An introduction to Zen Buddhism

AN INTRODUCTION TO ZEN BUDDHISM

to the Chinese Buddhists to the intellectual mastery ofthe

texts.TheethicalstudyofBuddhismcamenext.WhenBodhid-

harma,theFirstPatriarchofZen,cametoChinainthesixth
century, hewaslooked uponsomewhat askanceas asortof
heretic. Scholars ofBuddhist philosophy did not understand

himanddislikedhim.EvenwhenYeno(Hui-neng),theSixth

Patriarch, came out of obscurity and self-concealment to

announcehimselfastherightfultransmitterofZen,hewasnot

verymuchnoticedbytheotherpractisersofDhyana.Sofar

DhyanaorzazenhadbeenpractisedchieflyaftertheHinayana

fashion,aswereadinthebiographicalwritingsofearlierBudd-

hism in China,and alsoas we caninferfromthesutrason

Dhyanawhich weretranslateddowTito thoseda^-s. Itwasa

generation ortwoafter Yeno thatZen, as we understandit

now, really came into existence, which thereafter rapidly
develop>edsoastoovershadowalltheotherBuddhistschools.
Atpresentthereareno Buddhistmonasteriesin Chinawhich
donotbelongtotheZensect,andmostofthemareoftheRinzai

schoolofZen.^Onereasonamongothersforthisconquestisto

befoundinthepracticeofz^Zfnasthemeansofmasteringthe
koanandthusattainingsatori.
Ko-anliterallymeans "apubUcdocument" or"authorita-
tivestature"—atermcomingintovoguetowardtheendofthe

T'angdynasts'. Itnowdenotessome anecdote ofanancient

master,oradialoguebetweenamasterandmonks,orastate-
mentorquestionputforwardby ateacher,all ofwhichare
usedasthemeansforopeningone'smindtothetruthofZen.

Inthebeginning,ofcourse,therewasnokoanasweunderstand

itnow; itisakindofartificialinstrumentdevisedoutofthe

fullnessofheartbylaterZenmasters,whobythismeanswould

forcetheevolutionofZenconsciousnessinthemindsoftheirless
endoweddisciples.

Themindmaygrowbyitselfevenwhenitislefttonature

to achieve herown ends, but man cannot alwa^'swait for

her,helikestomeddleforbetterorworse.Heisneverpatient

;

wheneverthereisachancetoputhisfingersin,heissuretodoso,

• AtpresentChineseBuddhismisastrangemixtureofZenandNembutsu,
  thoughmostmonasteriesprofesstobelongtotheZensect.Theyrecitethe
  AmitabhasutraalongwiththePrajnahridqya.
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