64-733: The way The "goal" Background Chinese texts Classical Post-classical Contemporary Zen in Japan Seon in Korea Thiền in Vietnam Western Zen Tenzo Kyōkun ( 典座教訓 ) , usually rendered in English as Instructions for the Cook , is an important essay written by Dōgen , the founder of Zen Buddhism 's Sōtō school in Japan. While the title suggests
128-532: A clear mind. Another kōan quoted in the work involves an encounter with the abbot Dongshan Liangjie and a tenzo at his monastery named Xuefeng Yicun . In the story, which is taken from the Zen en Shingi ( Pure Standards of the Zen Garden , 禅苑清規), Xuefeng is cleaning rice when Dongshan asks, "Are you sifting the sand and removing the rice, or sifting the rice and removing the sand"? Xuefeng responds that both are removed at
192-663: A commentary on the Damoduoluo Chan Jing and used the Zuochan Sanmei Jing as a source in the writing of this commentary. Tōrei believed that the Damoduoluo Chan Jing had been authored by Bodhidharma . While dhyāna in a strict sense refers to the classic four dhyānas , in Chinese Buddhism , chán may refer to various kinds of meditation techniques and their preparatory practices, which are necessary to practice dhyāna . The five main types of meditation in
256-669: A kōan, practitioners are also expected to demonstrate their spiritual understanding through their responses. The teacher may approve or disapprove of the answer based on their behavior, and guide the student in the right direction. According to Hori, the traditional Japanese Rinzai koan curriculum can take 15 years to complete for a full-time monk. The interaction with a teacher is often presented as central in Zen, but also makes Zen practice vulnerable to misunderstanding and exploitation. Kōan-inquiry may be practiced during zazen (sitting meditation) , kinhin (walking meditation), and throughout all
320-819: A layperson as a formal Buddhist. Deshan Xuanjian Chinese Zen Buddhist monk Deshan Xuanjian 德 山 宣 鑒 [REDACTED] Title Chán master Personal Born 780/2 Jiannan, Sichuan Province , China Died 865 Religion Buddhism School Chán / Zen Senior posting Teacher Longtan Chongxin Predecessor Longtan Chongxin Successor Xuefeng Yicun Students Xuefeng Yicun Deshan Xuanjian ( Chinese : 德山宣鑒 ; Wade–Giles : Te-shan Hsuan-chien ; Pinyin : Déshān Xuānjiàn; Japanese : Tokusan Senkan ),
384-434: A meditator to the buddha-mind within. Modern scholars like Robert Sharf argue that early Chan, while having unique teachings and myths, also made use of classic Buddhist meditation methods, and this is why it is hard to find many uniquely "Chan" meditation instructions in some of the earliest sources. However, Sharf also notes there was a unique kind of Chan meditation taught in some early sources which also tend to deprecate
448-520: A position tenzo is, stating that Dongshan had this insight during his time serving as tenzo. While hemp may seem unrelated to the kitchen, the Zen scholars Shohaku Okumura and Taigen Dan Leighton suggest 'hemp' (麻) may be a mistranslation and that 'sesame' (胡麻) was intended, which makes more sense in the context of cooking. Dōgen mentions the kōan in order to suggest that the most simple activities, such as working with everyday ingredients, are no different from awakening when approached directly and with
512-533: A set of three ideals for Zen practice. Dōgen's essay makes numerous allusions to other works, especially kōans . One such reference is to a kōan attributed to Dongshan Shouchu that appears in both the Gateless Gate and the Blue Cliff Record . In it, Dongshan is asked, "What is Buddha"?, to which he replies, "Three pounds of hemp". Dōgen mentions the kōan in the opening of the essay while arguing how serious
576-469: A sitting position such as the lotus position , half-lotus , Burmese , or seiza . Their hands often placed in a specific gesture or mudrā . Often, a square or round cushion placed on a padded mat is used to sit on; in some other cases, a chair may be used. To regulate the mind, Zen students are often directed towards counting breaths . Either both exhalations and inhalations are counted, or one of them only. The count can be up to ten, and then this process
640-690: A view called "mind-only Pure Land" (wei-hsin ching-t’u), which held that the Buddha and the Pure Land are just mind. The practice of nianfo, as well as its adaptation into the " nembutsu kōan " is a major practice in the Japanese Ōbaku school of Zen. The recitation of a Buddha's name was also practiced in the Soto school at different times throughout its history. During the Meiji period for example, both Shaka nembutsu (reciting
704-500: Is "without steps or gradations. One concentrates, understands, and is enlightened, all in one undifferentiated practice." Zen sources also use the term " tracing back the radiance " or "turning one's light around" (Ch. fǎn zhào, 返照) to describe seeing the inherent radiant source of the mind itself, the "numinous awareness", luminosity , or buddha-nature. The Platform Sutra mentions this term and connects it with seeing one's "original face". The Record of Linji states that all that
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#1732891618207768-420: Is a non-dual "objectless" meditation, involving "withdrawal from exclusive focus on a particular sensory or mental object." This practice allows the meditator to be aware of "all phenomena as a unified totality," without any conceptualizing , grasping , goal seeking , or subject-object duality . According to Leighton , this method "rests on the faith, verified in experience, that the field of vast brightness
832-882: Is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty as the Chan School (禪宗, chánzōng , "meditation school") or the Buddha-mind school (佛心宗 , fóxīnzōng ), and later developed into various sub-schools and branches. Zen was influenced by Taoism , especially Neo-Daoist thought, and developed as a distinguished school of Chinese Buddhism . From China, Chán spread south to Vietnam and became Vietnamese Thiền , northeast to Korea to become Seon Buddhism , and east to Japan , becoming Japanese Zen . Zen emphasizes meditation practice , direct insight into one's own Buddha nature (見性, Ch. jiànxìng, Jp. kenshō ), and
896-532: Is a butcher or not, if one sees one's true nature, then one will not be affected by karma . The Bloodstream Sermon also rejects worshiping of buddhas and bodhisattvas, stating that "Those who hold onto appearances are devils. They fall from the Path. Why worship illusions born of the mind? Those who worship don't know, and those who know don't worship." Similarly, in the Lidai Fabao Ji , Wuzhu states that "No-thought
960-553: Is a central part of Zen Buddhism. The practice of Buddhist meditation originated in India and first entered China through the translations of An Shigao (fl. c. 148–180 CE), and Kumārajīva (334–413 CE). Both of these figures translated various Dhyāna sutras . These were influential meditation texts which were mostly based on the meditation teachings of the Kashmiri Sarvāstivāda school (circa 1st–4th centuries CE). Among
1024-630: Is also taught in Shenxiu's Kuan-hsin lun (觀心論). Likewise, the Ch’uan fa-pao chi (傳法寶紀, Taisho # 2838, ca. 713), one of the earliest Chan histories, shows this practice was widespread in the early Chan generation of Hung-jen , Fa-ju and Ta-tung who are said to have "invoked the name of the Buddha so as to purify the mind." Evidence for the practice of nianfo chan can also be found in Changlu Zongze 's (died c. 1107) Chanyuan qinggui (The Rules of Purity in
1088-465: Is discussed in the works of the Japanese Sōtō Zen thinker Dōgen , especially in his Shōbōgenzō and his Fukanzazengi . For Dōgen, shikantaza is characterized by hishiryō ("non-thinking", "without thinking", "beyond thinking"), which according to Kasulis is "a state of no-mind in which one is simply aware of things as they are, beyond thinking and not-thinking". While the Japanese and
1152-677: Is found in early Zen sources like the Treatise on No Mind ( Wuxin lun ) and the Platform Sutra . These sources tend to emphasize emptiness , negation, and absence (wusuo 無所) as the main theme of contemplation. These two contemplative themes (the buddha mind and no-mind, positive and the negative rhetoric) continued to shape the development of Zen theory and practice throughout its history. Later Chinese Chan Buddhists developed their own meditation ("chan") manuals which taught their unique method of direct and sudden contemplation. The earliest of these
1216-523: Is found in the Record of Linji which states: "Followers of the Way, as to buddhadharma, no effort is necessary. You have only to be ordinary, with nothing to do—defecating, urinating, wearing clothes, eating food, and lying down when tired." Similarly, some Zen sources also emphasize non-action or having no concerns (wu-shih 無事). For example, Chan master Huangbo states that nothing compares with non-seeking, describing
1280-457: Is needed to obtain the Dharma is to "turn your own light in upon yourselves and never seek elsewhere". The Japanese Zen master Dōgen describes it as follows: “You should stop the intellectual practice of pursuing words and learn the ‘stepping back’ of ‘turning the light around and shining back’ (Jp: ekō henshō); mind and body will naturally ‘drop off,’ and the ‘original face’ will appear.” Similarly,
1344-465: Is none other than seeing the Buddha" and rejects the practice of worship and recitation. Most famously, the Record of Linji has the master state that "if you meet a buddha, kill the buddha" (as well as patriarchs, arhats, parents, and kinfolk), further claiming that through this "you will gain emancipation, will not be entangled with things." During sitting meditation (坐禅, Ch. zuòchán, Jp. zazen , Ko. jwaseon ), practitioners usually assume
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#17328916182071408-510: Is not produced, what need is there for cross-legged sitting dhyana?" Similarly, the Platform Sutra criticizes the practice of sitting samādhi: “One is enlightened to the Way through the mind. How could it depend on sitting?", while Shenhui's four pronouncements criticize the "freezing", "stopping", "activating", and "concentrating" of the mind. Zen sources which focus on the sudden teaching can sometimes be quite radical in their rejection of
1472-445: Is ours from the outset." This "vast luminous buddha field" is our immanent "inalienable endowment of wisdom" which cannot be cultivated or enhanced. Instead, one just has to recognize this radiant clarity without any interference. A similar practice is taught in the major schools of Japanese Zen , but is especially emphasized by Sōtō , where it is more widely known as Shikantaza (Ch. zhǐguǎn dǎzuò, "Just sitting") . This method
1536-486: Is repeated until the mind is calmed. Zen teachers like Omori Sogen teach a series of long and deep exhalations and inhalations as a way to prepare for regular breath meditation. Attention is often placed on the energy center ( dantian ) below the navel. Zen teachers often promote diaphragmatic breathing , stating that the breath must come from the lower abdomen (known as hara or tanden in Japanese), and that this part of
1600-428: Is the formal and ceremonial taking of refuge in the three jewels , bodhisattva vows and precepts . Various sets of precepts are taken in Zen including the five precepts , "ten essential precepts" , and the sixteen bodhisattva precepts . This is commonly done in an initiation ritual ( Ch . shòu jiè , Jp . Jukai , Ko . sugye, "receiving the precepts" ) , which is also undertaken by lay followers and marks
1664-513: Is the widely imitated and influential Zuòchán Yí (c. turn of the 12th century), which recommends a simple contemplative practice which is said to lead to the discovery of inherent wisdom already present in the mind. This work also shows the influence of the earlier meditation manuals composed by Tiantai patriarch Zhiyi . However, other Zen sources de-emphasize traditional practices like sitting meditation, and instead focus on effortlessness and on ordinary daily activities. One example of this
1728-465: The Platform Sutra and the works of Shenhui criticize traditional meditation methods of concentration and mindfulness as not necessary and instead promote a more direct and sudden method. For example, the Bodhidharma Anthology states: "The man of sharp abilities hears of the path without producing a covetous mind. He does not even produce right mindfulness and right reflection" and "If mind
1792-553: The Caodong school of Chinese Chan and is associated with Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091—1157) who wrote various works on the practice. This method derives from the Indian Buddhist practice of the union ( Skt. yuganaddha ) of śamatha and vipaśyanā . Hongzhi's practice of silent illumination does not depend on concentration on particular objects, "such as visual images, sounds, breathing, concepts, stories, or deities." Instead, it
1856-456: The Dhyāna sutras are ānāpānasmṛti (mindfulness of breathing); paṭikūlamanasikāra meditation (mindfulness of the impurities of the body); maitrī meditation (loving-kindness); the contemplation on the twelve links of pratītyasamutpāda ; and contemplation on the Buddha . According to the modern Chan master Sheng Yen , these practices are termed the "five methods for stilling or pacifying
1920-470: The Diamond Sutra . However, a famous kōan story recorded in the Blue Cliff Record and Shōbōgenzō Shin fukatoku relates an encounter he had with an old woman that convinced him that scriptural study on its own fails to bring about awakening. After this he studied under the Zen teacher Longtan Chongxin . During the reign of Emperor Wuzong of Tang , the brief but intense Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution
1984-553: The Middle Chinese word 禪 ( Middle Chinese : [dʑian]; pinyin : Chán ), which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna (ध्यान), which can be approximately translated as "contemplation", "absorption", or " meditative state ". The actual Chinese term for the "Zen school" is 禪宗 ( pinyin : Chánzōng ), while "Chan" just refers to the practice of meditation itself ( Chinese : 習禪 ; pinyin : xíchán ) or
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2048-559: The Treatise on the Essentials of Cultivating the Mind , which depicts the teachings of the 7th-century East Mountain school , teaches a visualization of a sun disk, similar to that taught in the Contemplation Sutra . According to Charles Luk , there was no single fixed method in early Chan (Zen). All the various Buddhist meditation methods were simply skillful means which could lead
2112-426: The tenzo , or head cook. He asserts that the position is only suitable for experienced monks with a certain deep degree of understanding of zen practice. The next section describes the actual work the tenzo must carry out, as well as the attitude with which it should be undertaken. The third part includes instructions for serving, as well as an account of Dōgen's famous encounters with two monks serving as tenzo while he
2176-477: The "first explicit statement of the sudden and direct approach that was to become the hallmark of Ch'an religious practice" is associated with the East Mountain School . It is a method named "maintaining the one without wavering" (守一不移, shǒu yī bù yí), the one being the true nature of mind or Suchness , which is equated with buddha-nature. Sharf writes that in this practice, one turns the attention from
2240-551: The Buddha's name, in most cases the Buddha Amitabha . In Chinese Chan, the Pure Land practice of nianfo based on the phrase Nāmó Āmítuófó (Homage to Amitabha) is a widely practiced form of Zen meditation which came to be known as "Nianfo Chan" (念佛禪). Nianfo was practiced and taught by early Chan masters, like Daoxin (580-651), who taught that one should "bind the mind to one buddha and exclusively invoke his name". The practice
2304-623: The Buddha-body, "an embodiment of awakened activity." "Zen" is traditionally a proper noun as it usually describes a particular Buddhist sect. In more recent times, the lowercase "zen" is used when discussing a worldview or attitude that is "peaceful and calm". It was officially added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2018. The practice of meditation (Ch: chán, Skt: dhyāna ), especially sitting meditation (坐禪, pinyin : zuòchán , Japanese : ざぜん , romanized : zazen )
2368-539: The Chan Monastery), perhaps the most influential Ch’an monastic code in East Asia. Nianfo continued to be taught as a form of Chan meditation by later Chinese figures such as Yongming Yanshou , Zhongfen Mingben , and Tianru Weize . During the late Ming , the tradition of Nianfo Chan meditation was continued by figures such as Yunqi Zhuhong and Hanshan Deqing . Chan figures like Yongming Yanshou generally advocated
2432-499: The Chinese forms of these simple methods are similar, they are considered distinct approaches. During the Song dynasty , gōng'àn ( Jp. kōan ) literature became popular. Literally meaning "public case", they were stories or dialogues describing teachings and interactions between Zen masters and their students. Kōans are meant to illustrate Zen's non-conceptual insight ( prajña ). During
2496-639: The Korean Seon master Yŏndam Yuil states: "to use one's own mind to trace the radiance back to the numinous awareness of one's own mind...It is like seeing the radiance of the sun's rays and following it back until you see the orb of the sun itself." Sharf also notes that the early notion of contemplating a pure Buddha "Mind" was tempered and balanced by other Zen sources with terms like " no-mind " (wuxin), and "no-mindfulness" (wunien), to avoid any metaphysical reification of mind, and any clinging to mind or language. This kind of negative Madhyamaka style dialectic
2560-601: The Mahayana teachings on the bodhisattva , Yogachara and Tathāgatagarbha texts (like the Laṅkāvatāra ), and the Huayan school . The Prajñāpāramitā literature, as well as Madhyamaka thought, have also been influential in the shaping of the apophatic and sometimes iconoclastic nature of Zen rhetoric . The word Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation ( kana : ぜん) of
2624-674: The Song, a new meditation method was developed by Linji school figures such as Dahui (1089–1163) called kanhua chan ("observing the phrase" meditation) which referred to contemplation on a single word or phrase (called the huatou , "critical phrase") of a gōng'àn . Dahui famously criticised Caodong's "silent illumination." While the two methods of Caodong and Linji are sometimes seen as competing with each other, Schlütter writes that Dahui himself "did not completely condemn quiet-sitting; in fact, he seems to have recommended it, at least to his monastic disciples." In Chinese Chan and Korean Seon ,
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2688-418: The Zen adept as follows: "the person of the Way is the one who has nothing to do [wu-shih], who has no mind at all and no doctrine to preach. Having nothing to do, such a person lives at ease." Likewise, John McRae notes that a major development in early Ch'an was the rejection of traditional meditation techniques in favor of a uniquely Zen direct approach. Early Chan sources like the Bodhidharma Anthology,
2752-427: The activities of daily life. The goal of the practice is often termed kensho (seeing one's true nature), and is to be followed by further practice to attain a natural, effortless, down-to-earth state of being, the "ultimate liberation", "knowing without any kind of defilement". This style of kōan practice is particularly emphasized in modern Rinzai , but it also occurs in other schools or branches of Zen depending on
2816-423: The body should expand forward slightly as one breathes. Over time the breathing should become smoother, deeper and slower. When the counting becomes an encumbrance, the practice of simply following the natural rhythm of breathing with concentrated attention is recommended. A common form of sitting meditation is called "Silent illumination" (Ch. mòzhào, Jp . mokushō ). This practice was traditionally promoted by
2880-619: The importance of traditional Buddhist ideas and practices. The Record of the Dharma-Jewel Through the Ages ( Lidai Fabao Ji ) for example states "better that one should destroy śīla [ethics], and not destroy true seeing. Śīla [causes] rebirth in Heaven, adding more [karmic] bonds, while true seeing attains nirvāṇa." Similarly the Bloodstream Sermon states that it doesn't matter whether one
2944-545: The koan's question constantly. They are also advised not to attempt to answer it intellectually, since the goal of the practice is a non-conceptual insight into non-duality. The Zen student's mastery of a given kōan is presented to the teacher in a private interview (referred to in Japanese as dokusan , daisan , or sanzen ). The process includes standardized answers, "checking questions" ( sassho ) and common sets of "capping phrase" ( jakugo ) poetry, all which must be memorized by students. While there are standardized answers to
3008-409: The kōan method as hopelessly contrived. Similarly, the Song era master Foyan Qingyuan (1067-1120) rejected the use of koans (public cases) and similar stories, arguing that they did not exist during the time of Bodhidharma and that the true koan is "what is presently coming into being." Nianfo (Jp. nembutsu, from Skt. buddhānusmṛti "recollection of the Buddha") refers to the recitation of
3072-421: The kōans of Tenzo Kyōkun , Xuefeng gives his answer in order to express the nondualism of his activity. However, Dongshan follows up by reminding him that while his answer demonstrates a grasp on the absolute meaning of his activity, he is forgetting the utility value (i.e. feeding the other practitioners) and thus his apparently absolute understanding is in fact limited. Xuefeng does not grasp this and turns over
3136-517: The language and style in the Instructions are regarded as more concrete and straightforward than these other popular works. Instructions for the Cook is included as the first part of the Eihei Shingi , or Rules of Purity for Eihei-ji . Renpō Niwa, a former abbot of Eihei-ji , divides the texts into five parts. The first part is the preface in which Dōgen emphasizes the importance of the work of
3200-495: The mind" and serve to focus and purify the mind, and support the development of the stages of dhyana . Chan Buddhists may also use other classic Buddhist practices like the four foundations of mindfulness and the Three Gates of Liberation ( emptiness or śūnyatā , signlessness or animitta , and wishlessness or apraṇihita ). Early Chan texts also teach forms of meditation that are unique to Mahāyāna Buddhism. For example,
3264-494: The most influential early Chinese meditation texts are the Anban Shouyi Jing (安般守意經, Sutra on ānāpānasmṛti ), the Zuochan Sanmei Jing (坐禪三昧經，Sutra of sitting dhyāna samādhi ) and the Damoduoluo Chan Jing (達摩多羅禪經, Dharmatrata dhyāna sutra) . These early Chinese meditation works continued to exert influence on Zen practice well into the modern era. For example, the 18th century Rinzai Zen master Tōrei Enji wrote
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#17328916182073328-510: The name of Shakyamuni Buddha: namu Shakamuni Butsu ) and Amida nembutsu were promoted by Soto school priests as easy practices for laypersons. Nianfo chan is also widely practiced in Vietnamese Thien . Since Zen is a form of Mahayana Buddhism , it is grounded on the schema of the bodhisattva path, which is based on the practice of the "transcendent virtues" or "perfections" ( Skt . pāramitā , Ch. bōluómì , Jp. baramitsu ) as well as
3392-467: The objects of experience to "the nature of conscious awareness itself", the innately pure buddha-nature , which was compared to a clear mirror or to the sun (which is always shining but may be covered by clouds). This type of meditation is based on classic Mahāyāna ideas which are not uniquely "Chan", but according to McRae it differs from traditional practice in that "no preparatory requirements, no moral prerequisites or preliminary exercises are given," and
3456-674: The personal expression of this insight in daily life for the benefit of others . Some Zen sources de-emphasize doctrinal study and traditional practices, favoring direct understanding through zazen and interaction with a master (Jp: rōshi , Ch: shīfu ) who may be depicted as an iconoclastic and unconventional figure. In spite of this, most Zen schools also promote traditional Buddhist practices like chanting, precepts , rituals, monasticism and scriptural study. With an emphasis on Buddha-nature thought, intrinsic enlightenment and sudden awakening , Zen teaching draws from numerous Buddhist sources, including Sarvāstivāda meditation,
3520-610: The practice of "observing the huatou " ( hwadu in Korean) is a widely practiced method. It was taught by Seon masters like Chinul (1158–1210) and Seongcheol (1912–1993), and modern Chinese masters like Sheng Yen and Xuyun . In the Japanese Rinzai school, kōan introspection developed its own formalized style, with a standardized curriculum of kōans , which must be studied, meditated on and "passed" in sequence. Monks are instructed to "become one" with their koan by repeating
3584-666: The rice washing bowl in frustration. The short text that comprises the Instructions for the Cook has been translated into English and other languages, often as a part of the Eihei Shingi , or Rules of Purity for Eiheiji . These include Zen Buddhism The way The "goal" Background Chinese texts Classical Post-classical Contemporary Zen in Japan Seon in Korea Thiền in Vietnam Western Zen Zen (Japanese; from Chinese: Chán ; in Korean: Sŏn , and Vietnamese: Thiền )
3648-408: The same time. Dongshan then says, "What will the great assembly eat?" In response to this, Xuefeng overturns the bowl. Dongshan says, "In the future you will go and be scrutinized by someone else". The final line references the fact that Xuefeng ultimately studied under Touzi Datong , Dongshan, and Deshan Xuanjian before finally receiving dharma transmission . According to Kōryō Shinno in an essay on
3712-598: The scope is limited to simple cooking instructions, Ekiho Miyazaki, an abbot of the Sōtō school's head temple Eihei-ji , summarizes the work's importance when he writes, " Instructions for the Cook are instructions for life". The work was written in 1237, ten years after Dōgen's return from his time in Song dynasty China . At this time he was practicing at the monastery he had founded four years earlier, Kōshōhōrin-ji . During this period he wrote several of his best known works such as Bendōwa , Fukan Zazengi , and Genjōkōan . However,
3776-502: The study of meditation ( Chinese : 禪學 ; pinyin : chánxué ) though it is often used as an abbreviated form of Chánzong . Zen is also called 佛心宗, fóxīnzōng (Chinese) or busshin-shū (Japanese), the "Buddha-mind school," from fó-xīn , "Buddha-mind"; "this term can refer either to the (or a) Buddha's compassionate and enlightened mind , or to the originally clear and pure mind inherent in all beings to which they must awaken." Busshin may also refer to Buddhakaya ,
3840-680: The taking of the bodhisattva vows . The most widely used list of six virtues is: generosity , moral training (incl. five precepts ), patient endurance , energy or effort , meditation ( dhyana ), wisdom . An important source for these teachings is the Avatamsaka sutra , which also outlines the grounds ( bhumis ) or levels of the bodhisattva path. The pāramitās are mentioned in early Chan works such as Bodhidharma 's Two entrances and four practices and are seen as an important part of gradual cultivation ( jianxiu ) by later Chan figures like Zongmi . An important element of this practice
3904-454: The teaching line. In the Caodong and Soto traditions, koans were studied and commented on, for example Hongzhi published a collection of koans and Dogen discussed koans extensively. However, they were not traditionally used in sitting meditation. Some Zen masters have also critiqued the practice of using koans for meditation. According to Haskel, Bankei called kōans "old wastepaper" and saw
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#17328916182073968-451: The traditional Buddhist meditations. This uniquely Zen approach goes by various names like “maintaining mind” (shouxin 守心), “maintaining unity” (shouyi 守一), “pacifying the mind” (anxin 安心), “discerning the mind” (guanxin 觀心), and “viewing the mind” (kanxin 看心). A traditional phrase that describes this practice states that "Chán points directly to the human mind, to enable people to see their true nature and become buddhas." According to McRae
4032-702: Was a Chinese Zen Buddhist monk during the Tang dynasty . He was born in Jiannan in what is now Sichuan Province . He is remembered for hitting his students with a cane to express awakening. Through his student Xuefeng Yicun , he is the ancestor to two of the Five Houses of Zen , the Yunmen School and the Fayan School . Earlier in his life he was a scholar focused on the Vinaya , and later he became famous for his knowledge of
4096-460: Was visiting China. He acknowledges that these meetings had a deep and lasting impact on his understanding of Buddhism, and they thus ultimately helped shape Sōtō Zen in Japan. Next, Dōgen focuses on the need for the tenzo to act without any thought of discrimination or duality. In the last section, the discussion of the tenzo's attitude is concluded with a discussion of the Three Minds ( Sanshin , 三心),
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