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Zen Buddhism
By Diana St Ruth, Richard St Ruth Bravo Ltd
Copyright © 2008 Bravo Ltd
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-85733-637-5
CHAPTER 1
The Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, the man who became the Buddha, is thought to have lived from 563 to 483 BCE. He was born in a grove in Lumbini, northern India, the family residence being at Kapilavastu, an area which today lies just inside the Nepalese border.
The family were kshatriyas, members of the warrior caste, and Siddhartha's father, Suddhodana, was one of the heads of the Shakya clan. Therefore Siddhartha was born into wealthy and privileged circumstances; he was a sort of prince. Suddhodana was ambitious for his son, wanting him to inherit his wealth and follow in his footsteps by becoming a great ruler, but it was never to be. Even as a boy Siddhartha had wondered about the nature of existence, but by the time he reached adulthood he was overwhelmed by a need to know the purpose of life – why beings are born, why did they suffer so much, and why they have to die at the end of it. It all seemed so pointless, empty, meaningless, and his own life of extravagance and self-indulgence in particular felt futile and banal.
When he was twenty-nine, things came to a head. Despite the pull of his family, which by that time included wife and child, Siddhartha left the security of wealth and home, and entered upon a spiritual quest. He cut off his hair (a symbol of renouncing the world), exchanged his fine clothes for rags, and sought out the holy men of the day for instruction.
Penniless now, Siddhartha lived in forests and quiet places, relying totally on the goodwill of the local people to put food into his begging bowl, as has always been the custom in India, and passed from place to place searching for the wisest teachers. He sat first with one great master and then another, learning what they knew, meditating and fasting. However, despite his single-minded determination, he did not reach his goal. It gradually became clear to him that none of the great and holy figures he encountered had access to the ultimate truth he was looking for. Eventually, he decided to go his own way.
Siddhartha then became an ascetic, a very diligent one, and quickly acquired a reputation for being resolute. He even attracted five companions who were so impressed by his endeavours that they became his disciples. But he went too far with his fasting and almost starved to death. No nearer to finding the answer to life, he recognized the uselessness of what he was doing. Punishing the body, he discovered, led nowhere. It was then that he turned away from all extreme practices and began to tread the middle way only – the narrow path which runs between asceticism and over-indulgence.
It took six years from the time he left home, but finally Siddhartha found what he was looking for -not from anyone else, not from ancient rites, not from the old scriptures, and not from particular practices, but from deep within himself. There, in the silence of his own mind he exploded the myth of self and suffering, became awakened to truth, and became Buddha.
Historical Facts
The historical facts of the Buddha's life are constantly being debated and revised by scholars throughout the world. There is no real evidence to substantiate many of the legends, and the oldest texts in existence were not written down for hundreds of years after his death. That, however, is of little concern to the millions of practising Buddhists who, inspired by the teachings now available, are treading the path of a living tradition dependent not on its past, but on its relevance to the present in everyday life.
The Buddha's Names
Buddha
Tathagata
Shakyamuni
Siddhartha Gautama was both a man and the Buddha, the Awakened One. After his awakening, he referred to himself as the Tathagata, the Thus Come, and in the scriptures he is often referred to as Shakyamuni, the Sage of the Shakya clan.
The Buddha's Method
The Buddha had no fixed method of teaching. He would speak appropriately according to people's needs, leading them towards realizing truth for themselves. In this respect the Buddha made it very clear that each person must find truth for himself or herself and that he could not give it to them. Written right across the Buddhist texts of all schools are warnings of relying solely upon a teacher's words, awakening being a personal experience. The Buddha's teaching, then, was a method of pointing to truth, encouraging his followers to become aware of reality within themselves.
CHAPTER 2
Zen – History
Zen is a form of Buddhism which took root in China and today is being practised mainly in Japan and Korea, though traces of it can be found in many Far Eastern countries. Zen is also now being taken up very seriously in the West.
The Word Zen
The Sanskrit word dhyana (generally translated as meditation) in India, became Ch'an in China, Zen in Japan, and Son in Korea. Zen, therefore, basically means meditation, but it also refers to a particular school of Buddhism.
In this book the word Zen is used as a standard term, being the one that most Westerners are familiar with.
How Zen Began
Legend has it that Zen began with the Buddha himself on the Vulture Peak Mountain in northern India, where a large number of people had gathered to hear him give his teachings. Instead of delivering a discourse, however, as was his custom, he simply held up a flower. He did not say a word. Everyone stared uncomprehendingly except for one person – Kashyapa. One of the Buddha's chief disciples, he suddenly broke into a smile. It was Kashyapa alone who grasped the meaning of the Buddha holding up a flower. This was a transmission of the truth (dharma) from mind to mind or heart to heart. The Buddha transmitted something and Kashyapa received something, and they did it without the use of words. This way of teaching without words is a very important aspect of Zen.
Transmission of the Teaching
After that event, Kashyapa came to be known as the Great Kashyapa, Mahakashyapa, and was the first in a succession of Zen patriarchs.
From those early beginnings, Zen became a transmission lineage and the teaching 'outside of words' was passed on through the centuries in an unbroken chain from master to disciple. After the death of the Buddha in 483 BCE, there were twenty-eight successive patriarchs in India and a further five when Zen was taken to China. Bodhidharma was both the twenty-eighth Indian patriarch and the first Chinese patriarch. Hui-neng, the sixth Chinese Zen patriarch (638–713) did not appoint a successor.
The lineage system and the transmission of the Buddha's teaching (the buddha-dharma) 'beyond words and letters' has continued in various Zen schools and in different countries right up to the present, for example in Japan.
Nothing Inherited
The story of the Buddha holding up a flower, however, and the part that Kashyapa played in it is recorded in works of Chinese origin only; nothing can be found in any Indian Sanskrit text, and Buddhist scholars regard the entire episode as a work of fiction without any historical basis.
The Buddha also made it clear that we each must find truth for ourselves, that it is impossible to hand it from person to person, otherwise he would gladly have done so. It is clear, then, that the word 'transmission' in terms of Zen is to be thought of in a specific way. Nothing is actually transmitted from one person to another; no inheritance of truth takes place. 'Transmission' in Zen means something closer to 'being at one' with another person. The experience of the teacher and the experience of the student are identical. These two people are in complete accord with one another in a spiritual way. This is what is meant by 'transmission'. It is recognized in Zen that the Buddha did not really pass on anything to Kashyapa. Buddha, holding up the flower, was expressing and was also, in itself, an expression of reality. The teacher–disciple transmission is possible in this way, and is verified in this oneness.
CHAPTER 3
Zen in China
Bodhidharma – the Beginning
Buddhism had been in China since about the first century CE, but Zen did not reach there until the arrival of Bodhidharma (470–534 CE) in the latter part of the fifth century.
It is believed that Bodhidharma was born in South India, was the third son of a king, and was either born into the priestly (brahman) or the warrior (kshatriya) caste. He became a disciple of Prajnadhara, the twenty-seventh Indian patriarch, was chosen by Prajnadhara to be his successor and asked to go to China to spread the teaching. The incredible sea journey which Bodhidharma endured is believed to have taken three years to complete, and he arrived in Southern China in about 520 CE.
He must have cut a strange figure with his bushy beard and long nose in a land where beards are wispy and noses small, and the myth of his life has certainly retained these characteristics in drawings and references, where he is often referred to as the red-bearded barbarian, or other such epithets.
Meeting with Emperor Wu
After his arrival in China, Bodhidharma was summoned before Emperor Wu, a great Buddhist philanthropist who built temples, sponsored the copying of holy texts, and supported monks and nuns. The practice of giving is one of the basic principles of Buddhism and, as Emperor Wu had been diligent in this practice, he wondered what his reward would be in this or a future life. What better than to ask this newly arrived, eminent master from India.
It is recorded in the old histories that when they met, the emperor's first question was, 'What can I expect to receive for all these meritorious deeds?'
Bodhidharma replied, 'No merit.'
Such a reply was like a slap in the face for the Emperor. Somewhat displeased, he continued, 'What, then, is the first principle of Buddhism?' In other words, 'I thought giving was the first principle. If it isn't that, what is it?'
Bodhidharma said, 'Vast emptiness! Nothing is holy.' Emperor Wu, scoffing at the idea that everything is empty, challenged the Indian master with an obvious response, 'Who is it then who stands before me?'
Bodhidharma replied, 'I don't know.' (Or more literally: 'No knowing.')
This conversation was a profound discussion of doctrine. Bodhidharma's remark, 'Vast emptiness! Nothing is holy', expresses the teaching that all things should be seen for what they are without making anything out of them in the mind, or categorizing them as 'holy' or 'unholy'. The remark also refers to the ongoing process of thinking that occupies the mind. To stand aside from this habit of forming views and opinions is the first thing that a practitioner should attend to in Buddhism, the first principle, rather than building temples and so forth.
Bodhidharma's response to the emperor's next question, 'Who is it then who stands before me?' was a further way of saying: 'Keep the mind open. No need to say you are this or that and fill yourself up with thoughts. Just keep a very precious not-knowing mind.' And so he said, 'I don't know.' It was not that Bodhidharma was wandering around in a fog, not knowing who he was. On the contrary, his main teaching was that all beings are buddhas from the very beginning and the only reason we do not realize it is because of our own ignorance.
Karmic Retribution
Like Emperor Wu in China, most Buddhists believe in retribution (karma), the natural law of cause and effect. In fact, it is a fundamental Buddhist principle similar to the Christian one: Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he reap. (St Paul's letter to the Galatians, 6:7)
Actions, therefore, are believed to have their effects either instantly, later in this life, or perhaps in a future one. In like manner, present circumstances could be the effects from the near or distant past. Karma, therefore, refers to a law of nature which balances things out and is unrestricted by time or the limitations of flesh and one little life. Bodhidharma did not explain this law to Emperor Wu; he merely pointed out that real merit is spiritual, not material, and that while gifts may result in future wellbeing for oneself on a material or emotional level, it was not the real merit of spiritual awakening.
Kung Fu and Chi Kung
After this unhappy meeting with the emperor, Bodhidharma crossed the Yangtze river and made his way to Shaolin monastery near Loyang in the North. One story has it that when he arrived there, he found that the monks were unable to actually practise meditation without falling asleep, and so he taught them some exercises to increase their energy level.
Sung Mountain, on which the Shaolin monastery stood, was also one of the five sacred mountains of China. As such, it was often visited by emperors and generals, who would go there to offer prayers to heaven and perform rites for the peace and prosperity of the people. Some of these generals, it is said, eventually retired to the monastery. They then, of course, encountered the monks performing Bodhidharma's exercises and they became very interested in them from a martial arts point of view. The external exercises, it is said, then evolved into kung fu, and the internal exercises developed into chi kung. According to this legend, therefore, kung fu and chi kung originated with the Buddhist monks of the Shaolin monastery. Historically, however, this is doubtful as similar disciplines had been in existence and practised in China long before the arrival of Bodhidharma.
The Shaolin monastery still exists today. There are monks there too. Unfortunately, however, it is little more than a tourist attraction and the monks are not highly regarded. Nevertheless, if you ever happen to be one of those tourists, you will find a pavilion named after Bodhidharma and also a temple, and you will be able to see a cave nearby in which Bodhidharma is said to have sat in meditation for nine years.
Bodhidharma's Zen
Even though Bodhidharma's meeting with Emperor Wu had been an embarrassing one, when the Indian master died, the emperor mourned and wrote the following inscription for his monument: 'Alas! I saw him without seeing him, I met him without meeting him, I encountered him without encountering him; now as before I regret this deeply.'
Bodhidharma's way of teaching Buddhism was new to China. It was stark and penetrating compared to the gentle and more polite forms they were probably familiar with. The essence of Bodhidharma's Zen can be summed up in these lines:
A special transmission outside the scriptures;
No dependence upon words and letters;
Direct pointing at the mind;
Seeing into one's nature and the attainment of Buddhahood.
Bodhidharma – the Legend
Many things are attributed to Bodhidharma and it is very difficult to draw the line between the possible and the totally impossible. However, some things stretch the imagination. The nine-year period of meditation at the Shaolin monastery, for example, has been extended to nine years of gazing at the wall without moving. Overwhelmed by drowsiness and in order to stay awake, Bodhidharma cut off his eyelids and threw them to the ground. At the very spot on which they fell, the first tea plants sprang up! From that time on, Zen monks have been drinking tea as a means of staying awake for meditation. As well as this, Bodhidharma's continual sitting resulted in his legs withering and falling off, after which he was only able to remain upright by the energy he aroused in the hara (a place just below the navel and, incidentally, an actual concentration point used in meditation).
The Second Patriarch: Hui K'o (487–593)
Bodhidharma initially attracted little interest in China, but a certain scholar well versed in Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, heard of him and made his way to Shaolin monastery to request instruction. This was Hui K'o, whose learning was far-reaching but whose personal understanding was left wanting. Initially, Bodhidharma ignored the scholar, but Hui K'o was not to be put off and stood outside the master's cave for several days in the snow, determined to prove his earnestness and be accepted as a student. In desperation, legend has it, Hui K'o cut off his own left arm and offered it to Bodhidharma, saying, 'My mind has no peace. I beg you, please pacify it for me.'
Bodhidharma responded, 'Bring me this mind and I will pacify it.'
Hui K'o said, 'I have searched for it but cannot find it.'
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Zen Buddhism by Diana St Ruth, Richard St Ruth. Copyright © 2008 Bravo Ltd. Excerpted by permission of Bravo Ltd.
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