Path: shell.portal.com!svc.portal.com!news1.best.com!news.aimnet.com!news.ossi.com!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!lamarck.sura.net!news.cc.ucf.edu!Pegasus!sro25064 From: Bodhidharma Newsgroups: alt.philosophy.zen,alt.zen,alt.magick.tyagi,alt.religion,alt.religion.buddhism,talk.religion.buddhism,alt.consciousness,alt.philosophy.taoism Subject: Re: SOsborne: Re: Origins of Zen Date: Fri, 29 Mar 1996 17:12:31 -0500 Organization: University of Central Florida Lines: 94 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: pegasus.cc.ucf.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Sender: sro25064@Pegasus To: kevin_quillen@mailhost.valpak.com In-Reply-To: <315C2E92.4B88@valpak.com> Xref: shell.portal.com alt.philosophy.zen:6827 alt.zen:28024 alt.magick.tyagi:7355 alt.religion:2091 alt.religion.buddhism:247 talk.religion.buddhism:18880 alt.consciousness:25483 alt.philosophy.taoism:3280 On Fri, 29 Mar 1996, Kevin Quillen wrote: > nagasiva wrote: > > > > [from alt.philosophy.zen: sro25064@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu (Scott R Osborne)] > > > > While Buddhism as a whole can be seen as a reaction to certain aspects of > > the Hindu religious and social traditions of Siddhartha Gautama's (the > > historical Buddha's) day, Zen is actually a conglomeration of Mahayana > > Buddhist (the later, northern developments) and Taoism. Zen draws > > strongly upon a number of Mahayana sutras (such as the Prajnaparamita, > > Avatamsaka, Vimalakirti, and Lankavatara) and concepts, such as > > _shunyata_ ("emptiness"), the interconnection and interdependence of all > > things, Vimalakirti's silent answer, a deep turning in the seat of > > consciousness on awakening, etc. > > > > (Cribbed liberally from Heinrich Dumoulin's _Zen Enlightenment: Origins > > and Meaning_. Most general histories of Buddhism or Zen will give you > > similar info.) > I have been lurking and silent, but I am compelled in my understanding > to respond to the origin of Zen. I have read that Zen came from the > non-iconic Chinese Chan Buddhism in the Shaolin temples (Linguists show > the phonic connection in progress DJANA > CHAN > ZEN) which was a > Hinayana sect. The Mahayana aspect is imbued in the ritual (bowing to > Buddha at meditation time), but the real Theraveda Buddist knows that > he/she is self-enlightnened, not saved by the mention of Amida or other > Buddha worship. Of all things, Zen is probably one of the most notoriously difficult things to pin down with any accuracy or justice. Nevertheless, I will try, with my amateur's skills, to make a decent reply. "Dhyana" (I can't type any diacriticals here) is indeed etymologically related to the Pali "jhana," Chinese "ch'na-na" or "ch'an," and Japanese "zenna" or "zen." These words essentially refer to meditative absorbtion; there are various descriptions of the possible objects and stages of meditation. In China, dhyana had a wider meaning, encompassing a variety of meditative practices, including awareness of the breath, the body, and what not, as opposed to dwelling exclusively on a mental object. Dhyana Buddhism, brought to China (Zen's birthplace) by Bodhidharma, is a "general name for all schools of Buddhism that place particular emphasis on the practice of meditation as the way to enlightenment" (_Encyclopedia of Eastern Religion and Philosophy_). In my understanding, while meditation is certainly an integral part of Theravada Buddhism (Right Mindfulness is one step on the Noble Eightfold Path), it does not hold the central place it does in Zen; in fact, I have read that it generally is relegated to secondary status when compared to the "moralistic" elements of the Path. Can anyone verify this? So, how closely Zen is related to Theravada is questionable. The sutras utilized by or referred to by Zen Buddhists (cf. my previous post) are typically of the Mahayana, as are various concepts (again, cf. my previous post). Furthermore, Zen's gleeful and exuberant iconoclasm and playfulness (especially in its Chinese form) seem quite at odds with the Theravadan emphasis on sober and strict adherence to rules, etc. Countless Zen masters are on record as emphasizing "jiriki," or "one's own power" to see through the veils of samsara, to gain enlightenment or satori. This is certainly along the lines of Theravadan ideals, especially when compared to the Pure Land school of salvific Buddhism that depends on the grace of Amida. Note the Buddha's last words--this is how I remember them from various readings--"Impermanent are all conditioned things; work out your salvation with diligence." I've seen it translated as "Transient are conditioned things. Try to accomplish your aim with diligence" (Walpola Rahula) and "Everything, whether stationary or movable, is bound to perish in the end. Be ye therefore mindful and vigilant!" (Edward Conze). In this emphasis on self-reliance, there seems to be great similarity between Theravada and Zen Buddhism. However, there have been a number of Zen masters and students who, in the syncretic tradition of the East, have also brought in or utilized Mahayana ideas, such as chanting the Nembutsu, as in, for instance, Suzuki Shosan's case. I hope this helps. This info is from a variety of sources, primarily the excellent _Encyclopedia of Eastern Religion and Philosophy_ and Walpola Rahula's classic _What the Buddha Taught_. +==========================================================================+ | Scott Osborne sro25064@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu University of Central Florida | | http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~sro25064 | |--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Entering the realm of the Buddha is easy; | | entering the realm of the devil is difficult. | | --Ikkyu | +==========================================================================+