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If I were asked who my favourite Western Zen philosopher was, without any hesitation, I would declare it to be Henry David Thoreau. Although he knew in translation the religious writings of the Hindus, it may be unlikely that Henry David Thoreau ever studied the t ....

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.... presence of Zen Buddhism within the teachings of Thoreau's Walden? In accordance with the history of literature, one might say "Why not?"; in accordance with Walden's content, I would say, "I couldn't see it being any other way." What is Zen Buddhism anyway? In the book Zen Buddhism, D.T. Suzuki says that "Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being, and it points the way from bondage into freedom" (3). In the theory of Zen, our bodies contain a spiritual form of energy. When this energy is consciously tapped, we will be aware of all the underlying impulses and desires of our heart. This "freedom" will cause ....