close
This essay has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work written by professional essay writers.

An Analysis of Zen Buddhism in Kokoro, a Novel by Natsume Sōseki

downloadDownload printPrint

In the book Kokoro, Zen Buddhism helped me understand the character K in a variety of ways. K’s background is influenced by the practice because his dad is a Buddhist priest. When he gets adopted by a family of doctors he doesn’t want to study medicine, instead he wants to continue practicing Zen Buddhism to find his way to enlightenment. When he moves in with Sensei complications start to arise when he starts developing feelings for Ojosan.

K coming from a Buddhist family was a significant detail to me due to the fact that he has feelings for Ojosan. When he confessed his love for her to Sensei I realized that Buddhists couldn’t have a significant other so he couldn’t tell Ojosan how he felt. Unlike Sensei, K was a strong and bold boy since Sensei had feelings for Ojosan for a long time and never told anybody even before K moved in with them. This might be due to Sensei’s distrust in humanity that he never spoke of his feelings. When Okusan informed K that Sensei and Ojosan were going to get married I didn’t think that K would commit suicide because in the Buddhist practice suicide is looked down upon. His suicide is very similar to Sensei’s because they both wanted to escape loneliness. Unlike K’s however, Sensei’s wasn’t bloody for the sake of Shizu.

Having applied Zen Buddhism while reading Kokoro I now better understand K and his actions dealing with Ojosan. Additionally, I have learned that in Japan, at least during the time period of the book, suicide was not rare and not necessarily an act of cowardice. K went against his practice to commit suicide, but he might have been planning to abandon his way to enlightenment anyway until Sensei acted first and asked Okusan for her daughter’s hand in marriage. Using what I learned about Buddhism makes me question K’s intention before he committed suicide. I want to go back and read part three over to see if I notice hints indicating that maybe K was ready to give up his practice for his feelings or if the author wanted us to come up with our own conclusion.

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

Get custom essay

121 writers online

blank-ico

Remember: This is just a sample from a fellow student.

Your time is important. Let us write you an essay from scratch

experts 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help you just now

delivery Starting from 3 hours delivery

Find Free Essays

We provide you with original essay samples, perfect formatting and styling

Cite this Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

An Analysis of Zen Buddhism in Kokoro, a Novel by Natsume Sōseki. (2018, May 09). GradesFixer. Retrieved March 23, 2023, from https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/an-analysis-of-zen-buddhism-in-kokoro-a-novel-by-natsume-soseki/
“An Analysis of Zen Buddhism in Kokoro, a Novel by Natsume Sōseki.” GradesFixer, 09 May 2018, gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/an-analysis-of-zen-buddhism-in-kokoro-a-novel-by-natsume-soseki/
An Analysis of Zen Buddhism in Kokoro, a Novel by Natsume Sōseki. [online]. Available at: <https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/an-analysis-of-zen-buddhism-in-kokoro-a-novel-by-natsume-soseki/> [Accessed 23 Mar. 2023].
An Analysis of Zen Buddhism in Kokoro, a Novel by Natsume Sōseki [Internet]. GradesFixer. 2018 May 09 [cited 2023 Mar 23]. Available from: https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/an-analysis-of-zen-buddhism-in-kokoro-a-novel-by-natsume-soseki/
copy to clipboard
close

Where do you want us to send this sample?

    By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

    close

    Be careful. This essay is not unique

    This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

    Download this Sample

    Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

    close

    Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

    close

    Thanks!

    Please check your inbox.

    We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

    boy

    Hi there!

    Are you interested in getting a customized paper?

    Check it out!
    Don't use plagiarized sources. Get your custom essay. Get custom paper
    exit-popup-close

    We can help you get a better grade and deliver your task on time!

    • Instructions Followed To The Letter
    • Deadlines Met At Every Stage
    • Unique And Plagiarism Free
    Order your paper now