Zen: Primer

Zen Buddhism

Philosophy and Religion (HCMII) By Joseph Anbarasu

Meaning of Zen Something mysteriously formed,  Born before heaven and earth.  In the silence and the void,  Standing alone and unchanging,  Ever present and in motion.  Perhaps it is the mother of ten thousand things.  I do not know its name.  Call it Tao.  For lack of a better word, I call it great. 

Zen (Meditation) 

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In Indian language Sanskrit, dhyana means (meditation) + In Daoism, it is an idea of concentration It becomes Chinese Chan And It is enriched as Japanese Zen

Mahayana and Five schools: Zen  Born

in Hindu Environment from Buddhism  Heenayana and Mahayana Buddhism  Latter split into five schools, one of which is Zen  Sudden enlightenment  Mind as simple, a unity, indivisible

Mahayana and Zen  Mind

is the starting point, the focal point and also the culminating point in the liberated and purified saint  Buddha-nature (or Buddhamind; nirvana) is everywhere  Anything can bring about its

Goal of Zen: Enlightenment 

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Satori is the spiritual goal of Zen Buddhism (in Chinese: wu). It is a key concept in Zen. it may come suddenly seemingly out of nowhere as found in the Enlightenment process, Or it may come after an undetermined passage of time centered around years of intense study and meditation Or it may come after forty unrelenting years as with the Buddha's brother Ananda Zen theses are not descriptive They try to induce certain experiences.

Who is an Enlightened Monk? Two monks were once 

traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was falling. Coming around the bend, they met a lovely girl, unable to cross the intersection.“Come on, girl,” said the first monk. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud. The second monk did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer could restrain himself. “We monks don’t go near females,” he said. “It is dangerous. Why did you do that?” “I left the girl

Enlightenment

 Joy  World is beautiful and good  Heightened sense of reality  See beyond appearances to

nature of things  Unity of mind and world

true

Paths to Enlightenment 

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Zazen (Zen sitting meditation) and shakyo (copying sutras) Sanzen: consultation Koan (paradoxes): It is a story, dialogue, question, or statement in the history and lore of Zen Buddhism puzzles Koan break down rational thought

Koan What is the sound of one hand clapping?  How did your face look before your ancestors were born?  What direction does the twelve-face Kuan-yin face?  A cow passes by a window. The horns, head, and four legs pass by. Why doesn’t the tail pass by? 

More Koan A

man kept a goose in a bottle. It grew larger and larger until it couldn’t get out anymore. He didn’t want to hurt the goose, and he didn’t want to break the bottle. How can he get it out?  “What is the Buddha-nature?” “Three pounds of flax.”  “Does a dog have Buddha-nature?” “Mu!”

The Point of Koan  Thought

depends on discrimination (drawing distinctions)  Discrimination leads to suffering  Koan try to force the mind out of usual habits of discrimination  Goal: to experience emptiness (sunyata)

Development of Zen  Buddha’s

Flower

Sermon  Bodhidharma — > China  Yixuan (Linji, Linchi, Rinzai), d. 869; sudden enlightenment

The Lightning Method 

Yixuan uses shouts and beatings to prepare mind for enlightenment

Message beyond scriptures  Zen

is a special message that lies beyond the scriptures  It doesn’t depend on language; it can’t be written down  Tries to transmit an experience that yields direct insight into mind and Buddha-nature

Zen Theses: Interrelation

 All

things interrelate and affect one another  Each object (dharma) can be defined only in terms of other dharmas

Zen Theses: Emptiness

 The  The

nature of dharmas is empty ultimate truth of the world is emptiness

Mt. Kailash, Tibet

Discrimination and Language  Language

involves discrimination  Noun: pig/not

pig  Adjective: pink/not pink  Verb: fly/not fly  Adverb: quickly/ not quickly

Experience and Language

 Experience

goes beyond discriminations  Experience can’t be captured in language

Discrimination and Desire

 Desire

also requires discrimination

 Satisfaction: what we want  Frustration: not what we want

Discrimination and Desire The dharmas are empty  The distinctions are unreal  We think in language —> we project distinctions onto world —> we desire —> we suffer 

Cocoon of discrimination  

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Language —> suffering We can avoid desire and suffering by transcending language To escape cycle of birth and death, avoid “becoming imprisoned in a cocoon of discrimination”

Two Kinds of Experience

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Reflective experience: experience with thought and self-awareness; mind distinct from objects of thought

Clear Mind

 Prereflective

experience— “clear mind”— experience without thought or self-awareness; mind as mirror: no distinction between mind and object

Levels of Self-awareness

    

** driving ** I’m driving I’m thinking, “I’m driving” I’m thinking, “I’m thinking, ‘I’m driving’” I’m thinking, “I’m thinking, ‘I’m thinking, . . . .’”

How to break out? 

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Rational thought about reflection leads to more reflection Cf.: “Don’t be selfconscious!” “Try not to try so hard!” Koan, shouts, beatings, etc., try to break pattern of rational reflection

Ultimate truth 

“The ultimate truth is Mind itself, which is free from all forms, inner and outer. No words can therefore describe mind, no discriminations can reveal it.”

Understanding Zen 

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Zen can’t be understood by rational thought Those who understand Zen don’t understand it Those who don’t understand Zen understand it

Selecting the Sixth Patriarch 

Hongren, on why he chose Hui-neng(638723) as his successor: “Of my 500 disciples 499 possess a remarkable understanding of Zen. Only Huinengdid not understand Zen. That’s why I chose him.”

The Zen Circle

The Zen Circle 180°: Nothing I Tathagata Zen

90°: Karma 

270°: Freedom I 

Patriarchal 

Theoretical  360°: Big I

0°: Small 

0°: Small I  We

use language, make distinctions  Attached to name and form  We label and define objects  Book ≠ pencil  We desire and suffer

90°: Karma I Theoretical Zen Attached to thinking  Dharmas are empty  Everything is manifestation of mind  Book = pencil; all things ultimately one  Form = emptiness  

180°: Nothing I Tathagata Zen First Enlightenment  Give up attachment to thinking  Attached to emptiness  Everything empty  Can’t define anything  “What is a book?” “Is the book the  

270°: Freedom I Attached to freedom  Even emptiness is empty  Not bound by name, form, or emptiness  World can be anything we like; we are free  “The book is angry; the pencil laughs” 

360°: Big I         

Patriarchal Zen Full Enlightenment No attachment to anything We see things as they are Action intuitive Mind is clear mirror No desire “The book is the book; the pencil is the pencil” “Just like this”

Thanks to the contributors of valuable sources

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