Zen - Wikipedia

School of Mahāyāna Buddhism
Zen ( chinese : 禪 ; pinyin : Chán ; japanese : 禅, romanized : zen ; korean : 선, romanized : Seon ; vietnamese : Thiền ) is a educate of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School ( Chánzong 禪宗 ), and later developed into respective sub-schools and branches. From China, Chán spread south to Vietnam and became Vietnamese Thiền, northeast to Korea to become Seon Buddhism, and east to Japan, becoming japanese Zen. The term Zen is derived from the japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese parole 禪 ( chán ), an abbreviation of 禪那 ( chánnà ), which is a chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit word dhyāna ( “ meditation “ ). [ note 1 ] Zen emphasizes rigorous self-restraint, meditation-practice, insight into the nature of heed ( 見性, Ch. jiànxìng, Jp. kensho, “ perceiving the true nature ” ) and nature of things ( without arrogance or ego ), and the personal expression of this insight in daily life, specially for the benefit of others. As such, it de-emphasizes cognition alone of sutras and doctrine, and favors direct understanding through spiritual practice and interaction with an accomplished teacher or master. Zen teaching draw from numerous sources of Mahāyāna thought, specially Yogachara, the Tathāgatagarbha sūtras, the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, and the Huayan school, with their stress on Buddha-nature, totality, and the Bodhisattva -ideal. The Prajñāpāramitā literature american samoa well as Madhyamaka think have besides been influential in the shape of the apophatic and sometimes iconoclastic nature of Zen rhetoric. [ 11 ]

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furthermore, the Chan School was besides influenced by Taoist philosophy, specially Neo-Daoist think .

etymology [edit ]

The parole Zen is derived from the japanese pronunciation ( kana : ぜん ) of the Middle Chinese news 禪 ( Middle Chinese : [ dʑian ] ; pinyin : Chán ), which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit discussion dhyāna ( ध्यान ), which can be approximately translated as “ assimilation ” or “ brooding submit “. The actual chinese condition for the “ Zen school ” is 禪宗 ( pinyin : Chánzōng ), while “ Chan ” good refers to the practice of meditation itself ( chinese : 習禪 ; pinyin : xíchán ) or the analyze of meditation ( chinese : 禪學 ; pinyin : chánxué ) though it is frequently used as an abbreviate human body of Chánzong. “ zen ” is traditionally a proper noun as it normally describes a particular Buddhist faction. In more late times, the lowercase “ zen ” is used when discussing the philosophy and was formally added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2018. [ 15 ]

exercise [edit ]

Dhyāna [edit ]

The exercise of dhyana or meditation, particularly sitting meditation ( 坐禪， Chinese : zuòchán, japanese : zazen / ざぜん ) is a central part of Zen Buddhism .

chinese Buddhism [edit ]

The commit of Buddhist meditation first entered China through the translations of An Shigao ( florida. c. 148–180 CE ), and Kumārajīva ( 334–413 CE ), who both translated Dhyāna sutras, which were influential early meditation textbook by and large based on the Yogacara ( yoga practice ) teachings of the Kashmiri Sarvāstivāda circa 1st–4th centuries CE. [ 17 ] Among the most influential early chinese meditation texts include the Anban Shouyi Jing ( 安般守意經, Sutra on ānāpānasmṛti ), the Zuochan Sanmei Jing ( 坐禪三昧經，Sutra of sitting dhyāna samādhi ) and the Damoduoluo Chan Jing ( 達摩多羅禪經, [ 18 ] Dharmatrata dhyāna sutra ) . These early chinese meditation works continued to exert influence on Zen drill well into the modern earned run average. For example, the eighteenth hundred Rinzai Zen master Tōrei Enji wrote a comment on the Damoduoluo Chan Jing and used the Zuochan Sanmei Jing as source in the write of this comment. Tōrei believed that the Damoduoluo Chan Jing had been authored by Bodhidharma. [ 20 ] While dhyāna in a nonindulgent sense refers to the four dhyānas, in chinese Buddhism, dhyāna may refer to respective kinds of meditation techniques and their preparatory practices, which are necessary to practice dhyāna. The five main types of meditation in the Dhyāna sutras are ānāpānasmṛti ( mindfulness of breathing ) ; paṭikūlamanasikāra meditation ( mindfulness of the impurities of the body ) ; maitrī meditation ( loving-kindness ) ; the contemplation on the twelve links of pratītyasamutpāda ; and contemplation on the Buddha. [ 22 ] According to the mod Chan overcome Sheng Yen, these practices are termed the “ five methods for stilling or pacifying the thinker ” and serve to focus and purify the mind, and support the development of the stages of dhyana. [ 23 ] Chan besides shares the practice of the four foundations of mindfulness and the Three Gates of Liberation ( emptyness or śūnyatā, signlessness or animitta, and wishlessness or apraṇihita ) with early Buddhism and classic Mahayana. [ 24 ]

Pointing to the nature of the beware [edit ]

According to Charles Luk, in the earliest traditions of Chán, there was no fix method or formula for teaching meditation, and all instructions were plainly heuristic methods, to point to the truthful nature of the mind, besides known as Buddha-nature. [ 25 ] According to Luk, this method is referred to as the “ Mind Dharma ”, and exemplified in the history ( in the Flower Sermon ) of Śākyamuni Buddha holding up a flower mutely, and Mahākāśyapa smile as he understood. [ 25 ] A traditional recipe of this is, “ Chán points immediately to the human mind, to enable people to see their genuine nature and become buddha. ” [ 26 ]

Observing the heed [edit ]

According to John R. McRae the “ first explicit argument of the sudden and direct border on that was to become the hallmark of Ch’an religious drill ” is associated with the East Mountain School. It is a method named “ Maintaining the one without wavering ” ( shou-i pu i, 守一不移 ), the one being the nature of thinker, which is equated with Buddha-nature. According to Sharf, in this commit, one turns the attention from the objects of feel, to the nature of beware, the perceive national itself, which is equated with Buddha-nature. According to McRae, this type of meditation resembles the methods of “ virtually all schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism, ” but differs in that “ no preparatory requirements, no moral prerequisites or preliminary exercises are given, ” and is “ without steps or gradations. One concentrates, understands, and is enlightened, all in one undifferentiated practice. ” [ note 2 ] Sharf notes that the notion of “ Mind ” came to be criticised by revolutionary subitists, and was replaced by “ No Mind, ” to avoid any reifications. [ note 3 ]

meditation manuals [edit ]

early Chan text besides teach forms of meditation that are unique to Mahāyāna Buddhism, for exemplar, the Treatise on the Essentials of Cultivating the Mind, which depicts the teachings of the 7th-century East Mountain school teaches a visual image of a sun disk, exchangeable to that teach in the Sutra of the Contemplation of the Buddha Amitáyus. late taiwanese Buddhists developed their own meditation manuals and text, one of the most influential being the works of the Tiantai patriarch, Zhiyi. His knead seemed to have exerted some determine on the earliest meditation manuals of the Chán school proper, an early function being the wide imitated and influential Tso-chan-i ( Principles of sitting meditation, c. eleventh century ). [ 34 ]

coarse contemporaneous meditation forms [edit ]

mindfulness of breathing [edit ]

During sitting meditation ( 坐禅, Ch. zuòchán, Jp. zazen, Ko. jwaseon ), practitioners normally assume a position such as the lotus military position, half-lotus, Burmese, or seiza, frequently using the dhyāna mudrā. Often, a square or attack cushion placed on a pad master of arts in teaching is used to sit on ; in some other cases, a moderate may be used. To regulate the take care, Zen students are much directed towards counting breaths. Either both exhalations and inhalations are counted, or one of them entirely. The count can be up to ten, and then this process is repeated until the thinker is calmed. [ 35 ] Zen teachers like Omori Sogen teach a series of long and deep exhalations and inhalations as a way to prepare for unconstipated breath meditation. [ 36 ] Attention is normally placed on the energy center ( dantian ) below the navel. [ 37 ] Zen teachers much promote diaphragmatic breathe, stating that the breath must come from the lower abdomen ( known as hara or tanden in japanese ), and that this share of the body should expand forward slightly as one breathes. [ 38 ] Over meter the emit should become smooth, deeper and slower. [ 39 ] When the count becomes an encumbrance, the practice of just following the lifelike rhythm of breathing with condense attention is recommended. [ 40 ] [ 41 ]

dumb Illumination and shikantaza [edit ]

A common form of sitting meditation is called “ silent illumination ” ( Ch. mòzhào, Jp . mokushō ). This rehearse was traditionally promoted by the Caodong school of Chinese Chan and is associated with Hongzhi Zhengjue ( 1091—1157 ) who wrote respective works on the practice. [ 42 ] This method derives from the indian Buddhist practice of the union ( Skt. yuganaddha ) of śamatha and vipaśyanā. [ 43 ] In Hongzhi ‘s rehearse of “ nondual objectless meditation ” the mediator strives to be mindful of the entirety of phenomenon rather of focusing on a single object, without any intervention, conceptualizing, grasping, goal seeking, or subject-object duality. [ 44 ] This practice is besides popular in the major schools of japanese Zen, but specially Sōtō, where it is more wide known as Shikantaza (Ch. zhǐguǎn dǎzuò, “Just sitting”). Considerable textual, philosophical, and phenomenological justification of the practice can be found throughout the work of the japanese Sōtō Zen thinker Dōgen, particularly in his Shōbōgenzō, for exemplar in the “ Principles of Zazen ” [ 45 ] and the “ Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen ”. [ 46 ] While the Japanese and the chinese forms are similar, they are distinct approaches. [ 47 ]

Hua Tou and Kōan contemplation [edit ]

wú) by Torei Enji. It figures in the famous Zhaozhou’s dog kōan calligraphy of “ Mu “ ( Hanyu Pinyin ) by Torei Enji. It figures in the celebrated During the Tang dynasty, gōng’àn ( Jp. kōan) literature became democratic. literally meaning “ public font ”, they were stories or dialogues, describing teachings and interactions between Zen masters and their students. These anecdotes give a demonstration of the master ‘s insight. Kōan are meant to illustrate the non-conceptual insight ( prajña ) that the Buddhist teachings distributor point to. During the Sòng dynasty, a new meditation method was popularized by figures such as Dahui, which was called kanhua chan ( “ observing the phrase ” meditation ), which referred to contemplation on a single word or phrase ( called the huatou, “ critical give voice ” ) of a gōng’àn. In chinese Chan and Korean Seon, this drill of “ observing the huatou “ ( hwadu in Korean ) is a widely practiced method. [ 49 ] It was taught by the influential Seon master Chinul ( 1158–1210 ), and advanced chinese masters like Sheng Yen and Xuyun. Yet, while Dahui famously criticised “ silent illumination, ” he however “ did not completely condemn quiet-sitting ; in fact, he seems to have recommended it, at least to his monk disciples. ” In the japanese Rinzai school, kōan introspection developed its own formalistic style, with a standardized course of study of kōans, which must be studied and “ passed ” in sequence. This process includes standardized “ determine questions ” ( sassho ) and coarse sets of “ capping phrases ” ( jakugo ) or poetry citations that are memorized by students as answers. [ 52 ] The Zen student ‘s command of a given kōan is presented to the teacher in a private interview ( referred to in japanese as dokusan, daisan, or sanzen ). While there is no unique answer to a kōan, practitioners are expected to demonstrate their apparitional understand through their responses. The teacher may approve or disapprove of the answer and guide the student in the right commission. The interaction with a teacher is central in Zen, but makes Zen practice besides vulnerable to misunderstanding and exploitation. Kōan-inquiry may be practiced during zazen ( sitting meditation ) , kinhin ( walking meditation ), and throughout all the activities of daily life. The goal of the rehearse is frequently termed kensho ( seeing one ‘s true nature ), and is to be followed by promote exercise to attain a natural, effortless, down-to-earth state of being, the “ ultimate liberation ”, “ knowing without any kind of befoulment ”. Kōan practice is peculiarly emphasized in Rinzai, but it besides occurs in other schools or branches of Zen depending on the teaching line .

Nianfo chan [edit ]

Nianfo ( Jp. nembutsu, from Skt. buddhānusmṛti “ remembrance of the Buddha ” ) refers to the recitation of the Buddha ‘s name, in most cases the Buddha Amitabha. In chinese Chan, the Pure Land practice of nianfo based on the give voice Nāmó Āmítuófó ( Homage to Amitabha ) is a widely adept form of Zen meditation. This practice was adopted from Pure kingdom Buddhism and syncretized with Chan meditation by chinese figures such as Yongming Yanshou, Zhongfen Mingben, and Tianru Weize. During the late Ming, the harmonization of Pure land practices with Chan meditation was continued by figures such as Yunqi Zhuhong and Hanshan Deqing. This exercise, angstrom well as its adaptation into the “ nembutsu kōan “ was besides used by the japanese Ōbaku educate of Zen .

Bodhisattva virtues and vows [edit ]

Victoria Zen Centre Jukai ceremony, January 2009 Since Zen is a shape of Mahayana Buddhism, it is grounded on the outline of the bodhisattva way, which is based on the exercise of the “ transcendent virtues ” or “ perfections ” ( Skt. pāramitā, Ch. bōluómì, Jp. baramitsu ) ampere well as the accept of the bodhisattva vows. [ 57 ] [ 58 ] The most widely used list of six virtues is : generosity, moral train ( incl. five precepts ), patient survival, energy or attempt, meditation ( dhyana ), wisdom. An important source for these teachings is the Avatamsaka sutra, which besides outlines the grounds ( bhumis ) or levels of the bodhisattva path. [ 59 ] The pāramitās are mentioned in early Chan works such as Bodhidharma ‘s Two entrances and four practices and are seen as an important depart of gradual cultivation ( jianxiu ) by later Chan figures like Zongmi. [ 61 ] An important element of this practice is the ball and ceremony consume of recourse in the three jewels, bodhisattva vows and precepts. versatile sets of precepts are taken in Zen including the five precepts, “ ten all-important precepts ”, and the sixteen bodhisattva precepts. [ 62 ] [ 63 ] [ 64 ] [ 65 ] This is normally done in an initiation ritual ( Ch. shòu jiè, Jp. Jukai, Ko. sugye, “ receiving the precepts ” ), which is besides undertaken by put followers and marks a layman as a formal Buddhist. [ 66 ] The taiwanese Buddhist practice of fasting ( zhai ), particularly during the uposatha days ( Ch. zhairi, “ days of fasting ” ) can besides be an component of Chan coach. [ 67 ] Chan masters may go on extend absolute fasts, as exemplified by headmaster Hsuan Hua ‘s 35 day fast, which he undertook during the Cuban missile crisis for the generation of deservingness. [ 68 ]

physical cultivation [edit ]

traditional warlike arts, like japanese archery, other forms of japanese budō and taiwanese martial arts ( gōngfu ) have besides been seen as forms of acid practice. This custom goes rear to the influential Shaolin Monastery in Henan, which developed the first institutionalized form of gōngfu. [ 69 ] By the late Ming, Shaolin gōngfu was very popular and widespread, as evidenced by mentions in versatile forms of Ming literature ( sport staff wielding fighting monks like Sun Wukong ) and historic sources, which besides speak of Shaolin ‘s impressive monk united states army that rendered military serve to the state in rejoinder for condescension. [ 70 ] These Shaolin practices, which began to develop around the twelfth hundred, were besides traditionally seen as a form of Chan Buddhist inside cultivation ( nowadays called wuchan, “ martial chan ” ). The Shaolin arts besides made manipulation of Taoist physical exercises ( taoyin ) breathe and energy cultivation ( qìgōng ) practices. [ 71 ] [ 72 ] They were seen as curative practices, which improved “ internal forte ” ( neili ), health and longevity ( fall. “ nutrify life ” yangsheng ), ampere well as means to spiritual dismissal. [ 73 ] The influence of these Taoist practices can be seen in the shape of Wang Zuyuan ( ca. 1820–after 1882 ), a learner and minor bureaucrat who studied at Shaolin. Wang ‘s Illustrated Exposition of Internal Techniques ( Neigong tushuo ) shows how Shaolin exercises were drawn from Taoist methods like those of the Yi jin jing and Eight pieces of brocade, possibly influenced by the Ming dynasty ‘s intent of religious syncretism. [ 74 ] According to the modern Chan master Sheng Yen, Chinese Buddhism has adopted inner cultivation exercises from the Shaolin tradition as ways to “ harmonize the body and develop concentration in the midst of natural process. ” This is because, “ techniques for harmonizing the critical energy are mighty assistants to the polish of samadhi and spiritual insight. ” [ 75 ] Korean Seon besides has developed a similar shape of active physical training, termed Sunmudo.
[76] Bows and quivers at Engaku-ji temple, the temple besides has a Dōjō for the exercise of Kyūdō and the Zen priests rehearse this artwork here. In Japan, the classical fight arts ( budō ) and acid practice have been in contact since the embrace of Rinzai Zen by the Hōjō kin in the thirteenth hundred, who applied zen discipline to their martial exercise. [ 77 ] One influential digit in this kinship was the Rinzai priest Takuan Sōhō who was well known for his writings on acid and budō addressed to the samurai class ( specially his The Unfettered Mind ). [ 78 ] The Rinzai educate besides adopted certain Taoist energy practices. They were introduced by Hakuin ( 1686–1769 ) who learned respective techniques from a hermit named Hakuyu who helped Hakuin cure his “ Zen sickness ” ( a condition of physical and mental exhaustion ). [ 79 ] These energetic practices, known as Naikan, are based on focusing the mind and one ‘s vital energy ( ki ) on the tanden ( a spot slenderly below the navel ). [ 80 ] [ 81 ]

The arts [edit ]

Hakuin Ekaku, Hotei in a Boat, Yale University Art Gallery, Yale University Art Gallery Certain arts such as paint, calligraphy, poetry, garden, flower musical arrangement, tea ceremony and others have besides been used as function of acid train and practice. classical taiwanese arts like brush painting and calligraphy were used by Chan monk painters such as Guanxiu and Muqi Fachang to communicate their apparitional understanding in unique ways to their students. [ 82 ] Zen paintings are sometimes term zenga in japanese. [ 83 ] Hakuin is one japanese Zen maestro who was known to create a bombastic corpus of unique sumi-e ( ink and moisten paintings ) and japanese calligraphy to communicate zen in a ocular way. His work and that of his disciples were widely influential in japanese Zen. [ 84 ] Another model of Zen arts can be seen in the short-circuit lived Fuke faction of japanese Zen, which practiced a unique form of “ blowing zen ” ( suizen ) by playing the shakuhachi bamboo flute .

intensive group practice [edit ]

intensive group meditation may be practiced by unplayful Zen practitioners. In the japanese language, this practice is called sesshin. While the daily everyday may require monks to meditate for respective hours each day, during the intensive period they devote themselves about entirely to zen practice. The numerous 30–50 minute long sitting meditation ( zazen ) periods are interwoven with rest breaks, ritualized dinner dress meals ( Jp. oryoki ), and short periods of workplace ( Jp. samu ) that are to be performed with the lapp state of mindfulness. In modern Buddhist practice in Japan, Taiwan, and the West, lay students much attend these intensive commit sessions or retreats. These are held at many Zen centers or temples .

Chanting and rituals [edit ]

Chanting the Buddhist Scriptures, by Taiwanese painter , by taiwanese painter Li Mei-shuJapan Monks chanting the “ Heart Sutra ” in Sōji-ji Temple in Yokohama Most zen monasteries, temples and centers perform assorted rituals, services and ceremonies ( such as initiation ceremonies and funerals ), which are constantly accompanied by the intonation of verses, poems or sutras. [ 85 ] There are besides ceremonies that are specifically for the purpose of sutra exercise ( Ch. niansong, Jp. nenju ) itself. [ 86 ] Zen schools may have an official sutra book that collects these writings ( in Japanese, these are called kyohon ). [ 85 ] Practitioners may chant major Mahayana sutras such as the Heart Sutra and chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra ( frequently called the “ Avalokiteśvara Sutra ” ). Dhāraṇīs and Zen poems may besides be part of a Zen synagogue holy eucharist, including texts like the Song of the Precious Mirror Samadhi, the Sandokai, the Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī, and the Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra. The butsudan is the altar in a monastery, temple or a lie person ‘s home, where offerings are made to the images of the Buddha, bodhisattva and deceased family members and ancestors. Rituals normally center on major Buddhas or bodhisattva like Avalokiteśvara ( see Guanyin ), Kṣitigarbha and Manjushri. An authoritative chemical element in Zen ritual practice is the operation of ritual prostrations ( Jp. raihai ) or bows. [ 87 ] One popular class of ritual in japanese Zen is Mizuko kuyō ( Water child ) ceremonies, which are performed for those who have had a spontaneous abortion, spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage. These ceremonies are besides performed in american english Zen Buddhism. [ 88 ] A widely practiced ritual in chinese Chan is variously called the “ Rite for releasing the hungry ghosts “ or the “ Releasing flare mouth ”. The ritual might date bet on to the Tang dynasty, and was very popular during the Ming and Qing dynasties, when taiwanese Esoteric Buddhist practices became diffuse throughout taiwanese Buddhism. [ 89 ] The chinese vacation of the Ghost Festival might besides be celebrated with exchangeable rituals for the dead. These haunt rituals are a informant of contention in modern Chinese Chan, and masters such as Sheng Yen criticize the practice for not having “ any footing in Buddhist teachings ”. [ 90 ] Another crucial type of ritual practiced in Zen are respective repentance or confession rituals ( Jp. zange ) that were widely practiced in all forms of chinese Mahayana Buddhism. One popular Chan text on this is known as the Emperor Liang Repentance Ritual, composed by Chan master Baozhi. [ 91 ] Dogen besides wrote a treatise on repentance, the Shushogi. [ 92 ] early rituals could include rites dealing with local deities ( kami in Japan ), and ceremonies on Buddhist holidays such as Buddha ‘s Birthday. [ 93 ] Funerals are besides an important ritual and are a park point of contact between Zen monastics and the laity. Statistics published by the Sōtō school state that 80 percentage of Sōtō laymen visit their temple only for reasons having to do with funerals and end. seventeen percentage visit for religious reasons and 3 percentage inflict a Zen priest at a fourth dimension of personal disturb or crisis .

esoteric practices [edit ]

Depending on the tradition, esoteric methods such as mantra and dhāraṇī are besides used for different purposes including meditation practice, protection from evil, invoking bang-up compassion, invoking the exponent of sealed bodhisattva, and are chanted during ceremonies and rituals. [ 95 ] In the Kwan Um school of Zen for case, a mantra of Guanyin ( “ Kwanseum Bosal “ ) is used during sitting meditation. [ 97 ] The Heart Sutra Mantra is besides another mantra that is used in Zen during assorted rituals. [ 98 ] Another example is the Mantra of Light ( kōmyō shingon ), which is common in japanese Soto Zen and was derived from the Shingon sect. [ 99 ] In Chinese Chan, the usage of esoteric mantras in Zen goes back to the Tang dynasty. There is evidence that Chan Buddhists adopted practices from chinese Esoteric Buddhism in findings from Dunhuang. According to Henrik Sørensen, several successors of Shenxiu ( such as Jingxian and Yixing ) were besides students of the Zhenyan ( Mantra ) school. Influential esoteric dhāraṇī, such as the Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra and the Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī , besides begin to be cited in the literature of the Baotang school during the Tang dynasty. many mantras have been preserved since the Tang period and continue to be practiced in modern Chan monasteries. One common example is the Śūraṅgama Mantra, which has been heavily propagated by respective outstanding Chan monks, such as august Hsuan Hua who founded the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. [ 103 ] Another example of esoteric rituals practiced by the Chan school is the Mengshan Rite for Feeding Hungry Ghosts, which is practiced by both monks and laypeople during the Hungry Ghost Festival. [ 104 ] [ 105 ] [ 106 ] Chan repentance rituals, such as the Liberation Rite of Water and Land, besides involve assorted esoteric aspects, including the invocation of esoteric deities such as the Five Wisdom Buddhas and the Ten Wisdom Kings. [ 107 ] [ 108 ] There is software documentation that monks living at Shaolin temple during the eighth hundred performed esoteric practices there such as mantra and dharani, and that these besides influence Korean Seon Buddhism. During the Joseon dynasty, the Seon school was not only the dominant custom in Korea, but it was besides highly inclusive and cosmopolitan in its doctrine and practices, and this included Esoteric Buddhist lore and rituals ( that appear in Seon literature from the fifteenth hundred onwards ). According to Sørensen, the writings of respective Seon masters ( such as Hyujeong ) unwrap they were esoteric adepts. In japanese Zen, the function of esoteric practices within Zen is sometimes termed “ shuffle Zen ” ( kenshū zen 兼修禪 ), and the figure of Keizan Jōkin ( 1264–1325 ) is seen as introducing this into the Soto school. [ 112 ] The japanese collapse of the Rinzai educate, Myōan Eisai ( 1141–1215 ) was besides a well known practitioner of esoteric Buddhism and wrote diverse works on the national. According to William Bodiford, a very common dhāraṇī in japanese Zen is the Śūraṅgama spell ( Ryōgon shu 楞嚴呪 ; T. 944A ), which is repeatedly chanted during summer prepare retreats ampere well as at “ every crucial monk ceremony throughout the class ” in Zen monasteries. Some Zen temples besides perform esoteric rituals, such as the homa ritual, which is performed at the Soto temple of Eigen-ji ( in Saitama prefecture ). As Bodiford writes, “ possibly the most celebrated examples of this phenomenon is the ambrosia gate ( kanro mon 甘露門 ) ritual performed at every Sōtō Zen temple ”, which is associated feeding athirst ghosts, ancestor memorial rites and the ghost festival. Bodiford besides notes that conventional Zen rituals of Dharma transmittance much involve esoteric initiations .

doctrine [edit ]

acid teachings can be likened to “ the finger pointing at the daydream ”. Zen teachings target to the moon, awaken, “ a realization of the unimpeded interpenetration of the dharmadhatu “. But the Zen-tradition besides warns against taking its teachings, the point finger, to be this penetration itself. [ 119 ] [ 120 ]

Buddhist Mahayana influences [edit ]

Though Zen-narrative states that it is a “ special infection outside scriptures ”, which “ did not stand upon words ”, Zen does have a rich doctrinal background that is securely grounded in the Buddhist tradition. It was thoroughly influenced by Mahayana teachings on the bodhisattva path, chinese Madhyamaka ( Sānlùn ), Yogacara ( Wéishí ), Prajñaparamita, the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, and other Buddha nature text. The influence of Madhyamaka and Prajñaparamita can be discerned in the try on non-conceptual wisdom of solomon ( prajña ) and the apophatic lyric of Zen literature. [ 127 ] [ note 4 ] The philosophy of the Huayan school besides had an influence on Chinese Chan. One exercise is the Huayan doctrine of the interpenetration of phenomenon, which besides makes use of native Chinese philosophical concepts such as principle ( li ) and phenomena ( shi ). [ 129 ] The Huayan theory of the Fourfold Dharmadhatu besides influenced the Five Ranks of Dongshan Liangjie ( 806–869 ), the founder of the Caodong Chan descent. [ 130 ]

Buddha-nature and subitism [edit ]

Central in the doctrinal growth of Chan Buddhism was the impression of Buddha-nature, the estimate that the awaken heed of a Buddha is already present in each sentient being ( pen chueh in chinese Buddhism, hongaku in Japanese Zen ). This Buddha-nature was initially equated with the nature of mind, while former Chan-teachings evaded any depersonalization by rejecting any positivist terminology. [ notice 3 ] The mind of the immanent character of the Buddha-nature took form in a characteristic emphasis on direct penetration into, and expression of this Buddha-nature. It led to a reinterpretation and Sinification of indian meditation terminology, and an vehemence on subitism, the estimate that the Buddhist teachings and practices are comprehended and expressed “ sudden, ” c.q. “ in one glance, ” “ uncovered all together, ” or “ together, wholly, simultaneously, ” in contrast to gradualism, “ successively or being exposed one after the other. ” The emphasis on subitism led to the idea that “ enlightenment occurs in a one transformation that is both sum and instantaneous ” ( Ch. shih-chueh ). While the attribution of gradualism, attributed by Shenhui to a concurring faction, was a rhetoric device, it led to a conceptual laterality in the Chan-tradition of subitism, in which any load of gradualism was to be avoided. [ note 5 ] This “ rhetorical honor ” was hard to reconcile conceptually with the actual practice of meditation, and left fiddling place in Zen text for the description of actual meditation practices, obviously rejecting any shape of practice. [ note 6 ] rather, those texts directly pointed to and expressed this awakened nature, giving way to the paradoxically nature of run into negotiation and koans .

Caodong/Sōtō/Tào Động [edit ]

japanese Buddhist monk from the Sōtō Zen sect Sōtō is the japanese line of the Chinese Caodong school, which was founded during the Tang Dynasty by Dongshan Liangjie. The Sōtō-school has de-emphasized kōans since Gentō Sokuchū ( circa 1800 ), and alternatively emphasized on shikantaza. Dogen, the founder of Soto in Japan, emphasized that practice and awakening can not be separated. By practicing shikantaza, skill and Buddhahood are already being expressed. For Dogen, zazen, or shikantaza, is the kernel of Buddhist practice. gradual cultivation was besides recognized by Dongshan Liangjie. [ 147 ] A ancestry besides exists in Vietnam, founded by 17th-century Chan maestro Thông Giác Đạo Nam. In vietnamese, the school is known as “ Tào Động. ” [ 148 ]
The Rinzai school is the japanese linage of the chinese Linji school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Linji Yixuan. The Rinzai school emphasizes kensho, insight into one ‘s true nature. This is followed by alleged post-satori practice, far practice to attain Buddhahood. early Zen-teachers have besides expressed sudden insight followed by gradual polish. Jinul, a 12th-century korean Seon headmaster, followed Zongmi, and besides emphasized that insight into our true nature is sudden, but is to be followed by practice to ripen the insight and attain full buddhahood. This is besides the point of view of the contemporary Sanbo Kyodan, according to whom kenshō is at the begin of the path to full nirvana. To attain this primary insight and to deepen it, zazen and kōan-study is deemed necessity. This trajectory of initial insight followed by a gradual deepen and ripen is expressed by Linji in his Three Mysterious Gates and Hakuin Ekaku ‘s Four Ways of Knowing. Another case of depiction of stages on the path are the Ten Bulls, which detail the steps on the path .

bible [edit ]

The function of the bible [edit ]

adverse to the popular effigy, literature does play a character in the Zen coach. Zen is profoundly rooted in the teachings and doctrines of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Classic Zen text, such as the Platform sutra, contain numerous references to Buddhist canonic sutras. Unsui ( Zen-monks ), “ are expected to become familiar with the classics of the Zen canyon ”. A review of the early historical documents and literature of early on Zen masters distinctly reveals that they were well versed in numerous Mahāyāna sūtras, [ note 7 ] [ note 8 ] [ note 9 ] ampere well as Mahayana Buddhist philosophy such as Madhyamaka. however, Zen is frequently pictured as philistine. This mental picture of Zen emerged during the Song Dynasty ( 960–1297 ), when Chán became the dominant mannequin of Buddhism in China, and gained great popularity among the educated and literary classes of chinese society. The use of koans, which are highly stylize literary text, reflects this popularity among the higher classes. The celebrated saying “ do not establish words and letters ”, attributed in this period to Bodhidharma ,

… was taken not as a denial of the recorded words of the Buddha or the doctrinal elaborations by determine monks, but as a warn to those who had become confused about the relationship between Buddhist teaching as a guide to the accuracy and mistook it for the truth itself .

What the Zen tradition emphasizes is that the enlightenment of the Buddha came not through conceptualization but preferably through direct penetration. But direct penetration has to be supported by survey and understanding ( hori ) of the Buddhist teachings and text. [ note 10 ] Intellectual understand without commit is called yako-zen, “ godforsaken flim-flam Zen ”, but “ one who has only feel without intellectual understanding is a zen temma, ‘Zen monster ‘ ” .

Grounding Chán in bible [edit ]

The early Buddhist schools in China were each based on a specific sutra. At the begin of the Tang Dynasty, by the prison term of the Fifth Patriarch Hongren ( 601–674 ), the Zen school became established as a separate school of Buddhism. It had to develop a doctrinal tradition of its own to ascertain its position and to ground its teachings in a specific sutra. respective sutras were used for this even before the time of Hongren : the Śrīmālādevī Sūtra ( Huike ), Awakening of Faith ( Daoxin ), the Lankavatara Sutra ( East Mountain School ), the Diamond Sutra ( Shenhui ), and the Platform Sutra. none of these sutras were critical though, since the school drew inspiration from a variety of sources. subsequently, the Zen custom produced a rich people corpus of written literature, which has become a partially of its practice and teaching. other influential sutras are the Vimalakirti Sutra, Avatamsaka Sutra, the Shurangama Sutra, and the Mahaparinirvana Sutra .

literature [edit ]

The Zen-tradition developed a rich textual custom, based on the interpretation of the Buddhist teachings and the recorded sayings of Zen-masters. Important text are the Platform Sutra ( eighth hundred ), attributed to Huineng ; the Chán infection records, teng-lu, such as The Records of the Transmission of the Lamp ( Ching-te ch’uan-teng lutetium ), compiled by Tao-yün and published in 1004 ; the “ yü-lü ” genre consist of the recorded sayings of the masters, and the confrontation dialogues ; the koan-collections, such as the “ Gateless Gate ” and the “ Blue Cliff Record ” .

organization and institutions [edit ]

religion is not alone an individual matter, but “ besides a collective endeavor ”. Though individual experience and the iconoclastic picture of Zen are emphasised in the western populace, the Zen-tradition is maintained and transferred by a high gear degree of institutionalisation and hierarchy. In Japan, modernity has led to criticism of the formal system and the beginning of lay-oriented Zen-schools such as the Sanbo Kyodan and the Ningen Zen Kyodan. [ 186 ] How to organize the continuity of the Zen-tradition in the West, constraining charismatic agency and the derailment it may bring on the one hand, and maintaining the authenticity and authority by limiting the number of empower teachers on the other hand, is a challenge for the developing Zen-communities in the West .

Narratives [edit ]

The Chán of the Tang Dynasty, particularly that of Mazu and Linji with its stress on “ shock techniques ”, in retrospect was seen as a gold age of Chán. It became dominant during the Song Dynasty, when Chán was the dominant form of Buddhism in China, due to support from the Imperial Court. This word picture has gained great popularity in the West in the twentieth hundred, specially due to the influence of D.T. Suzuki, and far popularized by Hakuun Yasutani and the Sanbo Kyodan. This picture has been challenged, and complemented, since the 1970s by modern scientific research on Zen. Modern scientific inquiry on the history of Zen discerns three main narratives concerning Zen, its history and its teachings : Traditional Zen Narrative ( TZN ), [ 196 ] Buddhist Modernism ( BM ), Historical and Cultural Criticism ( HCC ). An external narrative is Nondualism, which claims Zen to be a token of a universal nondualist essence of religions .

history [edit ]

taiwanese Chán [edit ]

Zen ( chinese : Chán 禪 ) Buddhism, as we know it today, is the resultant role of a farseeing history, with many changes and contingent factors. Each period had different types of Zen, some of which remained influential, while others vanished. The history of Chán in China is divided into respective periods by unlike scholars, who by and large distinguish a classical phase and a post-classical period.

Ferguson distinguishes three periods from the fifth century into the thirteenth century :

The Legendary period, from Bodhidharma in the late 5th century to the An Lushan Rebellion around 765 CE, in the middle of the Tang Dynasty. Little written information is left from this period. It is the time of the Six Patriarchs, including Bodhidharma and Huineng, and the legendary “split” between the Northern and the Southern School of Chán.
The Classical period, from the end of the An Lushan Rebellion around 765 CE to the beginning of the Song Dynasty around 950 CE. This is the time of the great masters of Chán, such as Mazu Daoyi and Linji Yixuan, and the creation of the yü-lü genre, the recordings of the sayings and teachings of these great masters.
The Literary period, from around 950 to 1250, which spans the era of the Song Dynasty (960–1279). In this time the gongan-collections were compiled, collections of sayings and deeds by the famous masters, appended with poetry and commentary. This genre reflects the influence of literati on the development of Chán. This period idealized the previous period as the “golden age” of Chán, producing the literature in which the spontaneity of the celebrated masters was portrayed.

Although McRae has reservations about the division of Chán-history in phases or periods, he however distinguishes four phases in the history of Chán :
Neither Ferguson nor McRae give a periodisation for taiwanese Chán following the Song-dynasty, though McRae mentions “ at least a post-classical phase or possibly multiple phases ”. According to David McMahan :

During the Ming dynasty ( 1368–1644 ) and the Qing Dynasty ( 1644–1912 ) Chán was contribution of a larger, syncretic Buddhist culture. A final examination phase can be distinguished from the nineteenth hundred forth, when western imperialism had a growing influence in South-East Asia, including China. A side effect of this imperial influence was the modernization of asian religions, adapting them to western ideas and rhetorical strategies .

Origins [edit ]

Before the arrival of the “ founder ” of Chan, Bodhidharma, assorted Buddhist masters of meditation or dhyana ( i.e. Chan ) had taught in China. These figures besides brought with them respective meditation text, called the Dhyāna sutra ( chinese : 禪經 chan jing ). These early meditation works chiefly draw from the teachings of the Sarvāstivāda school of Kashmir. [ 210 ] These texts include the translations of the Parthian An Shigao ( 147–168 CE ) like the Anban shouyi jing ( Sanskrit : Ānāpānasmṛti-sūtra ), the numerous translations of Kumārajīva ( 334–413 CE, such as the Zuochan sanmei jing ( Sutra of Sitting Dhyāna samādhi ) and those of Buddhabhadra ( like the Damoduoluo chan jing, Dharmatrāta Dhyāna sūtra ). [ 211 ] [ 212 ] [ 213 ] These early meditation text laid the groundwork for the practices of Chan Buddhism ( Zen ) and the works of the Tiantai meditation master Zhiyi. [ 214 ] The translation work of Kumārajīva ( particularly his Prajñāpāramitā translations and his Vimalakirti Sutra ), Buddhabhadra ( Avatamsaka Sutra ) and Gunabhadra ( Lankāvatāra sūtra ) were besides key formative influences on the origins of Chan. These Buddhist text are some of the identify sources for later Chan masters. [ 215 ] indeed, in some early Chan text ( like the Masters of the Lankāvatāra ), it is Gunabhadra, not Bodhidharma, which is seen as the first patriarch who transmits the Chan linage ( here seen as synonymous with the Lankāvatāra custom ) from India. [ 216 ] The meditation works of the one-fourth Tiantai patriarch Zhiyi, such as his monumental Mohezhiguan, were besides important sources on later Chan meditation manuals, like the Tso-chan-i. [ 217 ] A further possible influence on the origin of Chan Buddhism is Taoism. Some of the earliest chinese Buddhists were influenced by Daoist thinking and terminology and this has led some scholars to see a Taoist influence on Chan. In his history of Zen, Heinrich Dumoulin argued that Chan Buddhist developed out of the concourse of indian Mahayana and taiwanese Taoism. [ 222 ] Two chinese disciples of Kumārajīva, Sengzhao and Tao Sheng were influenced by Taoist works like the Laozi and Zhuangzi. These Sanlun figures in turn had an charm on some early Chan masters. [ 223 ]
Proto-Chán ( c. 500–600 ) encompasses the Southern and Northern Dynasties period ( 420 to 589 ) and Sui Dynasty ( 589–618 CE ). In this phase, Chán developed in multiple locations in northerly China. It was based on the practice of dhyana and is connected to the figures of Bodhidharma, Seng-fu and Huike, though there is little actual diachronic information about these early figures and most legendary stories about their life come from later, by and large Tang sources. What is known is that they were considered Mahayana meditation masters. [ 224 ] An crucial text from this period is the Two Entrances and Four Practices, found in Dunhuang, and attributed to Bodhidharma. Later sources mention that these figures taught using the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra though there is no direct tell of this from the earliest sources . According to John McRae, the earliest Chan sources on these masters show considerable determine from Madhyamaka thought, while the influence from the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra is actually much less pronounce and it is questionable if it was there at all with regards to the earliest figures like Bodhidharma and Huike. [ 224 ]

early Chán [edit ]

Hongren early Chán refers to early Tang Dynasty ( 618–750 ) Chán. The fifth patriarch Daman Hongren ( 601–674 ), and his dharma-heir Yuquan Shenxiu ( 606 ? –706 ) were influential in founding the first Chan institution in chinese history, known as the “ East Mountain school ” ( Dongshan famen ). Hongren taught the practice of shou-hsin, “ keep ( guarding ) the mind, ” in which “ an awareness of True Mind or Buddha-nature within ” is maintained, “ [ exhorting ] the practitioners to unremittingly apply themselves to the practice of meditation. ” Shenxiu was the most influential and charismatic student of Hongren, he was even invited to the Imperial Court by Empress Wu. Shenxiu besides became the aim of much criticism by Shenhui ( 670–762 ), for his “ gradualist ” teachings. Shenhui rather promoted the “ sudden ” teachings of his teacher Huineng ( 638–713 ) vitamin a well as what by and by became a very influential Chán classical called the Platform Sutra. Shenhui ‘s propaganda campaign finally succeeded in elevating Huineng to the condition of sixth patriarch of chinese Chán. The sudden vs. gradual debate that developed in this earned run average came to define by and by forms of Chan Buddhism. [ 232 ]

Middle Chán [edit ]

Mazu The Middle Chán ( c. 750–1000 ) period runs from the An Lushan Rebellion ( 755–763 ) to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period ( 907–960/979 ). This phase saw the development fresh schools of Chan. The most important of these schools is the Hongzhou school of Mazu Daoyi ( 709–788 ), to which besides belong Shitou, Baizhang, and Huangbo. This school is sometimes seen as the archetypal expression of Chán, with its stress on the personal expression of penetration, and its rejection of incontrovertible statements, adenine well as the importance it placed on spontaneous and unconventional “ questions and answers during an meet ” ( linji wenda ) between master and disciple. however, advanced scholars have seen much of the literature that presents these “ iconoclastic ” encounters as being belated revisions during the Song era, and alternatively see the Hongzhou masters as not being very radical, alternatively promoting pretty button-down ideas, such as keeping precepts, accumulating good karma and practicing meditation. The school did produce innovative teachings and perspectives such as Mazu ‘s views that “ this mind is Buddha ” and that “ ordinary mind is the way ”, which were besides critiqued by later figures, such as the influential Guifeng Zongmi ( 780–841 ), for failing to differentiate between ignorance and nirvana. By the end of the late Tang, the Hongzhou school was gradually superseded by versatile regional traditions, which became known as the Five Houses of Chán. Shitou Xiqian ( 710–790 ) is regarded as the Patriarch of Cáodòng ( Jp. Sōtō ) school, while Linji Yixuan ( died 867 ) is regarded as the founder of Línjì ( Jp. Rinzai ) school. Both of these traditions were quite influential both in and outside of China. Another influential Chán master of the late Tang was Xuefeng Yicun. During the former Tang, the exercise of the “ confrontation dialogue ” reached its full maturity. These formal dialogues between dominate and disciple may have used absurd, confused and iconoclastic terminology a well as non-verbal forms of communication such as the draw of circles and physical gestures like shouting and hitting. It was besides common to write fabricated encounter dialogues and attribute them to previous Chán figures. An important textbook from this period is the Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall ( 952 ), which gives many “ encounter-stories ”, american samoa well as establishing a genealogy of the Chán school. The bang-up Anti-Buddhist Persecution in 845 was devastating for metropolitan Chan, but the Chan school of Mazu survived, and took a leading function in the Chan of the late Tang .

Song Dynasty Chán [edit ]

kan huatou, or “inspecting the critical phrase”, of a kōan story. This method was called the “Chan of kōan introspection” (Kanhua Chan).[237]Dahui introduced the method of, or “inspecting the critical phrase”, of a kōan story. This method was called the “Chan of kōan introspection” (). During Song Dynasty Chán ( c. 950–1300 ), Chán Buddhism took its definitive supreme headquarters allied powers europe, through the development of the use of koans for individual report and meditation. It was besides during the Song that Chan literati developed their own idealize history of Chan, particularly promoting the estimate of a Tang “ gold age ” of Chan. During the Song, Chán became the largest faction of chinese Buddhism and had potent ties to the imperial government, which led to the development of a highly unionize system of temple rank and administration. The dominant form of Song Chán was the Linji educate ascribable to support from the scholar-official classify and the imperial court. This school developed the study of gong’an ( “ public event ” ) literature, which depicted stories of master-student encounters that were seen as demonstrations of the awaken judgment. Most of these stories depicted the idealize encounters of past Chan masters, particularly from the Tang era, and show the influence of the chinese literati class. The most influential of these works are the Blue Cliff Record, the Book of Equanimity and The Gateless Gate. During the twelfth hundred, a competition emerged between the Linji and the Caodong schools for the accompaniment of the scholar-official class. Hongzhi Zhengjue ( 1091–1157 ) of the Caodong school emphasized silent light or serene reflection ( mòzhào ) as a think of for lone practice, which could be undertaken by lay-followers. The Linji educate ‘s Dahui Zonggao ( 1089–1163 ) meanwhile, introduced k’an-hua chan ( “ observing the word-head ” chan ), which involved meditation on the crucial idiom or “ punch line ” ( hua-tou ) of a gong’an. The Song besides saw the syncretism of Chán and Pure Land Buddhism by Yongming Yanshou ( 904–975 ), which would later become extremely influential. [ 244 ] Yongming besides echoed Zongmi ‘s study in indicating that the values of Taoism and Confucianism could besides be embraced and integrated into Buddhism. Chán besides influenced Neo-Confucianism ampere well as certain forms of Taoism, such as the Quanzhen school. [ 246 ] During the Song, Chán was besides transported to Japan by figures like Eisai and exerted a great influence on Korean Seon via Jinul .

Post-Classical Chán [edit ]

During the Ming Dynasty, the Chán school was indeed dominant allele that all chinese monks were affiliated with either the Linji school or the Caodong educate. [ 247 ] Some scholars see the post-classical phase as being an “ senesce of syncretism. ” The post-classical period saw the increasing popularity of the double practice of Chán and Pure Land Buddhism ( known as nianfo Chan ), as seen in the teachings of Zhongfeng Mingben ( 1263–1323 ) and the great reformer Hanshan Deqing ( 1546–1623 ). This became a widespread phenomenon and in clock time much of the eminence between them was lost, with many monasteries teaching both Chán meditation and the Pure Land practice of nianfo. [ 250 ] The Ming dynasty besides saw the efforts of figures such as Yunqi Zhuhong ( 1535–1615 ) and Daguan Zhenke ( 1543–1603 ) to revive and reconcile Chan Buddhism with the practice of Buddhist scriptural study and spell. In the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Chán was “ reinvented ”, by the “ revival of beat and shout practices ” by Miyun Yuanwu ( 1566–1642 ), and the publication of the Wudeng yantong ( “ The rigorous infection of the five Chan schools ” ) by Feiyin Tongrong ‘s ( 1593–1662 ), a dharma heir of Miyun Yuanwu. The book placed self-proclaimed Chan monks without proper Dharma transmission in the category of “ lineage strange ” ( sifa weixiang ), thereby excluding respective big Caodong monks .

Modern earned run average [edit ]

[252]Xuyun was one of the most influential Chán Buddhists of the 19th and 20th centuries. After farther centuries of descent during the Qing Dynasty ( 1644–1912 ), Chán natural process was revived again in the 19th and 20th centuries by a bustle of modernist action. This menstruation saw the resurrect of worldly Chan activism, what is sometimes called human-centered Buddhism ( or more literally “ Buddhism for human life ”, rensheng fojiao ), promoted by figures like Jing’an ( 1851–1912 ), Yuanying ( 1878–1953 ), Taixu ( 1890–1947 ), Xuyun ( 1840–1959 ) and Yinshun ( 1906–2005 ). These figures promoted sociable activism to address issues such as poverty and social injustice, equally well as participation in political movements. They besides promoted modern skill and scholarship, including the use of the methods of modern critical eruditeness to study the history of Chan. many Chán teachers today trace their lineage back to Xuyun, including Sheng-yen and Hsuan Hua, who have propagated Chán in the West where it has grown steadily through the twentieth and 21st centuries. Chán Buddhism was repressed in China during the 1960s in the cultural Revolution, but in the subsequent reform and opening up period in the 1970s, a revival of chinese Buddhism has been taking home on the mainland, while Buddhism has a meaning succeed in Taiwan and Hong Kong a well as among oversea Chinese .

Spread outside of China [edit ]

vietnamese Thiền [edit ]

Chan was introduced to Vietnam during the early chinese occupation periods ( 111 BCE to 939 CE ) as Thiền. During the Lý ( 1009–1225 ) and Trần ( 1225 to 1400 ) dynasties, Thiền rose to prominence among the elites and the royal court and a new native tradition was founded, the Trúc Lâm ( “ Bamboo Grove ” ) school, which besides contained confucian and taoist influences. In the seventeenth hundred, the Linji school was brought to Vietnam as the Lâm Tế, which besides mixed Chan and Pure farming. Lâm Tế remains the largest monk order in the country today. [ 254 ] advanced Vietnamese Thiền is influenced by Buddhist modernism. [ 255 ] Important figures include Thiền master Thích Thanh Từ ( 1924– ), the militant and popularizer Thích Nhất Hạnh ( 1926– ) and the philosopher Thích Thiên-Ân. vietnamese Thiền is eclectic and inclusive, bringing in many practices such as breath meditation, nianfo, mantra, Theravada influences, chanting, sutra recitation and engaged Buddhism activism .

korean Seon [edit ]

Jogyesa is the headquarters of the Jogye Order. The temple was first established in 1395, at the dawn of the Joseon Dynasty. Seon ( 선 ) was gradually transmitted into Korea during the former Silla period ( 7th through 9th centuries ) as korean monks began to travel to China to learn the newly developing Chan tradition of Mazu Daoyi and returned home to establish the Chan school. They established the initial Seon schools of Korea, which were known as the “ nine mountain schools “ ( 九山, gusan ). Seon received its most significant drift and consolidation from the Goryeo monk Jinul ( 1158–1210 ), who is considered the most influential figure in the formation of the mature Seon school. He founded the Jogye Order, which remains the largest Seon custom in Korea today. Jinul founded the Songgwangsa temple as a new center of Seon study and commit. Jinul besides wrote extensive works on Seon, developing a comprehensive system of think and practice. From Dahui Zonggao, Jinul adopted the hwadu method acting, which remains the independent meditation phase teach in Seon today. buddhism was by and large suppressed during the rigorously confucian Joseon Dynasty ( 1392–1910 ), and the numeral of monasteries and clergy sharply declined. The menstruation of japanese occupation besides brought numerous modernist ideas and changes to Korean Seon. Some monks began to adopt the japanese practice of marrying and having families, while others such as Yongseong, worked to resist the japanese occupation. today, the largest Seon school, the Jogye, enforces celibacy, while the second gear largest, the Taego Order, allows for married priests. authoritative modernist figures that influenced contemporary Seon include Seongcheol and Gyeongheo. Seon has besides been transmitted to West, with new traditions such as the Kwan Um School of Zen .

japanese Zen [edit ]

Zen was not introduced as a separate school until the twelfth century, when Myōan Eisai traveled to China and returned to establish a Linji descent, which finally perished. [ 256 ] Decades late, Nanpo Shōmyō ( 南浦紹明 ) ( 1235–1308 ) besides studied Linji teachings in China before founding the japanese Otokan ancestry, the most influential and merely surviving lineage of Rinzai in Japan. [ 256 ] In 1215, Dōgen, a younger contemporary of Eisai ‘s, journeyed to China himself, where he became a disciple of the Caodong maestro Tiantong Rujing. After his return, Dōgen established the Sōtō school, the japanese outgrowth of Caodong. The three traditional schools of Zen in contemporary Japan are the Sōtō ( 曹洞 ), Rinzai ( 臨済 ), and Ōbaku ( 黃檗 ). Of these, Sōtō is the largest, and Ōbaku the smallest, with Rinzai in the middle. These schools are far divided into subschools by read/write head synagogue, with two head temples for Sōtō ( Sōji-ji and Eihei-ji, with Sōji-ji having a much larger network ), fourteen head temples for Rinzai, and one headway temple ( Manpuku-ji ) for Ōbaku, for a total of 17 head temples. The Rinzai head temples, which are most numerous, have substantial overlap with the traditional Five Mountain System, and include Myoshin-ji, Nanzen-ji, Tenryū-ji, Daitoku-ji, and Tofuku-ji, among others. Besides these traditional organizations, there are modern Zen organizations that have particularly attracted western put followers, namely the Sanbo Kyodan and the FAS Society .

Zen in the West [edit ]

Although it is difficult to trace the accurate moment when the West foremost became mindful of Zen as a distinct shape of Buddhism, the visit of Soyen Shaku, a japanese Zen monk, to Chicago during the World Parliament of Religions in 1893 is much pointed to as an consequence that enhanced the profile of Zen in the western worldly concern. It was during the belated 1950s and the early on 1960s that the number of Westerners other than the descendants of asian immigrants who were pursuing a dangerous interest in Zen began to reach a significant level. japanese Zen has gained the greatest popularity in the West. The assorted books on Zen by Reginald Horace Blyth, Alan Watts, Philip Kapleau and D. T. Suzuki [ citation needed ] published between 1950 and 1975, contributed to this growing interest in Zen in the West, as did the pastime on the part of beatnik poets such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder. In 1958, the literary magazine Chicago Review played a significant character in introducing Zen to the american literary community [ 258 ] when it published a especial consequence [ 259 ] on Zen featuring the aforesaid beat poets and works in translation. Erich Fromm quotes D. T. Suzuki in his 1960 book Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism. [ 260 ]

See besides [edit ]

Notes [edit ]

^Zen. A History. Part One: India and China: “Zen (Chin. Ch’an, an abbreviation of ch’an-na, which transliterates the Sanskrit Dhyāna (Devanagari: ध्यान) or its Pali cognate Jhāna (Sanskrit; Pāli झान), terms meaning “meditation”) is the name of a Mahāyāna Buddhist school of meditation originating in China. It is characterized by the practice of meditation in the lotus position (Jpn., zazen; Chin., tso-ch’an and the use of the koan (Chin., kung-an) as well as by the enlightenment experience of satori Dumoulin writes in his foreword to : “ Zen ( Chin. Ch’an, an abbreviation of, which transliterates the Sanskrit ( Devanagari : ध्यान ) or its Pali connate ( Sanskrit ; Pāli झान ), terms meaning “ meditation ” ) is the identify of a Mahāyāna Buddhist school of meditation originating in China. It is characterized by the practice of meditation in the lotus situation ( Jpn., ; Chin., and the use of the koan ( Chin., ) adenine well as by the enlightenment experience of
^Ju-tao an-hsin yao-fang-pien fa-men (JTFM, Instructions on essential expedients for calming the mind and accessing the path), itself a part of the Leng Ch’ieh Shih TZu Chi (Records of the Masters of the Lankavatara). The Records of the Masters of the Lankavatara is associated with the early Chan tradition known as the “[30] It first appears in a chinese textbook named the ( JTFM, Instructions on necessity expedients for calming the mind and accessing the path ), itself a part of the ( Records of the Masters of the Lankavatara ). The Records of the Masters of the Lankavatara is associated with the early Chan tradition known as the “ East Mountain School “ and has been dated to around 713 .
a b Compare Mazu ‘s “ Mind is Buddha ” versus “ No mind, no Buddha ” : “ When Ch’an Master Fa-ch’ang of Ta-mei Mountain went to see the Patriarch for the first time, he asked, “ What is Buddha ? ”
The Patriarch replied, “ Mind is Buddha. ” [ On hearing this ] Fa-ch’ang had capital awaken.
late he went to live on Ta-mei batch. When the Patriarch heard that he was residing on the mountain, he sent one of his monks to go there and ask Fa-ch’ang, “ What did the Venerable obtain when he saw Ma-tsu, so that he has come to live on this batch ? ”
Fach’ang said, “ Ma-tsu told me that mind is Buddha ; sol I came to live hera. ”
The monk said, “ Ma-tsu ‘s teach has changed recently. ”
Fa-ch’ang asked, “ What is the dispute ? ”
The monk said, “ Nowadays he besides says, ‘Neither mind nor Buddha. ” ‘
Fa-ch’ang said, “ That old homo still has n’t stopped confusing people. You can have ‘neither mind nor Buddha, ‘ I only concern for ‘mind is Buddha. ” ‘
The monk returned to the Patriarch and reported what has happened. “ The plum is advanced. ” said the Patriarch. ”
^ According to Kalupahana, the influence of Yofacara is stronger in the ts’ao-tung school and the custom of silent meditation, while the influence of Madhyamaka is pass in the koan-tradition and its stress on insight and the consumption of paradoxical language .
^ however, the Platform Sutra attempts to reconcile Shenhui ‘s rhetorics with the actual Zen practices, just like late Chan writers like Zong-mi did .
^ however, the classical music text of Chan which seem to reject rehearse, besides contain references to practice. Chieng Cheng : “ … in the writings that are associated with [ Ma-tsu ‘s ] school there is a distinguish tendency towards elocutionary honor, where all forms of verbal formulation are eschewed, including any instructions about practice. however, the fact that practical advice about daily cultivation is something that is normally lacking in the records of the masters of this custom does not necessity means that it was not given by them. In the records of Ma-tsu ‘s Hung-chou school there are instances with identical open “ gradual ” ting [ … ] In looking for potential reasons for the apparent lack of expedient means in the extant records of the teachings of the Hung-chou school, it might be utilitarian to remind ourselves of the audience to whom the teach was directed. As the records make it clear, most of the teachings were received by monks who were familiar with the basic Buddhist practices and ( ideally ) had dependable dominate of the doctrinal teachings [ … ] It seems that the basic practices of idolize, study, precepts, and meditation were all excessively companion to be regarded as somethingthat was necessary to be recorded. ”
^ Sasaki ‘s translation of the Linji yulu contains an extensive biography of 62 pages, listing influential chinese Buddhist text that played a role in Song dynasty Chán .
^ Albert Low : “ It is discernible that the masters were well versed in the sutra. Zen master Tokusan, for exercise, knew the Diamond Sutra well and, before meeting with his own Zen maestro, lectured upon it extensively ; the collapse of the Zen sect, Bodhidharma, the identical one who preached selfrealization outside the scriptures, however advocated the Lankavatara Sutra ; Zen master Hogen knew the Avatamsaka Sutra well, and koan twenty-six in the Mumonkan, in which Hogen is involved, comes out of the teach of that sutra. other koans, excessively, make reference directly or indirectly to the sutra. The autobiography of yet another Zen victor, Hui Neng, subsequently became the Platform Sutra, one of those sutras so condemned by those who reject cerebral and sutra studies ”
^ Poceski : “ address references to specific scriptures are relatively rare in the records of Mazu and his disciples, but that does not mean that they rejected the canyon or repudiated its authority. On the contrary, one of the hit features of their records is that they are filled with scriptural quotations and allusions, even though the full extent of their custom of canonic sources is not immediately obvious and its discernment requires acquaintance with Buddhist literature. ” See source for a full-length exercise from “ one of Mazu ‘s sermons ”, in which can be found references to the Vimalakīrti Scripture, the Huayan Scripture, the Mahāsamnipata-sūtra, the Foshuo Foming Scripture 佛說佛名經, the Lankāvatāra scripture and the Faju jing .
^ Hakuin goes a far as to country that the buddhat path even starts with study : “ [ A ] person [ … ] must first gain wide-ranging cognition, accumulate a treasure-store of wisdom by studying all the Buddhist sutras and commentaries, reading through all the classical works Buddhist and nonBuddhist and perusing the writings of the wise men of early traditions. It is for that reason the vow states “ the Dharma teachings are infinite, I vow to study them all. ” ”
^ McRae gives no far data on this “ Hubei cabal ”. It may be the lengthiness of Shenxiu ‘s “ Northern School ”. See Nadeau 2012 p.89. Hebei was besides the rate where the Linji branch of chán originate .

References [edit ]

Sources [edit ]

Printed sources