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Post by Shi Da Dao on Oct 22, 2009 14:05:01 GMT 1
Dear Members
Throughout my day, as is often the case, I partake in friendly conversation and debate, usually about life and its exterior and interior implications. This process contributes to an enriching of being - far beyond the limited implications of the momentary subject being considered.
As can be imagined, Buddhism, in one of its many philosophical guises, often serves as the fertile soil for intellectual development. Yesterday, it was 'Yogacara'. And the unfolding dialogue presented evidence of just how mch influence this Mahayana school has had on the Ch'an school. Yogacara may appear simple at first - particularly as it asserts 'all is mind' - but upon closer examination, the intricacies of this method are subtle and distinct.
To start with, the term 'Yogacara' s usually pronounced as 'Yogachara'. Yoga of course, refers here to a set of meditative exercises, designed to develop the mind toward a particular philosophical view, or to attain a specific way of life. The word 'cara' refers to 'practice', and is used here in the sense that this school uses yoga to attain its ends.
Withint the Western philosophical tradition, Yogacara philosophy is considered 'idealist'. Simply stated, this philosophical premise asserts that 'mind' creates 'matter'. As a philosophical premise, it stands diametrically opposed to 'materialist' philosophy, which asserts that 'material' creates 'mind'. These distinct position have very interesting implications. Briefly, Idealism can assert that the world we live within, is nothing more than the creation of our mind - change our mind set, and we change the world we live in and experience. Materialisim on the other hand, asserts that our internal mind set exactly reflects the outer conditions of our life - change the outer conditions, and it follows that the inner conditions change as a result.
Yogacara is also known as 'cittamatra'. Citta is 'mind', whilst 'matra' is used in this associative context to mean 'only', or 'exclusively'. Arya Asanga (310-390AD) is accredited with the founding of the Yogacara school. He was previously a follower of the non-Mahayana Mahisasika school that advocated formal meditation practice - Asanga is said to have spent twelve years engaged in deep meditation. At the end of this twelve year time period, he received visions of Maitreya Buddha - the Buddha yet to come - who conveyed various Buddhist philosophical works to him.
Two of the earliest sutras associated with the Yogacara school are;
1) Samdhinirmocana Sutra (circa 2nd century AD). 2) Lankavatara Sutra (circa 4th century AD).
Arya Asanga received the following texts from Maitreya Buddha;
a) Madhyantavibhaga. b) Mahayanasutralamkara. c) Abhisamayilamkara.
There is also the Yogacarabhumi text, which although ascribed to Arya Asanga himself, is believed to be of an earlier date, and contemporary with the Samdhinirmocana Sutra. In a very real sense, as with other developments in Buddhist thought, the Yogacara does not 'invent' anything that is not contained within the Pali Canon. This association between the Pali Canon and the Yogacara has been explored by the Sri Lankan Theravada monk and academic, Dr Walpola Rahula.
The Yogacara school is associated with the eight consciousness teaching - elucidated within the Lankavatara Sutra, a sutra associated in legend with the Ch'an tradition. This is essentially a system that explains the unfolding process of the conscious mind, in its relation to the physical world. The eight consciousnss is caled the 'Alaya vijhana', which translates as the 'store consciousness. This conscious level is the most important and main aspect of a living being. It contains the 'seeds' (bija), or 'imprints' of all the past deeds and exerpiences that a being has undergone, throughout all previous (and present) lifetimes. These seeds, when outer circumstances are ripe, come to fruition through the mind and body, often resulting in action in the physical world. The eight consciousness are as follows;
8) Alaya Vijhana (Store Consciousness). 7) Manas Vijhana (Sense of 'I' and thinking mind) 6) Mano Vijhana (processing of sense data)
The other five levels of consciousness refer to the five remaining senses of the body and their corresponding sense objects (i.e. the ‘material’ world);
5) Body – (tactile or touch). 4) Tongue – (taste). 3) Nose – (smell). 2) Ear – (hearing). 1) Eye – (sight).
The Yogacara school, and this model specifically, is suggesting that the material world can not be known without the mediation of the mind itself. In other words, we can only ‘know’ what we ‘sense’ through our mind only – and that outside of this scheme, nothing can be known. The mind is all inclusive. The Yogacara does not seem to be saying that physical matter is ‘mind’ par se, but rather that physical matter can only be known to exist, through the conscious process of ‘sensing’. Of course, this has a double meaning, because what is sensed to be ‘outwardly’ existing , has, according to the Yogacara, been ‘inwardly’ generated by the eight consciousness. This base ‘duality’ is the basis of dukkha, or ‘suffering’, and the Yogacara practitioner strives to over-come this base paradox, through the use of a meditational technique. Eventually, there is a ‘turning about at the base of consciousness’ (Sanskrit: ‘asraya-paravrtti’), and this duality is transcended.
Those who have trained in the Ch’an/Zen school, or who are familiar with Mahayana texts, will be aware of the phrase ‘turning about at the base’. It denotes a major step toward enlightenment, the resolving of duality (again an aim common in Ch’an training), and the direct experiencing of ‘sunyata’ or ‘emptiness’. The Yogacara has its own distinct definition of ‘sunyata’. A great rival to the Yogacara school is the Madhyamaka – ‘School of the Middle Way’ (founded by Nagarjuna circa 150 AD). The Mahyamaka school defines ‘sunyata’ as ‘the absence of inherent existence’. Whilst the Yogacara philosophers define ‘sunyata’ as ‘freedom from the tyranny of duality’ That is, the enlightened mind is ‘empty’ of the false dichotomy of ‘subject-object’. However, whilst the Mahyamaka insist that all is fundamentally ‘empty’, the Yogacara agree to a certain extent, but assert that ‘mind’, although perceived as ‘empty’, is, in itself. ‘real’. In other words, the Yogacara, like its Theravada cousins, assert that ‘citta’ (i.e. ‘mind’) alone is real, and all else is false.
There is no conflict here, simply a difference in emphasis. Whether the ‘mind’ exists, or does not ‘exist’, all agree that it is ‘empty’, and that the perception of emptiness in meditation, is an important aim of the Buddhist path. If the ‘mind’ exists, it should not be grasped as an ‘atma’. If it does not exists, this reality should not be grasped as an excuse for ‘nihilism’. With the existence of the ‘mind’ of course, in its most subtlest form (i.e. the ‘eight consciousness’), a vehicle exists that serves to explain rebirth.
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Oct 28, 2009 13:01:51 GMT 1
Dear Members
Whilst researching the Yogacara tradition, I came across the following quote;
'Hitherto it has usually been thought that the founder of the Yogacara school was Asanga or Aryasanga. Considerable evidence has, however, been accumulating in favour of the view, gradually forcing itself into acceptance, that the real founder of the system was Maitreya or Maitreyanatha. The tradition is that five of his works were revealed to Asanga by Maitreya in the Tusita heaven and this would imply that Maitreya was a mythical character, rather than a historical personage. It now appears however, that he was a historical person, the teacher of Asanga, and real founder of the Yogacara school.'
(Yogacara Idealism: By AS Chatterjee - Page 31.)
This means that the historical person named 'Maitreya', has been muddled with the idea of 'Maitreya', the Buddha yet to come. This may have occured by accident, due primarily to a lack of knowledge. But it could have equally been a deliberate mistake, in an attempt to give the Yogacara an apparent 'divine' origination.
Of course, such divine intervention, although helpful to those who happen to receive, is not required in the assessment of the mind, its functions, or its apparent interaction with the objects of the physical world. The myth of the origination however, should not distract the meditator from the cold analysis of personal experience.
The real issue is to educate ourselves in every way that is possible. Buddhist philosophy should not be static or final, but dynamic and newly discovering. It might already be written somewhere, but if it has not been discovered by our own efforts, we can not be sure what is 'true' and 'helpful', and what is not. Truth, of course, is contingent upon circumstance.
Sometimes, a word, phrase or action can serve as a stimulus to inner work and inner development. The journey to inner and outer unification is complex. One moment it is smooth, the next it is difficult. Seeing the transparency of all states appears the only real salvation. Together with the understanding of the nature of that which 'sees'.
Compassion in this journey is the removal of barriers and false constructs that hinder or block the traveller on their path. The mind essence does not know economics, class, race or gender. These entanglements must be over-come for mind to manifest brightly.
Peace in the Dharma
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Jan 20, 2010 12:22:00 GMT 1
Dear Members
The Ch'an path is unusual. It is unusual as a Buddhist path, and it is unusual as a human cognitive process. As a method, it approaches the mind 'subjectively'. Usually, the mind approaches itself 'objectively', through models of education, designed firstly to explain the physical structures of the brain, and then only secondarily extended, (almost by implication), to attempt to explain the conscious mind itself. This 'outside-in' approach is very helpful in academia, particularly in anatomy and physiology. Knowledge starts with what is 'known' to exist, and physical structure is an obvious starting point. It is reasonable and logical to do this, and forms the basis of the scientific method.
Ch'an, by way of comparison, does not follow this method. It takes a position that appears to be one of a pure 'subjectivety'. The language and behaviour of the Ch'an master is governed by the requirement to 'show' the student his own mind essence, that lies beneath, under or through the 'thinking' process. The thinking process in this instance, is the stumbling block to spiritual wisdom. The never-ending stream of thoughts, with the end of one thought, (creating and) leading to the next thought, continues forever, without a moment's break. The Buddha taught that this 'obscuration' of the pure essence of the mind is the root-cause of all human suffering.
The Ch'an method does not engage the thinking mind on point of principle. It can not, as its only aim is to short-circuit the stream of continuous thought energy that obscures the pure mind essence, and prevents peace of mind. The Ch'an master therefore, behaves verbally, and physically in such away, that 'turns' the mind's attention firmly back on it's own self. There can be no escape or compromise in this method. For the Ch'an master, his life becomes a permanent expression of the mind essence. A student will either be ready, or unready, the process is the same. Beneath all duality, the essence of the mind resides, deep, eternal and at peace.
Whereas Ch'an appears to emphasis the 'subjective', and science appears to emphasis the 'objective', these are ultimately illusions of perception. As both the 'subjective', and the 'objective' share the same mind essence. These are merely differing ways of looking at the world and attempting to gain information from what is seen. Ch'an only appears to be 'subjective' because it is mirroring the 'disease' of objectivity that the mind is 'attached' to, in the unenlightened enquirer. Ch'an simply creates an illusion, to break an illusion. In reality, Ch'an is not interested in either the 'subjective', or the 'objective', but rather the mind essence from which both these extremes spring. In the essence before movement, there is peace.
Peace in the Dharma
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Feb 5, 2010 11:22:08 GMT 1
Dear Members Dharma master Hui Neng was the last of the Ch’an Patriarchs. After His time, there came the Ch’an Ancestors, and finally the Ch’an Masters. All these people have strived to preserve the Ch’an Teaching down throughout time, so that we might benefit in the present. Outer circumstances are illusionary, and the three times of past, present and future are empty in the Ten Directions! The Platform Sutra Of Hui Neng www.katinkahesselink.net/tibet/hui_neng1.htmlIn Chapter 6 – Repentence – Hui Neng offers five kinds of incense. These are not ordinary incense, but rather are five strands all leading back to the same Mind that produces them. They are; 1) Sila Incense, which means that our mind is free from taints of misdeeds, evil jealousy, avarice, anger, spoliation, and hatred. 2) Samadhi Incense, which means that our mind is unperturbed in all circumstances, favorable or unfavorable. 3) Prajna Incense, which means that our mind is free from all impediments, that we constantly introspect our Essence of Mind with wisdom, that we refrain from doing all kinds of evil deeds, that although we do all kinds of good acts, yet we do not let our mind become attached to (the fruits) of such actions, and that we are respectful towards our superiors, considerate to our inferiors, and sympathetic to the destitute and the poor. 4) Incense of Liberation, this means that our mind is in such an absolutely free state that it clings to nothing and concerns itself neither with good nor evil. 5) Incense of Knowledge obtained on the Attainment of Liberation. When our mind clings to neither good nor evil we should take care not to let it dwell upon vacuity, or remain in a state of inertia. The entire Ch’an path, which is only the realisation of the Mind Ground in all things, is summed-up in this short paragraph. More words or less words are meaningless if the Mind Ground is not attained, and the ‘turning about’ at the deepest level of consciousness is not acquired. Seeking after words, or pushing words away simply encourages Klesa – the obscuring layers of agitation that prevent the clear perceiving of, and the ‘uniting with’ the Mind Ground. Sin is only real if there is attachment to thoughts of sin. Sin is an illusion. To ‘repent’ in the Ch’an tradition, is to see the ‘empty’ nature of all phenomena, so that the Mind is ‘unperturbed’ in all circumstances.
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Feb 22, 2010 13:25:47 GMT 1
Master Xu Yun (1840-1959), lived into his one hundred and twentieth year. His life spanned four dynasties – the Qing, the Republic of China, The Puppet Regime of the invading imperial Japanese, and finally the Communist regime. He lived a wandering, ascetic life – settling for short time periods here and there. Mostly, he preferred to live in the hills, and meditate amongst the cloud covered peaks. However, for the sake of the Dharma he often descended into the ‘world of dust’, and taught multitudes of people the unsurpassed Ch’an Dharma, handed from the Lord Buddha to Mahakasyapa on Vulture Peak, two and a half thousand years ago. The Buddha held-up a flower, and only Mahakasyapa understood – with a smile – that the Mind Ground that raises flower, is the same Mind Ground that perceives it being raised.
Intellectualism does not help the seeker at this point. There are many types of Ch’an, but the unsurpassed Ch’an is not dependent upon words or letters. Thinking to understand is not the answer. The unsurpassable Ch’an is the Mind Ground perceiving itself, with no separation, anywhere. Thinking separates the Mind Ground from its own perception, and causes all sorts of trouble, tribulation and suffering. When the Mind moves, that is Samsara, when the Mind stops, that is Nirvana, and as Samsara and Nirvana share the same empty essence – what difference can be found?
Insight comes from meditation using the ‘hua t’ou’ technique. Master Xu Yun taught that the 'Ch'an Week' became common in the Song Dynasty, and popular during the Qing. The Ch’an dialogues, recorded in a number of Chinese sources, preserve the essence of Ch’an. To encounter these dialogues with a free and open Mind is a blessing. For there are no answers that involve the intellect. These sayings are called ‘kung an’, or ‘public records’. The inner dynamics of these exchanges untie the delusional knots that exist in the Mind, clearing away eons of a false dichotomy that splits the Mind and the world into subject-object. The Mind Ground perceives itself and all dichotomy instantaneously dissolves into an all-embracing oneness. This ‘oneness’ is then traced to it’s source for the final enlightenment.
As time went on, it is believed that the ordinary minds of humanity became dull and unable to be instanteously enlightened. As was the case, the Ch’an masters developed the hua t’ou, or ‘word head’ method’, to assist Ch’an students on this great task. A hua t’ou involves a deep questioning of one’s Mind Essence. Therefore, all hua t’ou begin with the questioning word ‘who?’. This ‘who?’ is the most important part of any hua t’ou. It is designed to turn the Mind back on itself. To cut through obscuring intellect and emotion. The rest of the hua t’ou sentence often serves to suit the mentality of the student concerned, for instance master Xu Yun used the hua t’ou ‘Who is dragging this corpse around?’. Richard Hunn gave this author the hua t’tou ‘Who is hearing?’, a method found in the Surangama Sutra, and practiced by the great Ch’an master Han Shan, who sat by a noisy waterful, turning the faculty of ‘hearing’ back on itself, so that the origin of itself could be discovered. Han Shan found utter silence as he sat by the cascading water-fall. The facult of hearing is considered the easiest of the six human senses to turn back to its origin. Obviously, when one sense is returned to a single source, all senses are realised to have arisen from the same sources. As all things are returnable to the ‘one’, where does the ‘one’ return?
The Ch’an Dao method is the Mind looking at, and perceiving itself so that all subject-object is transcended in an instant. All else is purely expedient. A Ch’an practitioner does not allow the Mind to move beyond itself and therefore guards it jealously. A hunter once encountered a Ch’an master in the hills. The master asked; ‘How many animals can you kill with a single arrow?’ The hunter answered; ‘I can kill one animal with one arrow.’ The master said; ‘That is no good’. The hunter asked; ‘How many can you kill with a single arrow?’ The master replied; ‘I can kill them all with a single arrow.’ The hunter asked; ‘Why would you kill all the animals?’ To which the master replied; ‘Why don’t you kill yourself?’ The hunter was enlightened at this point, and became a Ch’an master in his own right. Many Ch’an masters carry the mattock of authority. This tradition appears to have been borrowed from Daoism, whereby an enlightened being, or an immortal would carry a ‘fly-whisk’ of authority. This is a short stick – perhaps twelve inches long, with a plume made of the hair of a horse’s tail. The hair itself being no more than perhaps six inches in length. This apparently mundane and ordinary item, contained as a symbol, all the temporal and spiritual authority considered essential in the character of a Ch’an master. The former hunter however, gave-up eating meat and killing animals, but did not carry the mattock of authority. Instead, he carried his bow and arrow with him, everywhere he went. His encounter with a true Ch’an master had ‘spiritualised’ his martial ability. From the point of his enlightenment onwards, the Mind seeing itself became the focus of full being. Archery, as a specific skill lost all meaning at this point.
Master Xu Yun, when young, studied Daoism. His father had hired a Daoist teacher when Xu Yun was in his teens. Durng this time, Xu Yun studied qi cong, or breath work. Shortly after this however, he left home at the age of 17, to become a wandering, Buddhist monk. At around the age of forty, he finally met a master who gave him a hua t’ou method suited to his Mind. As his practice grew, he became very well known for his spiritual strength and his gentle will power. In his long life, he travelled widely, mostly on foot or boat. Oneday, when he and nine workman were carrying a very heavy Buddhist statue from Burma to China, the workman refused to go on, unless their pay was doubled. Master Xu Yun explained to them that they would be paid at the destination, if only they would continue in their efforts for the Dharma. The men however, refused to move. Master Xu Yun pointed to a very large boulder, much bigger than the statue, and asked the men if they could move it. All nine tried, but to no avail. All agreed that the boulder was far heavier than the statue. Master Xu Yun – who by this time was in his sixties, easily lifted the boulder with two hands. He later commented that he had no idea how it happened. Needless to say, the workmen viewed this happening as something of a miracle attributed to the Buddha, and took it as a sign that they should carry-on, which they did, safely delivering the statue to its assigned Ch’an monastery.
Coupled with this display of unusual power, master Xu Yun also suffered two very brutal beatings in his long life. It is remarkable that he survived either one. In 1916/17, he was travelling to Burma via Singapore, where he was detained by the Singaporean Police as a suspected Communist sympathiser. He was around seventy seven years old at this point, when he was subjected to a very brutal and sustained beating, whilst in custody. Some local Chinese Buddhists got to hear of his plight, and they rescued him, by raising bail money and vouching for his character. Then, in 1952, when Xu Yun was one hundred and twelve years old, Communist activists, representing the new regime of Mao Zedong, attacked the monastery he was staying in, and detained and beat the monks. Master Xu Yun’s assistant, Miao-yun was beaten to death at this time. The attackers claimed that Xu Yun was hiding both money and a radio transmitter, neither of which were discovered. Local Buddhists reported this behaviour to the Beijing government, who immediately ordered a halt to the local activity. Investigators were sent to look into the events, and local Communist forces were told to leave Xu Yun alone. What is interesting is that despite casual hardships of terrible events, Ch’an masters, and Xu Yun specifically, never let their Mind wander.
Thuggery, aggression and wanton violence did not distract them from this great matter. Martial arts become just another expression of the Mind seeking itself – and nothing more. Even during the Republican era, (a time that saw the distruction of the Shaolin temple in 1928), master Xu Yun is known to have talked a Republican general out of his intention to attack and destroy Buddhist temples. Master Xu Yun encouraged Charles Luk to translate important Buddhist texts into English, as he felt the Dharma would survive in the West. Although Xu Yun had literally thousands of followers, he chose Charles Luk for this very important task. He fore-saw that karma would lead Dharma Westward, and that Luk’s work would be important in this task. Richard Hunn took on the mantle from his teacher Charles, and strove throughout his relatively short life to keep the English translations in print and readily available. This website is one of the latest efforts to keep the Dharma alive.
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Feb 23, 2010 10:42:02 GMT 1
Dear Members The Curious Case of Shaolin chanbuddhismuk.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=disc&thread=157As someone who has participated in martial practice and meditation, I have always been curious about the old Shaolin temple. Our martial style, although linked with Ch'an Buddhism, and despite having ancestors who were indeed ordained Ch'an monks, has never been linked to Shaolin. In traditional Chinese culture, martial practice is as common as football practice in the West. In that respect, there is nothing different about it. What is interesting, is that every Ch'an Buddhist lineage that I have encountered, puts the perception of the Mind Ground as the prime objective. This holds regardless of whether there is, or is not a martial component. For myself, the cultivation of qi energy is achieved when Mind Ground perceives Mind Ground - nothing more. Many Ch'an masters were accomplished martial artists, but when one reads their life stories and Dharma words, very little, if anything is mentioned. Why is this? What is the connection between Mind Ground and martial practice? What was happening in the Shaolin temple? Was the Shaolin temple simply a Ch'an temple that became famous for the martial skills of some of its monks? And has this fame obscured the true purpose of a Ch'an temple? I would be grateful for any comments at the above link. Peace in the Dharma
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Feb 28, 2010 22:14:48 GMT 1
Dear Members Ch'an Patriarch Lineage. chanbuddhismuk.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=chanpatAt the above link can be found the 33 patriarchs of Ch'an, there pictures and their transmission poems (gathas). This area will eventually include as much details as possible on the Patriarchs, their lives and their teachings. Ch'an is unique, and suffered attacks in China from both Indian and Chinese Buddhists from other schools. Not to mention official persecution from the government or local authorities. The Second Patriarch Hui k'e was actually murdered by his opponents. When we read the transmission gathas - it is important that we allow the words to dissolve our thoughts into the Mind-Ground and realise all-embracing Oneness, a state beyond the ordinary. The Mind-Ground knows no tribulation - even if those conveying it suffer for a thousand years. When we consider the Patriarchs, we should not rush. They cultivated themselves and lived-out their physical existences so that we may now benefit from the Ch'an Dharma - the True Dharma - and not get seduced into heretical paths that pose as 'Ch'an' and try to convince us that their corruption of the Dharma is the 'real' Dharma. The Lord Buddha explained that in the Dharma Ending Age, the Dharma would become corrupted and the true teaching difficult to find. The Patriarchs and their example shines brightly for all to see, as the Transmission of the Lamp is ensured for all time. Of the Five House of Ch'an - each of which evolved from the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng - master Xu Yun (1840-1959), the Right Dharma Eye for our generation, inherited all five lineages. In him all five expedients path became focused into 'one'. He passed a very important Dharmic path to Upasaka Lu Kuan Yu (Charles Luk), and gave him the quest of translating as many key Chinese Buddhist Ch'an texts into English as possible, as well as teaching Ch'an and liberating countless beings. Upasaka Lu Kuan Yu passed on the Dharmic quest of preserving master Xu Yun's Dharma Words in English, as well the English translations of Chinese Buddhist texts to Upasaka Wen Shu (Richard Hunn). Whilst pursuing this task, Wen Shu ran the Norfolk Ch'an Association, and like Charles before him, kept a world-wide letter writing correspondance regarding Ch'an, very much in the spirit of master Da Hui (1089-1163). Letter writing that 'turns the mind', is very much apart of this tradition of Ch'an. Ancient Chna possessed a very efficient postal service, and letters would often find their way to those 'living amongst the clouds'. These tasks of teaching correct Ch'an and maintaining the translations of Lu Kuan Yu have passed into these humble hands. This website is the sum total of our collective efforts. Each member brings a Dharmic moral force to the site and its objective, and Buddhist monks such as the Venerable Shih Ying-fa and the Venerable Lama Pawo are blessings to the world. To this end, I would advise that we all partake in this lineage of Ch'an and together and turn a little stream into a vast ocean ofliberation! None of this would have been possible without the Ch'an Patriarchs of ancient India and China. The Mind-Ground, as Charles Luk sought to remind us has no nationality or geographical boundary. We discuss Ch'an today, because others suffered to bring this Dharma to us. May all beings attain release!
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Mar 5, 2010 15:48:48 GMT 1
Dear Members Daoist Secret of the Six healing Breaths chanbuddhismuk.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=chandisc&thread=183At the above link is an introduction to special sounds that when linked to breath, and the mind focused on a particular organ in the body, the organ is cleansed of bad qi. Many Ch'an masters studied Daoist techniques that cultivate qi, in their pursuing of enlightenment. The Mind Ground underlies all evenly. Luk presented a version of the breathing exercises in his The Secrets of Chinese Meditation. I would urge all readers to seek out this book and study it. What I presetn above is the same exercises as they were taught directly to me. Some aspects did not appear in Luk's book for various reasons. However, the breathing exercises are presented here so that others might benefit from them. Peace in the Dharma.
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Mar 25, 2010 15:13:53 GMT 1
Dear Members The function of this Ch'an community is to provide a Dharma-door to the Mind Ground so that all life in the universe can realise its own essence. This requires good quality Ch'an direction that 'turns the Mind' toward its essence. Of coourse, bad quality Ch'an discussion turns the Mind toward the separation of phenomena into 'subject and object', and toward 'attachment and rejection', the essence of samsaric suffering in the 'world of dust'. The State of the Community chanbuddhismuk.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=chandisc&action=display&thread=168In the Song Dynasty, Ch'an master Gao-an gave the above instruction that shows that Ch'an communities can and do apply harsh measures to ensure that a certain order is maintained, so that the 'inner' emphasis is not lost. After-all, a Ch'an community is a focal-point of the purest energy (qi) designed to 'breakthrough' the layers of obscuration that cloud the Mind and prevent the clear perception of the Mind Ground. To this end, 'silence' maybe considered as instructive as 'words', and coming maybe as instructive as going - all share the same Mind Ground without end. The Ch'an Discussion section is designed simply to clarify Ch'an teaching, and to encourage all spiritual seekers on their chosen paths. Therefore, all Buddhism shares the same Mind Ground, as do all religions. But the implication is clear - the Ch'an method of master Xu Yun is the guiding light. A Ch'an community does not have a written constitution. Instead, when one looks within, a natural behaviour 'without' is produced. This is quite spontaneous and generated from within without force or contrivance. Obviously, we should apply this moral standard to ourselves first and fore-most, and to others secondarily. This dual action keeps the Ch'an community flowing smoothly. If we post material that does not contain the requisite quality, we should ponder it, and remove it ourselves as a social duty. If posts are made that are inappropriate, it is correct for those posts to be removed. This is not a punishment, but an act of encouragement. The ego does not have any say in in how it is to be over-come. Adjustment of behaviour, so as to accord with the Mind Ground (i.e. Dao) is a good thing. From it compassionate action flows. A community is a collective effort, and everyone, whether with words, actions or silence, contributes equally. And it is a matter of freedom that a person may join and leave the community at anytime. Peace in the Dharma
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Apr 28, 2010 11:30:32 GMT 1
Dear Members
I remember meeting Richard Hunn around 2002, on one of his annual visits to the UK, from Japan. He told me about the book he had just read entitled:
Zen At War - By Brian Daizen Victoria.
Richard was concerned about its content - not because it was incorrect or inaccurate, but precisely because it is spot-on. Victoria is a Soto Zen priest. He wrote the above book to catelogue Japan's descent into militarism prior to WWII. It is a detailed study of how Japan's Zen Buddhism - that is its masters - actively encouraged the distortion of Zen teaching to fit-in with the prevailing militaristic regime. The book is not anti-Japanese or indeed anti-Buddhism. On the contrary, Victoria asks a simple question:
How does a Buddhist doctrine advocating the non-taking of life, come to be interpreted as a more efficient means of taking a life?
This book is usually very expensive, but I was fortunate enough to have acquired a cheap copy recently. It was translated into Japanese in 2001, which led to the Rinzai linegae of Zen apologising for its wartime activities. Interestingly, the Soto school of Zen apologised in 1993. Many masters that subsequently became famous in the West, are shown to have been at the fore-front of Japan's spiritualisation of warfare, and major contributors to the distortion of Zen Buddhism.
It is not that Ch'an or Zen has never been, or is not associated with martial training in both China and Japan, it most definitely has been and still is, but rather that the association has always been one of the 'peacification' of the martial traditions, through the eradication of greed, hatred and delusion in the Mind - negative attributes that actually lead to violence and conflict.
On purely moral grounds, warfare can never be justified, but the requirement to defend oneself and community from attack, is the lesser of two evils, the 'evil' being outright, brutish and brutal aggression carried-out against those living peacefully. It is the latter expression of human ignorance that Victoria has clearly recorded as being justified by the Zen Buddhist traditions of militaristic Japan. This of course, like any similar nationalism expressed throughout the world has a component of racism running through it. In the case of Japan during WWII the prevailing ideology was one of racial superiority over over Asians and Westerners. A racism that equally matched its Western counter-part. The difference being that Western racism of the time believed that it was scientifically based, whilst Japanese racism assumed a spiritual origin for its justification.
It is a complicated issue that can be disentangled with careful examination. Ignorance can justify itself in an endless plethora of excuses. Buddhism - regardless of its tradition becomes distorted when the Mind Ground is obscured by delusive thought. In other words, when delusive thought takes the place of the Mind Ground. When this happens, the Mind Ground disappears and all is in chaos. When martial arts become mere movement, then their destructive quality becomes dominant. When the Mind Ground prevails, all martial movement melts away into a peaceful, universal energy. The outer movements are transformed into something unique - as violence is non-existent.
As the Mind Ground underlies all things, it must first be fully realised before the full implication of this idea becomes clearly known. In Japan during WWII, ordinary, unenlightened beings were taught brutal physical techniques to kill others, and were told that this ability to kill made them spiritually superior and enlightened. This is deluded thinking replacing Dharmic thinking. When these young Japanese men died in their hundreds of thousands at the hands of Western machine guns, the stark reality of the spiritual materialism they had been indoctrinated with, became painfully apparent. Victoria points out however, that human ignorance is not only found in Japan. He cites an American general who killed 600 men, women and children in the Philipines - and was applauded by the then US President as making the world a safer place for the Christian West. Victoria also mentions, of course the aweful 911 attacks on US soil.
The book is a cogent study in human ignorance. And a timely reminder that greed, hatred and delusion lead to endless sufferings and that it is these three things that obscure the Mind Ground. Our training must uproot them fully.
Peace in the Dharma
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Post by Shi Da Dao on May 5, 2010 19:04:33 GMT 1
Dear Members Confucius said: ‘The superior man is modest in speech, but exceeds in his actions’. (Analects: Chapter 14 – Verse 29). This simple statement strikes at the heart of the matter. Great spiritual beings exude an influence that exists prior to speech and prior to action, but nevertheless an influence that is completed when words and actions are required. At the centre of being reside the three gates: voidness, formlessness and inactivity. In the Vimalakirti Sutra these three gates serve as dharani doors, or entrances to the enlightened state. As the sage Confucius implies, modesty is superior because it is the product of inactivity. That which is still is also void and without form. Through the deliberate limitation of word, deed and thought, the Mind Ground becomes apparent, and an experience of the expansion of Mind is attained. As the Mind underlies all phenomena, there is no activity that is not fulfilled. Therefore, stillness lies at the heart of true action. To truly realise how to ‘move’, and have effect in the inner and outer world, inactivity must fully understood and embraced. At the following link, a summary of the great Mahasiddhi Milarepa is to be found, where CC Chang compares him to the Ch’an Patriarch Hui Neng: The Greatness of Milarepa chanbuddhismuk.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=chandisc&thread=236Thank you Peace in the Dharma
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Post by Shi Da Dao on May 18, 2010 17:20:46 GMT 1
Dear Members
The internet has opened a world of immediate communication. Through it, knowledge can travel everywhere and much benefit can be made from this attribute of post-modern technology. As human knowledge and wisdom can spread through the ether, so can human ignorance. The internet has been used in recent times to broadcast the most brutal of acts that can occur between one human being and another. Youtube routinely carries video footage of warfare, graphically portraying people actually being killed – either in open combat, or whilst wounded, and various other video sites broadcast video footage of both judicial executions and terrorist propaganda featuring torture and murder. Often these sites attract an equally human ignorant response comprised of xenophobia, racism, hatred as well as a morbid fascination for the viewing of one set of human beings with power, inflicting death on another set of human beings – without power.
Brutality is not new in the human world. The internet as a technical concept simply allows acts of isolated brutality to gain the kind of exposure that it would never usually have acquired thirty years. The emperor Ashoka, the great Indian Buddhist leader of an ancient empire around 300BC, carried-out a brutal campaign of terrorism and murder as he conquered Orissa – more or less associated with Eastern India today. Ancient texts claim that he even killed ‘99’ of his own brothers to secure his political power base. However, the shock and consequences of his brutality upon the people and animals of the outer world had the unexpected effect of causing a great remorse to spring-up within Ashoka – and he renounced violence on both the physical and psychological plane. This led to a period of sublime spiritual rule through Dharma. A rule that is sometimes likened to the present day Buddhist State of Bhutan – where a recent king coined the term ‘Gross National Happiness’ (GNP). This king decreed that it is his duty as a Buddhist to ensure happiness for all beings.
Happiness here, replaces the usual economic obsession with ‘profit’ in the financial sense, and emphasises instead the need for ‘Metta’ or ‘Loving Kindness’. Ashoka’s empire spread Loving Kindness far and wide. Violence and Brutality have always existed. What is important is that ‘Compassion’ (Karuna), that is an expanded human Mind and heart, becomes stronger than any act of brutality in the outer world. Physical violence is often used to intimidate people into a state of fear and non-resistance. Compassion can not be contained by any means. In a sense, it is the greatest attribute of Buddhism because it survives all suffering on both the outer AND inner plane. Bodies might be maimed or destroyed in the most hideous of manners, but compassion remains ‘untouched’, even at the height of the greatest hatred and anger. Compassion does not judge – but rather radiates in the Ten Directions. Over-time it dissolves all ignorance, even if in the short-term suffering must be endured.
When we see cruelty against other humans and animals we must clear our Minds and be firm in our conviction that ‘Compassion’ is ‘Great’, and that it is far more powerful than any ignorance that it might dissolve. Compassion helps those who are suffering – immediately – even if their suffering happened sometime ago, and has been filmed, etc. All beings are subject to Compassion. Those who make videos of murder, and in many ways those who watch them and respond with a callous disregard for the suffering of the victims – are participating in a ‘global ignorance’ that has existed since the beginning of time. Do not be down-hearted, ignorance is only ignorance, even if its presentation, at times, can appear to be shocking and surprising. No matter how graphic, violence does not exceed greed, hatred and delusion. To uproot violence in the world, we must first uproot it in ourselves. To meditate in isolation saves the world from further ignorance, and when Enlightenment is realised, Compassion and Wisdom can be spread around. The strength of Dharma, fuelled by Compassion can not be defeated because they spring from exactly the same Mind Ground. The body can come and go, but the Mind Essence remains – shining and eternal. Brutality is easy, low and gross. Enlightenment is high, pure and serence.
Peace in the Dharma
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Jun 11, 2010 17:55:20 GMT 1
Dear Members
I have come across many who put forward the idea that Buddhism is atheistic, that is, that it denies a god concept, but is this assertion correct? The term 'atheist' derives from the Greek 'atheos'. Theos can mean a divine concept or a god. Ancient Greek civilisation was polytheistic, and many philosophers contemplated the 'divine' and worked out ways to attain to a 'god-like' or 'divine' status through the use of the Mind. Therefore we may define 'atheos', or 'atheism' as a denial of the existance of 'gods' (plural), and of the 'divine'.
In ancient Roman times, the charge of 'atheism' was aimed at the early Christians. Why was this? The early Christians advocated a monotheistic entity, whilst at the sametime deny the existence of the Greek and Roman polytheistic gods. Such a denial of the gods was deemed 'atheistc'. In ancient Greece, the charge of impiety towards the gods could illicit a death sentence, if upheld by a jury.
In modern times, with Christinaity gaining political power, the charge of 'atheism' was redefined and reinterpreted to mean the non-belief or acceptance of the monotheistic god-concept developed by the Christian religion.
During the Buddha's lifetime, Indian thought, like it's Greek neighbours, was polytheistic. Infact the entire religious thought of India allowed for many different and varied god-concepts. The Buddha DID NOT deny the existence of the pantheon of Indian gods, but rather spoke of them often. In the Dhammapada He even mentions the god Indra as a Dharma Protector. However, despite this acknowledgement, the Buddha's path to self-knowledge does not rely on divine intervention for it to be effective. The Buddha, like many of His Greek counterparts, actually acknowledged the gods, but nevertheless advocated a path to salvation that involved the cultitvation of the human Mind that did not rely on the requirement of the worship of a divine concept.
As god concepts are clearly acknowledged in Buddhist scripture, Buddhism as a philosophy can not be truthfully referred to as 'atheistic'. The most that can be said is that the Buddha declared the worship of a divine concept as 'unprofitable', if one's intention is to acquire Enlightenment. This statement doe snot deny the existnece of gods, but rather the validity of attachment to them and reliance upon them.
The Buddha did not deny the existence of a monotheistic god-concept. If such a concept existed in ancient India it would have been viewed in much the sameway as polytheism. In modern times however, the Christian church has tried to define everyone as either 'theistic' (that is accepting the notion of a Christian god), or 'atheistic', (that is 'denying' the existence of a Christian god). The 'existence', or 'non-existence' of a god-concept has nothing to do with Buddhists - the Buddha said that gods exist. What is different is that the Buddha does not alot anykind of philosophical purpose to the gods.
On the contray, rather than being divine entities that are somehow permanently separate from the human realm, the Buddha said that both gods and demi-gods are simply humans who have been very good in their past lives and are now benefitting from their good karma. As only humans can attain to the enlightened state, the god-state, although pleasurable in everyway is infact a trap from which those trapped within can not escape. On the contrary, those trapped by good karma in the divine state must await the burning off of their good karma so that they can be reborn elsewhere. The Buddha warns that good karma without wisdom, is like an arrow that once fired high in the sky, will eventually drop to the ground spent of all force.
To reiterate, an individual Buddhist maybe atheistic or theistic as they choose, but Buddhism itself, as a distinct philosophy is not atheistic in either the ancient or modern sense, but Buddhism DOES NOT validate worship of a god-concept as a reliable path to enlightenment.
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Jul 17, 2010 18:09:25 GMT 1
Dear Members
Every so often, probably measured in years, I am approached in a High Street somewhere in the UK by a man with a shaved head and smiling contentedly. Normally, when this happens, I assume that they are sales persons trying to get a quick sell. Often however, their general sense of peace tends to get my attention. Once, in Exeter, I met a particularly spaced Hare Krishna disciple who asked if I wanted to buy a book off of him. I replied that I was a Buddhist priest and had no money on me. He then said that I could have the book the free.
He then explained that in society everyone is materially minded, so the Hare Krishna's go into the mire and harvest as much money as they can, from essentially greedy people. Today, I was given a book and then asked to donate toward it. It is a dishonest scam in the sense that the book appears to be free, but infact is given to illicit a donation. I am not sure that this is a good way to proceed, as it violates 'Right Livelihood'. I also think that it is wrong to label everyone as 'greedy' and 'materialist' because they happen to be walking around a High Street. Not everyone has money to spare, but everyone could potentially benefit from a free manual regarding spiritual development.
Therefore 'Right Thought' appears to be violated as well. This is extended into Krishna Consciousness teaching, as the Lord Buddha is viewed as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, an assertion that has no place whatsoever in Buddhist teaching. I think that within the movement itself, there is sharing and community support, but I understand that many members have signed over their money, houses and possessions to the movement. Today I actually met an Indian monk on a tour of the UK - we had to part with our loose change to secure the books on offer - books that we neither needed or required. On the other hand, I find their mantra peaceful and helpful.
Thank you.
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Jul 22, 2010 11:42:39 GMT 1
Dear Members
The divine utterance of Om Mani Padme Hum is well known throughout Buddhism, and is utilised to gain Enlightenment and Dharma blessings by all who use it. It is a mantra, or sacred word or phrase. The Sanskrit term ‘mantra’ has a meaning derived from ‘man’, which broadly refers the Mind, and ‘tra’ which carries the interpretation of that of an ‘instrument’. A mantra is an instrument of the Mind. This particular mantra is a direct path to the Mind Ground and can be used effectively by all, whether as a lay-person, or part of the ordained establishment - male or female.
The mantra - Om Mani Padme Hum - has its origination within the Karandavhuya Sutra. This sutra is believed to date from the fourth century CE, and to have originated in the Kashmir area of north India. Its full title is:
Avalokitesvara-guna-karandavhuya-sutra
This translates as:
‘The Basket of the Magnificent Array of Works of Avalokitesvara’.
The sutra is a conversation between the Lord Buddha and the Bodhisattvas named Sarvanivaranaviskambhin and Ratnapani. The sutra is about the transformative power of Avalokitesvara, as he travels from Sukhavati to manifest on Earth. Sukhavati, is of course the ‘Land of Bliss’, the Buddhafield of Amitabha Buddha. Avalokitesvara’s being and presence is transformative for all beings, such is the strength of his wisdom and compassion. Within the Karandavhuya Sutra, he even has time take part in a competition with the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, whereby the two Bodhisattvas compare their considerable Samadhi power. Before long, and in due course, Samantabhadra finally concedes that Avalokitesvara has the greater power. This power maybe shared by all, through the reciting of the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum.
Shakymuni Buddha, when still a Bodhisattva, in a previous life, travelled to the land of Padmottama, where he prostrates at the feet of Buddha Padmotamma. He requests the holy six syllable mantra Padmotamma explains that in one of His previous lives, he too searched for this mantra. He eventually arrives at the feet of Tathagata Amitabha, and after eons of spiritual effort, requests the holy six syllable mantra. Amitabha, seeing that Padmotamma was ready for the transference, informs Avalokitesvara of Padmotamma’s request. Avalokitesvara gives instruction for the mantra’s transference. This instruction involves a mandala, or sacred design, and gives the Karandavhuya Sutra its ‘tantric’ aspect. The mandala is described, but Amitabha, out of compassion for all beings asks what a person might do who has no wealth, or access to the kind of materials used to make the mandala? Avalokitesvara replies that in that case, the mandala can be constructed only in the Mind of the preceptor, and that no physical mandala need be built, before transmission. This is what Shakymuni says that he has heard.
The Lord Buddha instructs Sarvanivaranaviskambhin to travel to Varanasi to seek instruction in the six syllable mantra, this Sarvanivaranaviskambhin does successfully. The preceptor, (dharmabhanaka) informs Sarvanivaranaviskambhin that as he has undergone and suffered the hardships of the Dharma-path, Avalokitesvara has granted him the mantra. Upon returning into the Buddha’s presence, Sarvanivaranaviskambhin rejoices in the fact that Avalokitesvara has finally arrived at the Buddha’s gathering. The rest of the sutra concludes with the eulogising of the immense merit of the Avalokitesvara’s Dharmic power, and explains how the mantra, so difficult to acquire, has been acquired for humanity so that through its recitation, all evil is destroyed and enlightenment fully realised.
An excellent book about this sutra is:
The Origins of Om Mani Padme Hum – By A Studholme
Thank you
Peace in the Dharma
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