Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

The watermill and the water buffalo: Monastic thoughts on distraction and mind

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This Dialogue thinks about how the late antique Christian monk John Cassian and the medieval Zen teacher Dōgen described religious concentration, exploring both why mental focus is so important and what happens when distraction wins the day.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)167-184
Number of pages18
JournalPostmedieval
Volume17
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2026

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Cultural Studies
  • History
  • Philosophy
  • Literature and Literary Theory

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The watermill and the water buffalo: Monastic thoughts on distraction and mind'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this