Hi,
I am only going to recommend the following for real Zen history wonks who are interested in the story of how Buddhism came from India to China, blended with Chinese philosophy and sensibilities (particularly Daoist, and a particular flavor of Daoism called Lao-Chuang), thereby giving rise to much of the Chan/Zen perspective we practice even today.
The paper itself is not that long. However, even just the first 2 or 3 pages are worth a glance. It is hard to miss the commonality with the way the Zen Teachings are presented even now (especially in Soto Zen, even right in this Sangha), although the way of putting things has come to be in a more Buddhist package ... The blend between Buddhist thought and what is described in the following paragraphs resulted in a lovely offspring which became Chan/Zen ...
While there are important differences in presentation, the freedom from categorical thinking such as love and hate, life and death. and the focus on "non-action, non-thinking" is part of the road leading here. The paper shows how these same views came to be found in some of the early Chan writings we still prize today, such as the Xin Xin Ming ..
Also interesting is the tug-o-war between the emphasis in these teachings of being active and out in the world, and the later Buddhist emphasis which tended toward a monastic lifestyle. This tug-o-war is still going on in modern Buddhism, as we seek to bring these teachings out into the world (as in our little corner of Buddhism).
Some folks ask me from time to time if it matters that Buddhism changed over time as it encountered different cultures and times. Yes, Buddhism has evolved over the years, comes in many flavors, and many of the flavors and evolutions are good. I usually say this ...
Gassho, J
SatToday
I am only going to recommend the following for real Zen history wonks who are interested in the story of how Buddhism came from India to China, blended with Chinese philosophy and sensibilities (particularly Daoist, and a particular flavor of Daoism called Lao-Chuang), thereby giving rise to much of the Chan/Zen perspective we practice even today.
The paper itself is not that long. However, even just the first 2 or 3 pages are worth a glance. It is hard to miss the commonality with the way the Zen Teachings are presented even now (especially in Soto Zen, even right in this Sangha), although the way of putting things has come to be in a more Buddhist package ... The blend between Buddhist thought and what is described in the following paragraphs resulted in a lovely offspring which became Chan/Zen ...
Chuang-Tzu And The Chinese Ancestry of Ch'an Buddhism
Livia Knaul
Journal of Chinese Philosophy
Vol.13 (1986)
In regarding the development of Ch'an Buddhism much emphasis has traditionally been placed on its Indian background. Of course, it has been recognized that the Indian sources passed through a process of translation and adaptation to the Chinese ... This tradition became the major vehicle for the translation of Buddhist concepts into Chinese thinking.
...
Mysticism as found in the Chuang-Tzu is based on
the assumption that the Tao, the Absolute, is always
here and there and everywhere. Man became separated
from the Tao as he developed consciousness, through
which he came to hate death and love life, and
constantly shifted between emotional and intellectual
extremes. To remedy this situation, rather than
making choices, he should identify with all, as all
is the Tao, and "make all things equal," forgetting
himself and the world by "sitting in oblivion".(3)
Once freed from the 'fetters and handcuffs' of
categorial thinking, he will mentally dissolve into
Chaos (hun-tun(a)),(4) after which there will be no
more right and wrong, no more death and life. Man
will then become fully at-one with the Tao and able
to enjoy everything just as it is. This is the true
freedom of man, the 'free and easy wandering" of the
first chapter of the Chuang-Tzu. The mind then can
roam through the universe in cosmic excursion, but it
is also perfectly suited to dealing with everyday
realities.(5) The true man is always one in what he
does, his mere presence benefits the age. He has a
human face, but is actually filled with the emptiness
of Heaven; acting like everyone else, he never gets
entangled.(6)
Systematized by Kuo Hsiang,the essential ideas of
Chuang-Tzu mysticism are organized into a
philosophical world-view. The Tao, the eternal
Absolute, which is characterized as changing on and
on without beginning or end, is called Self-so or
nature. ... But
consciousness causes him to love and hate and
discriminate, spoiling the original purity. In
realizing that he is bound by his perception, man can
attain a state of utmost accordance with life: by
emptying his mind and "sitting in oblivion" the state
of realization of nature within himself. This is the
interpretation Kuo Hsiang gives for the "free and
easy wandering" of the Chuang-Tzu. Mystical union,
the merging of one's mind with the Absolute in Chaos,
he expresses through the word ming(d) as opposed to
hsiang(e), to think in dualistic patterns. Both terms
were later used by Buddhists.
Furthermore, the Chuang-Tzu ideal of no-mind, wu-
hsin(f), of "keeping a free self in the midst of any
and all circumstances, to affirm the here and now
actively as one's own"(7), is elaborated by Kuo
Hsiang to encompass not only non-action, but also non-happiness,
non-reliance, non-knowledge, etc. These are ideal
states of mind developed through the complete denial
of their imperfect and impure counterparts in the
world. With no-mind, the true man, rather than
withdrawing into the wilderness, will be able to find
the place in society most appropriate for him.
Precisely because "he stopped being aware of beings,
he is able to enter the crowd". (Comm. ch. 6)
Fulfilling his social responsibilities to the utmost,
he realizes his given share of the universal truth.
As everything is the Tao, no task is too low to grant
fulfillment. An tasks are duties in the world and for
the good of society, which itself is but a part of
the cosmic process with which one should always be in
tune. This notion which mirrors Confucian concepts as
much as the ideal Taoist state of Great Peace is
contradictory to the Buddhist postulation that one
has to leave one's family and society in order to
realize oneself as a monk and as a true man.
Furthermore, the Chuang-Tzu ideal of no-mind, wu-
hsin(f), of "keeping a free self in the midst of any
and all circumstances, to affirm the here and now
actively as one's own"(7), is elaborated by Kuo
Hsiang to encompass not only non-action, but also non-happiness,
non-reliance, non-knowledge, etc. These are ideal
states of mind developed through the complete denial
of their imperfect and impure counterparts in the
world. With no-mind, the true man, rather than
withdrawing into the wilderness, will be able to find
the place in society most appropriate for him.
Precisely because "he stopped being aware of beings,
he is able to enter the crowd". (Comm. ch. 6)
Livia Knaul
Journal of Chinese Philosophy
Vol.13 (1986)
In regarding the development of Ch'an Buddhism much emphasis has traditionally been placed on its Indian background. Of course, it has been recognized that the Indian sources passed through a process of translation and adaptation to the Chinese ... This tradition became the major vehicle for the translation of Buddhist concepts into Chinese thinking.
...
Mysticism as found in the Chuang-Tzu is based on
the assumption that the Tao, the Absolute, is always
here and there and everywhere. Man became separated
from the Tao as he developed consciousness, through
which he came to hate death and love life, and
constantly shifted between emotional and intellectual
extremes. To remedy this situation, rather than
making choices, he should identify with all, as all
is the Tao, and "make all things equal," forgetting
himself and the world by "sitting in oblivion".(3)
Once freed from the 'fetters and handcuffs' of
categorial thinking, he will mentally dissolve into
Chaos (hun-tun(a)),(4) after which there will be no
more right and wrong, no more death and life. Man
will then become fully at-one with the Tao and able
to enjoy everything just as it is. This is the true
freedom of man, the 'free and easy wandering" of the
first chapter of the Chuang-Tzu. The mind then can
roam through the universe in cosmic excursion, but it
is also perfectly suited to dealing with everyday
realities.(5) The true man is always one in what he
does, his mere presence benefits the age. He has a
human face, but is actually filled with the emptiness
of Heaven; acting like everyone else, he never gets
entangled.(6)
Systematized by Kuo Hsiang,the essential ideas of
Chuang-Tzu mysticism are organized into a
philosophical world-view. The Tao, the eternal
Absolute, which is characterized as changing on and
on without beginning or end, is called Self-so or
nature. ... But
consciousness causes him to love and hate and
discriminate, spoiling the original purity. In
realizing that he is bound by his perception, man can
attain a state of utmost accordance with life: by
emptying his mind and "sitting in oblivion" the state
of realization of nature within himself. This is the
interpretation Kuo Hsiang gives for the "free and
easy wandering" of the Chuang-Tzu. Mystical union,
the merging of one's mind with the Absolute in Chaos,
he expresses through the word ming(d) as opposed to
hsiang(e), to think in dualistic patterns. Both terms
were later used by Buddhists.
Furthermore, the Chuang-Tzu ideal of no-mind, wu-
hsin(f), of "keeping a free self in the midst of any
and all circumstances, to affirm the here and now
actively as one's own"(7), is elaborated by Kuo
Hsiang to encompass not only non-action, but also non-happiness,
non-reliance, non-knowledge, etc. These are ideal
states of mind developed through the complete denial
of their imperfect and impure counterparts in the
world. With no-mind, the true man, rather than
withdrawing into the wilderness, will be able to find
the place in society most appropriate for him.
Precisely because "he stopped being aware of beings,
he is able to enter the crowd". (Comm. ch. 6)
Fulfilling his social responsibilities to the utmost,
he realizes his given share of the universal truth.
As everything is the Tao, no task is too low to grant
fulfillment. An tasks are duties in the world and for
the good of society, which itself is but a part of
the cosmic process with which one should always be in
tune. This notion which mirrors Confucian concepts as
much as the ideal Taoist state of Great Peace is
contradictory to the Buddhist postulation that one
has to leave one's family and society in order to
realize oneself as a monk and as a true man.
Furthermore, the Chuang-Tzu ideal of no-mind, wu-
hsin(f), of "keeping a free self in the midst of any
and all circumstances, to affirm the here and now
actively as one's own"(7), is elaborated by Kuo
Hsiang to encompass not only non-action, but also non-happiness,
non-reliance, non-knowledge, etc. These are ideal
states of mind developed through the complete denial
of their imperfect and impure counterparts in the
world. With no-mind, the true man, rather than
withdrawing into the wilderness, will be able to find
the place in society most appropriate for him.
Precisely because "he stopped being aware of beings,
he is able to enter the crowd". (Comm. ch. 6)
The Hsi-hsin-ming offers fervent advice to stop
thinking and worrying:
Don't think much, don't know muchl Much
knowledge means deep involvement, it is much
better to rest the will. A head full of worries
means many failures; how much better to 'guard
the One'?
It promises tremendous results:
When all mentation and thoughts cease,life and
death (=samsara) will be cut off permanently.
No more death, no more life, no Phenomena, no
names. One Tao in emptiness and vastness, the
myriad beings all made equal.
thinking and worrying:
Don't think much, don't know muchl Much
knowledge means deep involvement, it is much
better to rest the will. A head full of worries
means many failures; how much better to 'guard
the One'?
It promises tremendous results:
When all mentation and thoughts cease,life and
death (=samsara) will be cut off permanently.
No more death, no more life, no Phenomena, no
names. One Tao in emptiness and vastness, the
myriad beings all made equal.
Also interesting is the tug-o-war between the emphasis in these teachings of being active and out in the world, and the later Buddhist emphasis which tended toward a monastic lifestyle. This tug-o-war is still going on in modern Buddhism, as we seek to bring these teachings out into the world (as in our little corner of Buddhism).
Some folks ask me from time to time if it matters that Buddhism changed over time as it encountered different cultures and times. Yes, Buddhism has evolved over the years, comes in many flavors, and many of the flavors and evolutions are good. I usually say this ...
There is a wonderful history book which had a major impact a few years ago ... The Making of Buddhist Modernism ...
Many of the modern interpretations of Buddhism so common in the West today are actually the product of Western and Asian moudernizers of the late 19th and 20th century ... such as the equality of women (unusual in traditional, class bound Asian societies), the ability of non-monastic lay folks to engage in Practices such as Zazen, the emphasis on Buddhism as a "scientific" system and the Buddha as a humanist or psychologist who did not emphasize religious aspects, and the emphasis on charity (other than the traditional emphasis on lay donations to monastics). The latter always existed, but has been greatly emphasized in response to competition from Christian missionaries, Judeo-Christian values in the West and such.
But that does not mean that, just because something is relatively new or a reform, it is a bad thing at all. Further, I believe that all such changes are in total harmony with Traditional Buddhist Values and Teachings.
I do not recommend the above book to anyone but Buddhist history geeks, but here is a further description and commentary by David Chapman for those interested ...
====
- "Zen" pretty much developed in China around the 6th Century when Indian Buddhism met Chinese culture and sensibilities, and then kept developing and evolving right to today. It moved on to Japan and Korea, changed a bit more, and now to the West. It is the same, but different, different but the same in many ways. It is not exactly what and how the historical Buddha taught. In fact, in some ways it is an improvement, with the Buddha something like our "Henry Ford" or the "Wright Brothers"! (At least we think so.
That is one reason that Mahayana Buddhists, the "Great Vehicle", for thousands of years have been calling all that Indian stuff "the Lessor vehicle" ... although no longer PC to do ... and why Zen folks have implied that their way was a "Special Transmission" different from all that the historical Buddha taught other folks who needed their Buddhism in other packages.).
- Zen is Ultimately Timeless. Truly, if one encounters Enlightenment right here, right now, on one's Zafu, then we might say all the Buddhas and Ancestors are "Real" beyond small human ideas of "true or false", and all the Buddhas and Ancestors are sitting on the Zafu as you are sitting. If one pierces the Wisdom manifested in a Koan story, it does not matter that the event depicted never actually took place, for one is manifesting the Wisdom in the Koan even if written by someone simply to depict that Wisdom.
However, the Heart of the Buddha's teachings ... the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, Non-Self, Non-Attachment, the Middle Way, etc. etc., ... All are here now as much as there then!! When we are sitting a moment of Zazen ... perfectly whole, just complete unto itself, without borders and duration, not long or short, nothing to add or take away, containing all moments and no moments in "this one moment" ... piercing Dukkha, attaining non-self, non-attached ... then there is not the slightest gap between each of us and the Buddha.
Many of the modern interpretations of Buddhism so common in the West today are actually the product of Western and Asian moudernizers of the late 19th and 20th century ... such as the equality of women (unusual in traditional, class bound Asian societies), the ability of non-monastic lay folks to engage in Practices such as Zazen, the emphasis on Buddhism as a "scientific" system and the Buddha as a humanist or psychologist who did not emphasize religious aspects, and the emphasis on charity (other than the traditional emphasis on lay donations to monastics). The latter always existed, but has been greatly emphasized in response to competition from Christian missionaries, Judeo-Christian values in the West and such.
But that does not mean that, just because something is relatively new or a reform, it is a bad thing at all. Further, I believe that all such changes are in total harmony with Traditional Buddhist Values and Teachings.
I do not recommend the above book to anyone but Buddhist history geeks, but here is a further description and commentary by David Chapman for those interested ...
====
- "Zen" pretty much developed in China around the 6th Century when Indian Buddhism met Chinese culture and sensibilities, and then kept developing and evolving right to today. It moved on to Japan and Korea, changed a bit more, and now to the West. It is the same, but different, different but the same in many ways. It is not exactly what and how the historical Buddha taught. In fact, in some ways it is an improvement, with the Buddha something like our "Henry Ford" or the "Wright Brothers"! (At least we think so.
That is one reason that Mahayana Buddhists, the "Great Vehicle", for thousands of years have been calling all that Indian stuff "the Lessor vehicle" ... although no longer PC to do ... and why Zen folks have implied that their way was a "Special Transmission" different from all that the historical Buddha taught other folks who needed their Buddhism in other packages.). - Zen is Ultimately Timeless. Truly, if one encounters Enlightenment right here, right now, on one's Zafu, then we might say all the Buddhas and Ancestors are "Real" beyond small human ideas of "true or false", and all the Buddhas and Ancestors are sitting on the Zafu as you are sitting. If one pierces the Wisdom manifested in a Koan story, it does not matter that the event depicted never actually took place, for one is manifesting the Wisdom in the Koan even if written by someone simply to depict that Wisdom.
However, the Heart of the Buddha's teachings ... the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, Non-Self, Non-Attachment, the Middle Way, etc. etc., ... All are here now as much as there then!! When we are sitting a moment of Zazen ... perfectly whole, just complete unto itself, without borders and duration, not long or short, nothing to add or take away, containing all moments and no moments in "this one moment" ... piercing Dukkha, attaining non-self, non-attached ... then there is not the slightest gap between each of us and the Buddha.
SatToday
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