience; yet, here in Japan, it is practiced by policemen and soldiers, sportsmen, artists, and businessmen as a superior way of reaching perfection in their chosen way of life. Ancient Buddhism resembles positively in its attempt to shift the center from the worship of God to the service of man. Bushido related to Zen refers not only to martial rectitude, but to personal rectitude: Rectitude or justice is the strongest virtue of Bushido. A well-known samurai defines it this way: “Rectitude is one’s power to decide upon a course of conduct in accordance with reason, without wavering; to die when to die is right, to strike when to strike is right.” Bushido teaches that men should behave according to an absolute moral standard, one that transcends logic. This chapter analyzes the development of Zen and Bushido, and how they shaped the modern Japanese characters, which have strong connections to the Japanese management ethics.