In today's world, Kyōgai has gained great relevance in various aspects of daily life. Both on a personal and professional level, the presence of Kyōgai has become a determining factor that shapes our decisions, opinions and behaviors. With the advancement of technology and globalization, Kyōgai has managed to transcend borders and cultural barriers, becoming a topic of general interest and a meeting point for modern society. From its impact on the economy to its influence on politics and culture, Kyōgai has woven a network of connections that affects all corners of the planet. In this article, we will closely explore the fundamental role that Kyōgai plays in our daily lives and how it has managed to establish itself as a key element in the evolution of today's society.
Kyōgai | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Japanese name | |||||
Kanji | 境界 | ||||
|
Part of a series on |
Zen Buddhism |
---|
Kyōgai (Japanese: 境界) is a concept in Zen Buddhism for a person's state of mind. Kyōgai is a Japanese word and does not have a direct English translation, but it is often variously described as a person's state of being, or more specifically their "consciousness" or "behavior" or "experience". Though not an accurate defintiion, the literal translation of the word kyōgai into English is "boundary", and the origin of the word Kyōgai comes from the Pali word gocara (Pali: गोच) and the Sanskrit word Viśayā (Sanskrit: विषया), specifically in their contexts as a pasture where animals graze and the boundary of that pasture.
The kyōgai is a private experience, such that one person's kyōgai will be different from another's, and a person's kyōgai changes with time and experience. The term is also used to describe a person's behavior or attitude, for example an routine action done by a person or a person's way of doing things is described as their kyōgai.
In the Rinzai school especially, it is a person's kyōgai that is judged when being tested with kōans, as opposed to an intellectual understanding of a fixed answer to the kōan itself.
The term can also less commonly refer to a shared viewpoint, such as a Western kyōgai being used to describe the experiences and understanding of the world through the lens of a person in the Western world.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)