80.1 Name
Ch'an [禪] is a Chinese word translated
from the pronunciation of a Sanskrit word 'Dhyana' [禪那]
in abbreviation. The word 'Dhyana' is usually not translated, but
rendered as 'meditation', which this sect emphasizes. Dhyana is
the outcome of meditation. However, Dhyana is much more extensive
in its meaning and more intensive in its practice than meditation,
as the former requires the practitioner to achieve 'the direct seeing
into his own heart', and to achieve 'the high bliss state in mind',
and to attain the highest wisdom of 'Annutara-samyak-sambodhi' [阿耨多羅三藐三菩提]
of the Buddha.
Ch'an is very attractive and appealing to the common people, so
it is regarded as a popular sect.
This school is also known as 'Buddha Mind School' [佛心宗],
which will be explained in the following section.
In Japan, it is called 'Zen'. The word 'Zen' is generally used
in the western world, and is commonly found in the English dictionary.
80.2 Indian
Background
In
ancient India, there was the habit of meditation practiced in all
schools of philosophy as well as in religion. There were six main
systems of Indian philosophy. Amongst them, Yoga was the one devoted
to meditation or concentrations. Generally, there are eight constituents
of Yoga concentrations: (1) restraint (2) minor restraint (3) sitting
(4) restraint of breath (5) withdrawal of senses (6) retention of
mind (7) concentration of mind (8) concentration of thought. These
practices were similar to the Yogacara School of Buddhism.
Yogacara means 'practice of self-concentration'. The Yogacara School
is the Buddhist idealism taught by Asanga, systematized by his brother
Vasubandhu as the Theory of Mere Ideation or the Doctrine of Mere
Consciousness. According to the master I-tsing, the famous traveler
in India, Yogacara was one of the only two Mahayana schools in India,
i.e. Madhyamika and Yogacara.
80.3 The
Origin
The patriarchal history of Ch'an is mythical.
It is said that one day, Brahma came to the Buddha in Vulture Peak,
and offered him a Kumbhala flower. They requested the Buddha to
preach the Dharma to them. The Buddha ascended the Lion seat and
held up the flower with his fingers without saying a word. No one
in the assembly could understand what it meant. The venerable disciple
Mahakasyapa alone smiled with joy. Then Shakyamuni Buddha said,
" The doctrine of the Eye of the True Dharma [正法眼]
is hereby entrusted to you. Oh, Mahakasyapa! Accept and hand it
down to posterity." Mahakasyapa thus received the 'Heart Dharma'
[心法] and became the first patriarch
of Ch'an School.
When Ananda asked Mahakasyapa what the Buddha's transmission was,
he answered, "Go and take the banner down!" It was a tradition to
have a banner outside the temple where Dharma was preached. To take
the banner down meant to do without preaching in words. Alternatively,
it meant the mind-sign or 'Heart Dharma' was handed down successively
and passed by direct mind-to-mind, i.e. inner enlightenment. The
teaching was called ' the School of Buddha Mind'. Thus, Ch'an School
is also known as Buddha Mind School [佛心宗].
Later, Ananda became the second patriarch of Ch'an School in India.
However, many people confused this unsurpassed Dharma of Dhyana
with other kinds of Dhyana that were mentioned by the Buddha. For
instance, there are over 20 kinds of Dhyana in the Mahaprajnaparamita
Sutra, but none of them is comparable to the Mahakasyapa's one.
In China, the Ch'an sect that was set up by Bodhidharma followed
the line of Mahakasyapa, i.e in direct or subtle Dhyana, rather
than in progressive or gradual one. It will be elaborated later.
80.4 The
First Patriarch in China
The first patriarch of Ch'an school in China was Bodhidharma [菩提達摩].
He was also the 28th patriarch of Ch'an School in India.
He
was the third son of the King of Kancipura in southern India. Following
the advice from his teacher Prajnatara, Bodhidharma went to China
in 520 AD. The Emperor Wu-ti [武帝]
of Liang Dynasty welcomed and invited him to Nanking for an assembly.
The Emperor asked him," I have built many monasteries, printed many
Buddhist scriptures, made offerings to numerous monks and nuns.
How great is the merit due to me?" Bodhidharma answered, " No merit
at all!"
Emperor Wu of Liang asked Bodhidharma about the meaning of the
Buddhist teaching. Bodhidharma replied, "Great emptiness, nothing
at all holy!" He implied that building temples and performing ritual
works would not lead to realization.
Then, the Emperor asked, "Who is facing me?" Bodhidharma replies,
"I don't know". The Emperor was unhappy.
Knowing that it was not the right time to preach the profound Buddhist
teaching, Bodhidharma then departed and crossed the Yangtze River.
He went to Mount Wu-tai [五台山] and
resided in Shao-lin Temple [少林寺]
where he faced a cliff behind a big building, meditated in silence
for nine years. People called it 'wall contemplation'.
Here's the message from Bodhidharma, which reflected the characteristic
of Ch'an that he transmitted in China.
A special transmission outside the scriptures;
No dependence upon words and letters;
Direct pointing to the heart of man;
Seeing into one's own nature.
