Zen

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/2818869

> I found an interesting book, Zen's Chinese Heritage, The Masters and their Teachings by Andy Ferguson. It goes through the 1st twenty-five generations of Chan masters, beginning with Bodhidharma and ending with Foyan. > > The main source material for this book is the Wudeng Huiyuan (Compendium of Five Lamps), dating from the mid-1200s. This excerpt is about Shenhui, the student of Huineng, also the one believed to have written the Platform Sutra. > > >HEZE SHENHUI (670–762) was an eminent disciple of the Sixth Ancestor. He strongly supported and promoted Huineng’s place in Chinese Zen history. Shenhui championed the Southern school of Zen, and vociferously attacked what became widely known as the Northern school, the school associated with Yuquan Shenxiu. > > > >Shenhui put forward two reasons for his attack on the Northern school. The first was, “The (ancestral) succession is spurious.” Attacking Shenxiu’s legitimacy as the Dharma heir of Hongren was an extension of Shenhui’s proposition that that honor belonged exclusively to Huineng. Obviously, the argument was self-serving as well, since Shenhui could thus make a claim to be the true Seventh Ancestor of the Bodhidharma line. > > > >The second reason for attacking Shenxiu was, “(His) Dharma gate is gradual.” By this, Shenhui meant that the various “gradual” spiritual practices employed by Shenxiu, as well as other disciples of Hongren, were fundamentally at odds with what Shenhui regarded as the genuine Zen of his teacher, Huineng. > > > >Shenhui’s life and teaching are at the center of the most hotly debated questions of Zen history and thought. He is a controversial figure who set a standard of teaching that emphasized sudden, unmediated enlightenment. This characteristic of Chinese Zen distinguishes it from other Buddhist schools. The idea of nonmediated, sudden enlightenment clearly took solid root as a centerpiece of Chinese Zen during Shenhui’s era and suffused the teachings of > subsequent generations of the Southern school. > > > >Shenhui’s Zen, expounded in the name of the Sixth Ancestor, castigated the idea of “gradual” enlightenment achieved through meditation and religious practices that were meant to realize and maintain “pure original mind.” Shenhui’s proposition, in effect, attacked not only the Northern school, but many of the practices that were part and parcel of Daoxin and Hongren’s East Mountain Zen tradition as well, including their basic outlook on meditation practice. > > > >Scholars have documented that Daoxin, Hongren, and Hongren’s disciples variously used “gradualist” practices, practices that set religious life distinctly apart from secular life, in their practice centers. One example was Hongren’s disciple Zishou Zhishen, the founder of the Sichuan Zen school, who is believed to have heavily emphasized chanting Buddha’s name over all other practices. > > > >Yet Shenhui has been shown to have tampered with, not to say subverted, the historical facts surrounding Huineng’s life to gain ascendancy for his “sudden” Zen ideology. Shenhui’s account of Huineng’s life contains self-serving inconsistencies. Moreover, his writings about earlier Zen development, particularly the succession of Zen ancestors beginning with Shakyamuni Buddha, contain blatant errors and contradictions. > > > >The “Northern” school was the name applied by Shenhui to the most politically dominant and powerful stream of Zen of his era. This stream was a continuation of the East Mountain school of Hongren, as taught by his disciple Shenxiu, and by Shenxiu’s own many disciples who were spread through northern areas of the country. Shenxiu obtained unprecedented influence at the imperial court during the late seventh and early eighth centuries. Shenxiu’s disciples Puji and Yifu then carried on this influence until events overcame the school around the year 755. > > > >Shenhui’s main attack on the Northern school occurred at a conference he staged at Great Cloud Temple in Huatai in the year 734. In that meeting, Shenhui put forth the “Exposition on Determining Right and Wrong [with respect to] Bodhidharma’s Southern school.” The conference staged a debate between Shenhui and a certain “Dharma master Chongyuan,” who defended the Northern school. Although the influence of this conference on the imperial court and public opinion is disputed, the meeting clearly laid out lines of battle between the doctrines of the southern and northern currents of Zen. > > > >After the conference at Huatai, Shenhui proceeded to live in the northern capital city of Luoyang, where he directly confronted the Northern school by inciting opinion in public gatherings. Eventually, Shenhui was banned from Luoyang as a rabble-rouser. During the period of his banishment, historical events transpired that helped his cause. The An Lushan uprising, a catastrophically destructive rebellion against the Tang dynasty, led to the destruction of the twin capital cities of Luoyang and Changan. The areas suffering devastation were important regions of Northern school predominance. This direct destruction of the Northern school led to a vacuum of court influence that Shenhui’s followers managed to fill. Thus, the Southern school gained social and political ascendancy not simply due to a preferred religious doctrine, but as the unforeseen result of a civil war that wracked northern China during that era. > > > >Shenhui thus founded what became known as the Heze (in Japanese, Kataku) school of Zen. The branch largely died out during the early ninth century and is not remembered as a major school. Nevertheless, the doctrine of sudden enlightenment remained a central characteristic that defined the teaching styles and cultural flavor of later Chinese Zen. In the next Zen generation, Mazu Daoyi’s Hongzhou school vigorously adopted a teaching style that expressed the “sudden” Zen outlook. That school displaced Heze’s school in influence during the ninth century, but the doctrine espoused by Shenhui had lasting influence on all subsequent generations of Zen teachers. > > I've read elsewhere about more modern scholarship casting some doubt on Huineng, and the division of Northern/Southern schools. I think John McRae has written about it, but I'm going to have to search for some of his articles. > >

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/2593059

> I found some interesting articles from the Journal of Chan Buddhism. This is volume 1, there is a volume 2, but it's behind a paywall, or you can possibly get them if you have an institutional login... > > I've only read the Repositioning Xinxing 信行 (540–594) in the Chinese Meditation Tradition. It was interesting, but I've yet to find any more information on Xinxing, but it seems he was pretty early in the Chinese Chan record. > > Also I've been wanting to find more peer-reviewed journal articles on Chan, if anyone has any suggestions on where to look! > > >The peer-reviewed Journal of Chan Buddhism: East Asian and Global Perspectives is the first of its kind in English to specifically present academic research about Chinese Chan, Korean Sŏn, Vietnamese Thìên, and Japanese Zen Buddhism. The Journal of Chan Buddhism is an interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary journal and will accept submissions from all academic disciplines related to the study of Chan/Sŏn/Zen Buddhism, including, but not limited to: the history of religions, literary studies, Dunhuang Chan studies, Tibetan and Tangut language Chan studies, doctrinal studies, art historical perspectives, institutional history, anthropological research, and comparative, philosophical studies. The journal also offers book reviews and translations into English of innovative research articles by eminent scholars in East Asia. The Journal of Chan Buddhism has separate area editors (e.g., Chan, Sŏn, Zen) to facilitate broad but still multifaceted coverage of Chinese Chan Studies, Korean Sŏn Studies, Vietnamese Thìên Studies, and Japanese Zen Studies. > > > >The journal is hosted by the Buddhist Studies Forum at the University of British Columbia (UBC), funded by the Tianzhu Charitable Foundation of Guangdong Province, China, and facilitated by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) project on Buddhism and East Asian Religions (frogbear.org) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). >

Hi there, I recently joined the zen community from lemmy.ml and I noticed that when I joined, all the comments from posts in this community went to zero, and I no longer have access to any of the comments (I believe they're all lemmy.ml users), and I'm also curious as to if they can see my posts/comments...

I was thinking about creating a zen community on lemm.ee but wasn't sure if I'd need to as there is already one on here. But I also noticed that I cannot register on lemmy.ml as the registration is closed. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

I was on a short vacation last week and saw a preserved fragment of the Diamond Sutra from the Dunhuang collection.

Of course the Diamond sutra gets referenced occasionally in the zen tradition, so here is my reference-ception where I reference the Book of Serenity, where Wansong references National Teacher An referencing the Diamond Sutra

>National Teacher An brought up the Diamond-Cutter Scripture, saying, " 'You should enliven the mind without dwelling on anything.'--not dwelling on anything means not dwelling on form, not dwelling on sound, not dwelling on delusion, not dwelling on enlightenment, not dwelling on essence, not dwelling on function. Enlivening the mind means manifesting one mind in all places: if you enliven the mind dwelling on good, goodness appears; if you enliven the mind dwelling on evil, evil appears--the basic mind is concealed. If it doesn'e dwell on anything, anywhere, the whole world is one mind."

-Commentary on Case 74 in the Book of Serenity

My reaction is basically "what is there for the mind to dwell on in the first place?"

Excited to talk with some people. Do we plan this space to be more of a book club or a chat room? Personally I say chat room till we get enough people for the book club to make sense.

>From the first not a thing is

Attributed to the 6th Patriarch of the Zen school, Huineng

D.T Suzuki described Huineng's teaching here as a bomb because of it's implications, and I think he's right. It is the ultimate preclusion of form, doctrine, practice, mental objects, etc.

There are questions about the authenticity of much of the record attributed to huineng, but either way this teaching gets echoed by other zen masters through the centuries

Attaining the Way is not difficult, If only you dislike picking and choosing. Only when you do not "hate" and "love" Will the Way thus be clearly and plainly revealed.

If there exists the smallest distinction, Heaven and Earth become divided and out of balance. If you want to have the Way appear in front of you, Do not remain "agreeable" or "opposed" to anything.

When "disagreeable" and "agreeable" compete with each other, This makes your heart/mind sick. When you do not understand the deep and mysterious meaning of the Way, It is useless to merely quiet your thoughts.

The Way is perfect and complete, just like the greatest void - Nothing lacking, nothing extra. It is precisely because you "select" and "reject" That you therefore do not perceive the Suchness of everything.

Do not pursue Being and entanglements; Do not dwell in Emptiness and sufferance. When the mind is at peace in Oneness, Thus are these eliminated, and naturally fade away.

When you try to stop activity to return to stillness, This stillness further increases activity. If you are always caught in one side or the other, How can you know Oneness?

When Oneness is not understood completely, Both of these viewpoints lose their usefulness : To reject Being is to merely lose Being; To embrace Emptiness is to merely be burdened by Emptiness.

Too much talking, too much worrying, And you fall out of harmony with the Way. Be done with talking, be done with worrying, And nothing will be closed to you.

Return to the source and you gain the meaning; Pursue enlightenment and you lose this wisdom. But the moment you return to enlightenment, You go beyond and reject appearances and Emptiness.

Apparent changes in appearances and Emptiness Are all caused by foolish opinions. You need not seek what is true and real, You must only stop having opinions.

Do not dwell in dualistic opinions - Be careful not to pursue them. Not until "right" and "wrong" exist Does your heart/mind thus become lost in confusion.

Duality is caused by the One's existence; But also do not dwell on the One. When your heart/mind is one, no thoughts arise; Then all things are without blame.

When there is no blame, there can be no things; When no thoughts arise, there can be no heart/mind. When things cease to be, mind follows; When mind settles, things are rejected.

Things are caused by mind, but are things as well; Mind is caused by things, but is mind as well. If you want to know both halves, Their origin is One Emptiness.

Within One Emptiness both halves are the same, Each equally containing all forms. When you do not perceive "refined" and "coarse", How can preferences exist?

The essence of the Great Way is vast - Nothing easy, nothing difficult. Those with petty opinions are full of doubt and suspicion; When they become anxious, they get behind.

Attachments lead to loss of inner freedom, As you certainly enter the wrong path. Letting go leads to natural spontaneity, Where the essence of the Way is neither absent nor present.

Allowing your inner nature to unite with the Way, Be free and done with aggravation. Restricted thinking is opposed to what is true and real, Sinking into darkness and confusion, which is not good.

It is not good to trouble your spirit - So why see "distant" or "close" relationships? If you want to attain the Way, Do not dislike your senses and thoughts.

Not disliking your senses and thoughts Is also the same as true Awakening. The wise practice non-action, While the foolish restrict themselves. One thing is not different from another thing, But the foolish have their desires and attachments.

To govern heart/mind by using heart/mind - How can that not be a great mistake? Delusion produces peace and chaos, But the Awakened have no likes or dislikes.

All pairs of opposites Come from your own foolish thinking. They are like dreams, illusions, mirages - Why struggle to catch and hold them?

"Gain" and "loss", "right" and "wrong" - Just for a moment, let go and reject them.

If your eyes do not sleep, All dreams are naturally eliminated. If your heart/mind does not discriminate, All things are of One Suchness.

Within the deep and mysterious essence of this One Suchness, You rise above entanglements, and thus they are forgotten.

When all things are perceived as equal, You return again to your natural spontaneity. Eliminate them and as a result, You cannot have any way to compare them.

Stillness set in motion is not movement, Movement stopped is not stillness. If both halves are actually incomplete, How can the One exist like that?

When you examine this exhaustively to its extreme conclusion, No path or rule remains. Place your heart/mind in harmony with non-discrimination, Which stops all mental activity.

Doubts and suspicions fade completely; True faith is harmonious and straightforward. Nothing is held on to, Nothing can be remembered.

You are empty, clear, naturally enlightened[D], And make no effort to use the power of your heart/mind. Here no amount of thought can dwell; Knowledge and feelings are unable to comprehend.

Within the true and real Suchness of this absolute source of existence, There is no "other", no "self". If you want to come quickly into harmony with this realm, Only say "no duality".

In "no duality" everything is the same, Nothing is excluded. Wise people everywhere Have all entered this wisdom.

Entering this wisdom can not be hurried nor held back - It could happen in one moment or take an eternity. The Way is neither present nor absent, Yet the Way is everywhere in front of your eyes.

Extremely small is the same as extremely large, When boundaries are forgotten and done with. Extremely large is the same as extremely small, When distinct opposites are not perceived.

Being is simultaneously the same as non-Being; Non-Being is simultaneously the same as Being. If you are not like this, You certainly must not remain there.

One is not separate from All; All is not separate from One. If only you can be like this, Why worry about not being perfect?

The true heart/mind is non-dual; Non-dual is the true heart/mind. Talking about the Way ends here, For the Way has no past or future or present.

___

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38580