In this thesis, I explore how Zen can provide practices that help remedy the environmental problems that may arise from how the environment is viewed. I argue that two ingredients should be part of a good strategy to change how one views the environment. Firstly, a good strategy should not be in conflict with the worldview one holds. Secondly, a good strategy should be practical and attractive to follow. With the help of a detailed example from fishing, I show that engaging in Zen provides these two ingredients. I show that it is attractive to incorporate an awareness of the interconnected and impermanent nature of existence and engage in a meditative state when performing tasks because it will both enhance performance and increase mental health. I also argue that there does not need to be a conflict between the worldview one holds and engaging in the proposed Zen practices. The practices Zen provides do not need to be seen as specific to Zen, and the benefits they provide have support in neuroscience. Because Zen provides practices that nurture a greater awareness of how things are interconnected and impermanent, one will gain a better understanding of things in the environment, which will be helpful in remedying the environmental problems that are facing us. I show that through meditation, one will also be able to see things more clearly, perform better, and increase mental health. Because of meditation’s health benefits that help you control the triggering of punishment and reward modules, it will also be easier to make the hard decisions to help the environment because one has the tools to handle difficult emotions.

The purpose of the investigation was to determine the effectiveness of Zen meditation practice in facilitating positive change on the personality variables time competence, inner direction, locus of control, and field independence, as well as to investigate the subjective experiences of novice meditators. Two population groups were included in the study: a student group and a clinical group. The student-population group consisted of forty-six undergraduate college students. The student subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: experimental group (Zen meditation group taught to focus attention on the breath, as well as a formal Zen posture), placebo group (formal Zen posture only), or control group (no treatment). The clinical-population group consisted of thirty-seven in-patient volunteers from the alcoholic-drug unit of a psychiatric state hospital. The clinical subjects were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (Zen meditation group which practiced focused attention on the breath, as well as a formal Zen meditation posture) or a control group (no treatment).