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Zen: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Bankeitumblr lm43mrAJZc1qzgealo1 1280Sakyamuni&Maitreya.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Sakyamuni, Maitreya and the | [[File:Bankeitumblr lm43mrAJZc1qzgealo1 1280Sakyamuni&Maitreya.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Sakyamuni, Maitreya and the ensō symbol, Zen calligraphy by Bankei Yōtaku (1622–1693). The ensō circle is a Zen symbol hand-drawn in one or two brush strokes, representing enlightenment, the universe, or the void.]] | ||
The history of Zen Buddhism begins with the coming of [[Bodhidharma]] from India to China in about 520 <small>A</small>.<small>D</small>. Tradition says that Bodhidharma brought a special message from India to China, which encapsulates Zen philosophy | The history of Zen Buddhism begins with the coming of [[Bodhidharma]] from India to China in about 520 <small>A</small>.<small>D</small>. Tradition says that Bodhidharma brought a special message from India to China, which encapsulates Zen philosophy: | ||
* A special transmission outside the scriptures. | * A special transmission outside the scriptures. | ||
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<blockquote>It is said that once, when the Buddha was seated with his Bhikkhus [his monks], a Brahma-Raja came to him and, offering him a golden flower, asked him to preach the Dharma. The Enlightened One accepted the flower, and holding it aloft, gazed at it in silence. After a while the Venerable Mahakasyapa smiled. Such is the origin of Zen Buddhism, for it is said that this smile was handed down by twenty-eight successive Patriarchs, the last being the Indian philosopher Bodhidharma.<ref>Christmas Humphreys, ''Buddhism: An Introduction and Guide'' (London: Penguin Books, 1990) p. 181.</ref></blockquote> | <blockquote>It is said that once, when the Buddha was seated with his Bhikkhus [his monks], a Brahma-Raja came to him and, offering him a golden flower, asked him to preach the Dharma. The Enlightened One accepted the flower, and holding it aloft, gazed at it in silence. After a while the Venerable Mahakasyapa smiled. Such is the origin of Zen Buddhism, for it is said that this smile was handed down by twenty-eight successive Patriarchs, the last being the Indian philosopher Bodhidharma.<ref>Christmas Humphreys, ''Buddhism: An Introduction and Guide'' (London: Penguin Books, 1990) p. 181.</ref></blockquote> | ||
The word ''Zen'' is Japanese for the Chinese ''Ch’an'', which comes from the Sanskrit ''Dhyana''. ''Dhyana'' is commonly translated as “meditation.” The ''Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion'' says it refers to collectedness of mind or meditative absorption.<ref>''Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion'' (Boston: Shambhala, 1994), s.v. “Zen.”</ref> | The word ''Zen'' is Japanese for the Chinese ''Ch’an'', which comes from the Sanskrit ''Dhyana''. ''Dhyana'' is commonly translated as “meditation.” The ''Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion'' says it refers to collectedness of mind or meditative absorption.<ref>''Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion'' (Boston: Shambhala, 1994), s.v. “Zen.”</ref> | ||
The meaning of the word ''Zen'', according to Bodhidharma, cannot be understood even by those possessed of wisdom—it implies a mystery which can only be revealed to those who have achieved it. | The meaning of the word ''Zen'', according to Bodhidharma, cannot be understood even by those possessed of wisdom—it implies a mystery which can only be revealed to those who have achieved it. | ||
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<blockquote>Zen teaches that this reality is sunya, meaning empty or void, inexpressible in words and inconceivable in thought. To illustrate this, the Zen masters often resorted to silence or negation to express the truth.</blockquote> | <blockquote>Zen teaches that this reality is sunya, meaning empty or void, inexpressible in words and inconceivable in thought. To illustrate this, the Zen masters often resorted to silence or negation to express the truth.</blockquote> | ||
<blockquote>Being inexpressible and inconceivable, this reality or the Buddha-nature can only be apprehended by intuition directly, completely and instantly. Intellectual analysis can only divide and describe and scratch the surface.</blockquote> | <blockquote>Being inexpressible and inconceivable, this reality or the Buddha-nature can only be apprehended by [[intuition]] directly, completely and instantly. Intellectual analysis can only divide and describe and scratch the surface.</blockquote> | ||
Ch’en says: | Ch’en says: | ||
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D. T. Suzuki says that while Zen professes to be the spirit of Buddhism, “in fact, it is the spirit of all religions and philosophies.”<ref>D. T. Suzuki, quoted in Laurence G. Boldt, ''Zen and the Art of Making a Living: A Practical Guide to Creative Career Design'' (New York: Penguin, 1999), p. xix.</ref> | D. T. Suzuki says that while Zen professes to be the spirit of Buddhism, “in fact, it is the spirit of all religions and philosophies.”<ref>D. T. Suzuki, quoted in Laurence G. Boldt, ''Zen and the Art of Making a Living: A Practical Guide to Creative Career Design'' (New York: Penguin, 1999), p. xix.</ref> | ||
How do we awaken to our inner reality and discover our Real Self? | How do we awaken to our inner reality and discover our Real Self? Zen teaches that we have to “pass beyond the intellect,” writes Humphreys. “The process of Zen is a leap from thinking to knowing, from second-hand to direct experience.”<ref>Humphreys, ''A Popular Dictionary of Buddhism'', pp. 180, 182–83.</ref> | ||
== Methods == | == Methods == | ||
Dr. David C. Yü explains that “suspicion of words was characteristic of Zen. Ma-chu, an eighth-century master, stressed non-verbal communication in order to help students gain the insight that leads to enlightenment. Once a disciple asked him about the essence of Buddhism. Ma-chu responded by giving him a box on the ear. The non-verbal method is a reminder that logical or philosophical scrutiny, which emphasizes the use of words, is an obstacle to reality.”<ref>Ronald J. Wilkins, ''Religions of the World'' (Dubuque, Iowa : Wm. C. Brown, 1974), p. 593.</ref> | Dr. David C. Yü explains that “suspicion of words was characteristic of Zen. Ma-chu, an eighth-century master, stressed non-verbal communication in order to help students gain the insight that leads to enlightenment. Once a disciple asked him about the essence of Buddhism. Ma-chu responded by giving him a box on the ear. The non-verbal method is a reminder that logical or philosophical scrutiny, which emphasizes the use of words, is an obstacle to reality.”<ref>Ronald J. Wilkins, ''Religions of the World'' (Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown, 1974), p. 593.</ref> | ||
One of the methods Zen uses to enable the student to get beyond the human, reasoning mind is the ''koan''. Rice says the koan is a verbal jolt, “an enigma or puzzle that forces the student’s mind outside normal thought processes in order to gain instant enlightenment.”<ref>Edward Rice, ''Eastern Definitions'' (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1978), p. 418.</ref> | One of the methods Zen uses to enable the student to get beyond the human, reasoning mind is the ''koan''. Rice says the koan is a verbal jolt, “an enigma or puzzle that forces the student’s mind outside normal thought processes in order to gain instant enlightenment.”<ref>Edward Rice, ''Eastern Definitions'' (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1978), p. 418.</ref> | ||
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Zen’s encouragement to bypass the intellect does not, however, exclude an initial study of the scriptures. Thich Thien-An explains that for Zen, the scriptures “are not the truth but only guides to the truth. But once we know the direction, we have to leave the scriptures behind and experience the truth for ourselves. The scriptures are no substitute for our own experience. They are of value insofar they give us a notion, insofar as they give us a notion of what the truth is like and of where it is to be found. In Zen Buddhism experience counts for everything.”<ref>Thich Thien-An, ''Zen Philosophy, Zen Practice'' (Emeryville, Calif.: Dharma Publishing, 1975), p. 22.</ref> | Zen’s encouragement to bypass the intellect does not, however, exclude an initial study of the scriptures. Thich Thien-An explains that for Zen, the scriptures “are not the truth but only guides to the truth. But once we know the direction, we have to leave the scriptures behind and experience the truth for ourselves. The scriptures are no substitute for our own experience. They are of value insofar they give us a notion, insofar as they give us a notion of what the truth is like and of where it is to be found. In Zen Buddhism experience counts for everything.”<ref>Thich Thien-An, ''Zen Philosophy, Zen Practice'' (Emeryville, Calif.: Dharma Publishing, 1975), p. 22.</ref> | ||
[[File:Cherry blossom at the rock garden of Ryōan-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Zen garden at the Ryōan-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. The garden dates to the 15th century, in its current form to the 18th century. Such gardens are intended to be aids to meditation, portraying the inner essence of the natural world, beyond the outer form.]] | |||
== Zen in daily life == | == Zen in daily life == | ||
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The Zen master Taisen Deshimaru expressed the Zen ideal of living every moment and every movement fully when he said, “You must concentrate upon and consecrate yourself wholly to each day, as though a fire were raging in your hair.”<ref>David Schiller, ''The Little Zen Companion'' (New York: Workman Publishing, 1994), p. 365.</ref> | The Zen master Taisen Deshimaru expressed the Zen ideal of living every moment and every movement fully when he said, “You must concentrate upon and consecrate yourself wholly to each day, as though a fire were raging in your hair.”<ref>David Schiller, ''The Little Zen Companion'' (New York: Workman Publishing, 1994), p. 365.</ref> | ||
“Get up and do something useful,” the Zen master Hakiun enjoined, “the work is part of the koan!”<ref>Schiller, ''The Little Zen Companion'', p. 294.</ref> In other words, the puzzle of life is solved by living. | “Get up and do something useful,” the Zen master Hakiun enjoined, “the work is part of the koan!”<ref>Schiller, ''The Little Zen Companion'', p. 294.</ref> In other words, the puzzle of life is solved by living. | ||
“In the spirit of Zen,” wrote Deshimaru, “everyday life becomes the contest. There must be awareness at every moment—getting up in the morning, working, eating, going to bed. That is the place for mastery of the self.”<ref>Taisen Deshimaru, ''The Zen Way to the Martial Arts'' (New York: Arkana), p. 38.</ref> | “In the spirit of Zen,” wrote Deshimaru, “everyday life becomes the contest. There must be awareness at every moment—getting up in the morning, working, eating, going to bed. That is the place for mastery of the self.”<ref>Taisen Deshimaru, ''The Zen Way to the Martial Arts'' (New York: Arkana), p. 38.</ref> | ||
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== The essence of Zen == | == The essence of Zen == | ||
For those with an exoteric understanding, the term ''Zen'' must always remain simply a word conveying the thought of the discovery of Self and the contemplation of that reality which is the foundation of every illusionary nature. However, we don’t find Zen through study. We achieve Zen through the process of becoming it. Zen is not a teaching to be understood; it is communicated as a state from those who possess it to those who are capable of receiving it. | |||
In the practice of Zen is the perfect balance of cosmic forces. The teacher becomes the polarity of Alpha. As Alpha gives of himself to Omega, so the teacher of Zen gives to his disciple. In the process of the giving of Alpha, as it is passed over the figure-eight pattern through the nexus of the mind of God, the Zen becomes the Omega in the disciple. | In the practice of Zen there is the perfect balance of cosmic forces. The teacher becomes the polarity of Alpha. As Alpha gives of himself to Omega, so the teacher of Zen gives to his disciple. In the process of the giving of Alpha, as it is passed over the figure-eight pattern through the nexus of the mind of God, the Zen becomes the Omega in the disciple. | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||