Zen Flashcards
What is the zen slogan?
- special transmission outside teachings instead of texts
- beyond language: written is not truth
- directly points to human mind
- seeing one’s natures, one becomes buddha (buddha nature)
describe the birth of zen (chan) in china
- buddhist doctrines came from india, but challenged chinese/confucian doctrines
- chinese adopted it, but imprinted it with east asian character
- zen = fusion of indian buddhism with chinese culture
What are the Mahayana foundations of Zen?
- sunyata - emptiness: all things are empty of substantial essence
- buddha nature
- mind only: source of everything is in mind
- ineffability/silence: skepticism of language
Describe the zen story of the flower sermon
buddha sits and raises his flower instead of talks
- one disciple smiles: showed that he understood buddha
- lesson: lessons transcend words, words do not constitute transmission
In zen, who was Bodhidharma?
meditation master and founder of zen
- obscure origins
- famed for teachings of meditation
- came to china during emperor Wudi
- promoted Mahayana doctrine and meditation in china
- founder of Shaolin temple and kungfu
What is wall contemplation in zen?
aka biguan
- refers to the qualities of enlightenment: steep, stable and sudden
- sudden enlightenment
- zazen: another form that requires sitting in front of a wall and meditating
What happened during the encounter between emperor wudi and bodhidharma?
encounter = koan
EW: what is the religious merit of all my effort on behalf of buddhism?
BD: none whatsoever
EW: who are you to say such a thing to me
BD: idk
meaning: actions are empty, EW attached to his achievements
BD is empty - attitude that needs to be adopted
What happened during the encounter between Bodhidharma and Huike?
dharma transmission to huike - 1st mind to mind
- requested BD teach him, but was refused” waited outside cave and cut off arm
- BD accepts him as student
another interaction: asked him to pacify anxious mind
- BD: bring it to me
- H: i cannot find it
- BD: there. i have pacified your mind
Who is consider the founder of Rinzai Zen in Japan?
Eisai
ER - Eisai, Rinzai
Describe Eisai’s life
- began as a Tendai monk
- went to China, found that most temples were Chan
- Tried to reform Tendai by promoting zen, met resistance
- banned from Kyoto
- went to kamakura and received full support from the Bakufu (military rule)
- gained clerical position in military gov’t - diff from typical zen (anti-institutional)
Describe Eisai’s “Propagation of Zen for the protection of the state”
- written bc Tendai monks banned Eisai’s teachings
- est. zen as independent institution
- wanted to reaffirm central role of Buddhist ideology as spiritual and moral core of Japan civilization
- wanted to replace Tendai school with zen
describes zen as mind teachings: - external: buddhism related to state, follow precepts
- internal: internal wisdom
What are Eisai’s views of the precepts and morality?
- moral reform: go back to Saicho
- believed monks should observe stricter Hinayana precepts on top to Mahayana
- follows benevolent king sutra, zen only way to practice it
- argues zen was legitimate interpretation of buddhist teachings
- argues japan’s future glory depends on zen
- precepts are basis of awakening: meditation and precepts
What is Buddha? 3 lbs of hemp
Rinzai Zen
- everything is empty, identical = can become buddha
If you meet the buddha, kill the buddha
stop icon/symbol worship, kill external idea
What is buddha? A dried shit stick
distracts people form asking questions so they can focus on the self
Zhaozhou washed the bowl
did you eat the porridge? you should wash the bowl
- monk enlightened - reality is ultimate reality
Original face - show me your original face before your parents were born
language can come up with false things
mind can conceptualize other realities
Zhaozhou’s dog - do dogs have buddha nature?
not! (wu, mu)
also empty - can interpret as yes
Who was founder of the soto zen school in Japan?
Dogen
DS - dogen, soto
Describe Dogen’s life
- son of minor nobility
- parents died when young, learned about impermanence at their funeral
- studies at mt. hiei
- studied with Myozen (essay’s successor) - certified zen master
- studied at Mt. Tiantong (caodong monastery)
- Ruiking taught that meditation is only way towards enlightenment: cast off body and mind
- founded Kosho-ji monastery and Eihei-ji temple (center of soto zen)
What is zazen in Soto zen?
seated meditation
- Dogen wanted to familiarize japanese people with zazen
- believed it was the quintessence of buddhist path
- all other practices were worthless - chanting = frogs croaking
- abandon intellectual exercises, take backwards step and illuminate the self in meditation
What is shikantaza (soto zen)
just sitting
What is satori (“to understand”, Soto zen)?
awakening, deep enlightening
- dogen experienced satori
- sometimes equated to kensho: glimpse of enlightenment
- both equally important
For soto zen, what is the theory of practice (gyoji)?
- dogen: all actions are part of buddha nature but must comprise in perceptual endeavor
- must constantly affirm
- sitting allows us to recognize were surrounded by buddha
- enlightenment is not abstract entity that is sought after
- practice and enlightenment are identical
- enlightenment is an intrinsic part of the means to attainment
- continued practice after attainment viewed as act of gratitude to manifestation or reality
