Socrates Zen-Buddhistic Meditation and Dialogue

ABSTRACT

If we study Buddhistically Greek educational thought with Dialogues of Plato, we will find that it has a same root with Zen-Buddhistic educational thought. To understand the grounds, I have studied Plato s virtue and wisdom, Socratic dialogue method and Socratic meditation habit by strictly standing, in comparison with Zen-Buddhistic educational thought.Results revealed that both of these educational thought are same in perspective on human: human is the being with transmigration of soul, who is born with virtue that induces him/her to brightness and value. Its essence is wisdom. So, these thought focus on education to promote virtue and wisdom. Also, they have another common feature in the methodology to obtain remarkable wisdom by fostering virtue. The ways are not by teacher s direct teaching like as education related knowledge/skill, but by student s indirect learning through obtaining wisdom in pursuit of virtue. The real ways are Socratic Dialogue Method and Zen-Buddhistic Dialogue. These dialogues don t intend to answer questions directly, but to guide into awareness by amplifying questions. Further, Socrates became aware of virtue and obtained high wisdom through Zen-Buddhistic Meditation, like as Zen-monk who reach excellent wisdom by sitting in Buddhist meditation.Up to this point, education to cultivate virtue has a certain unique characteristic different from education to teach knowledge/skill, and these two educational domains are unlike in paradigm. Overall, virtue can hardly be taught directly, but be indirectly acquired by pursuing spontaneously high virtue that forms worthy human.