Ritual and its functions in Zen Buddhism: cases of convergence between Zen ritualistic practice and the West

casos de convergência entre a prática ritualística Zen e o Ocidente

Authors

  • Mariana de Campos Bardelli Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência da Religião da PUC-SP

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22478/ufpb.1982-6605.2025v22n1.74100

Abstract

This article will cover the functions of ritual in Zen-Buddhism. As for the methodology, first, we will make a historical contextualization of the understanding of ritual in Zen, which predominated until the 2000s. We will see that new studies carried out since then have begun to reveal Zen as a tradition in which ritual has great importance. Next, we will approach the functions of the ritual seeking to compare different studies carried out in Zen groups from different locations. As a theoretical axis, we will present a division into three categories that bring together the functions of the Zen ritual studied here. This will allow us to discuss the category of “modern Buddhism” used by contemporary scholars to define Buddhism that opposes its traditional forms. We will see that, unlike what modernist rhetoric intended to institute, there are cases of continuity in the traditional interpretation of Zen practice from East to West.

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Published

2025-08-02

How to Cite

DE CAMPOS BARDELLI, Mariana. Ritual and its functions in Zen Buddhism: cases of convergence between Zen ritualistic practice and the West: casos de convergência entre a prática ritualística Zen e o Ocidente. Religare, [S. l.], v. 22, n. 1, 2025. DOI: 10.22478/ufpb.1982-6605.2025v22n1.74100. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufpb.br/index.php/religare/article/view/74100. Acesso em: 16 aug. 2026.