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Realization Through Hearing in Chan Literature

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Realization Through Hearing in Chan Literature Journal of Chinese Buddhist Studies (2014, 27: 129-179) New Taipei: Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies ᷕ厗ἃ⬠⬠⟙䫔Ḵ⋩ᶫ㛇ġ 枩 129-179炷㮹⚳ᶨ䘦暞ᶱ⸜炸炻㕘⊿烉ᷕ厗ἃ⬠䞼䨞㇨ ISSN: 2313-2000 e-ISSN: 2313-2019 Realization through Hearing in Chan Literature Venerable Guo-Jing Assistant Professor, Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist University Head of Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies Translated by Jeffrey Kotyk ⹟‹⣓; modified by Guo-Jing 㝄掉 Abstract This article is primarily concerned with investigating the similarities between Avalokitƞğvara Bodhisattva’s (Guanyin Pusa 奨枛厑啑) method (famen 㱽攨) of “perfect or all-pervading realization (yuan tong ⚻忂) based on the auditory faculty” (er gen 俛㟡; Skt. ğrotra-indriya), as expounded in scroll six of theĞǍraΥgama SǍtra (Lengyan Jing 㤆♜䴻), and cases of awakening experiences recorded in the gong'an ℔㟰 literature from the Chinese Chan School 䥒⬿ that involve sound and hearing. Specifically, it examines how, in the ĞǍraΥgama SǍtra, the auditory sense-object (sheng chen 倚⠝; Skt. ğabda-viΙaya) is actualized as a perceptual support (suoyuan jing ㇨䶋⠫; Skt. Ƙlambana) for attaining realization, and how that realization correlates to the Chan notion of “illumining the mind and seeing one's nature” (ming xin jian xing 㖶⽫夳⿏). Examples are provided in which Chan masters of the various lineages explicitly implement this method from the ĞǍraΥgama SǍtra to cause Chan adepts to realize awakening (kai wu 攳ぇ) and see their nature. Chan literature seldom provides concrete instructions for practice, or outlines a graduated course of cultivation (jianxiu 㻠ᾖ)—most often, it only records claims of sudden awakening (dunwu 枻ぇ). It is, nonetheless, my contention that awakening is concretely grounded in years of cultivation. What is unique in the Chan school is the particular generation of the doubt sensation. When a practitioner is absorbed in this state, in which the conceptual and thinking mind is brought to a halt, sound is used to shatter this unified state so that the practitioner suddenly realizes the nature of emptiness or selflessness. Comparing the method of “perfect realization based on the auditory faculty” with those Chan cases of awakening that involve hearing, we can appreciate the practical dimensions of Chan practice and the continuous impact that the ĞǍraΥgama SǍtra has had on the development of Chan in the post-Song period. Keywords: Chan school, Chan, ĞǍraΥgama SǍtra, perfect realization based on the auditory faculty, Five Houses and Seven Schools, Venerable Sheng Yen This article was presented at the Academic Conference of Guangdong Chan Sixth Patriarch Culture Festival (⺋㜙䥒⬿ℕ䣾㔯⊾䭨⬠埻䞼妶㚫) which held on September 9-11, 2010. 130 Journal of Chinese Buddhist Studies Volume 27 (2014) 䥒⬿婆抬℔㟰ᷕ俛㟡⚻忂⍲℞ㅱ䓐 慳㝄掉 㱽溻ἃ㔁⬠昊≑䎮㔁㌰㙐ᷕ厗ἃ⬠䞼䨞㇨㇨攟 㐀天 㛔㔯ẍ˪㤆♜䴻˫⌟ℕᷕᷳ奨枛厑啑䘬俛㟡⚻忂㱽攨䁢ᷣ天䞼䨞⮵尉炻 ▿娎㍊妶ᷕ⚳䥒⬿℔㟰ᷕ炻⤪ỽ䓐俛㟡ẍ倚⠝䁢㇨䶋⠫炻忼⇘㖶⽫夳⿏ˤ ᷎娎⚾㶙ℍḮ妋Ḽ⭞ᶫ⬿ᷳ䣾ⷓ炻⤪ỽㅱ䓐忳䯴俛㟡⚻忂㱽攨炻Ὣἧ⬠䥒 侭攳ぇ夳⿏ˤ䥒⬿婆抬⼰⮹㍸ὃᾖ埴䘬娛䳘㊯⮶ㆾ㗗㻠ᾖ䘬㬍樇炻⣏⣂㗗 枻ぇ䘬姀抬ˤ㛔㔯䘬`姕㗗攳ぇ㗗➢㕤⣂⸜䘬ᾖ埴炻䈡⇍㗗䥒⬿䘬䔹ね㱽 攨⍲㹳㼌烊䔞ᶨỵ埴侭嗽㕤妨婆忻㕟ˣ⿅䵕〗㬊䘬䔹⛀䉨ン炻枛倚⌛⎗ㆸ 䇚ᶨ䧖㨇䶋Ἦㇻ䟜忁䴙ᶨ䘬䉨ン炻ἧ埴侭枻䃞柀ぇ䃉ㆹ䘬䨢⿏ˤ㭼庫˪㤆 ♜䴻˫䘬俛㟡⚻忂㱽攨冯䥒⬿℔㟰ᷕ䓙倥奢侴攳ぇ䘬姀庱炻⎗ἧㆹᾹ㚜≈ 䝕妋䥒ᾖ⮎嶸䘬㬍樇␴俛㟡⚻忂㱽攨⮵⬳㛅ᷳ⼴䥒⬿䘬㊩临⼙枧ˤ 斄挝娆烉 䥒⬿ˣ䥒ˣ˪㤆♜䴻˫ˣ俛㟡⚻忂ˣḼ⭞ᶫ⬿ˣ俾♜㱽ⷓ Realization through Hearing in Chan Literature 131 I. Forward Chinese Chan Buddhism traces its origin back to the first patriarch Bodhidharma, who during the Liu-Song period (420-479) of the Southern dynasties is said to have transmitted this “wordless teaching” from India to the East. According to tradition the Chan lineage has been successively transmitted, generation to generation, for some fifteen or sixteen centuries, down to the present day. Scholars agree that, despite its claim to “not rely on words and language,” the primary scriptural focus in early Chan circles was the LaφNƘvatƘra SǍtra (Lengqie Jing 㤆ụ䴻). By the time of the fifth and sixth patriarchs, the Diamond SǍtra (Jingang Jing 慹∃䴻; Skt. VajracchedikƘ PrajñƘSƘramitƘ SǍtra) gradually became the key textual focus.1 It bears mentioning that, during the last years of the Tang and early Song dynasties, the Chan school was still very much occupied with doctrinal concerns, and hence in addition to placing emphasis on the Diamond SǍtra, the ĞǍraΥgama SǍtra (Lengyan Jing 㤆♜䴻)2, also assumed an important role.3 Tradition holds that the ĞǍraΥgama SǍtra was translated by PƘramiti during the Tang dynasty (618-906). Evidence suggests, however, that the scripture is most likely an apocryphal work that was composed in China.4 Nevertheless, the impact this scripture has had on Chinese Buddhism is undeniable. Beginning in the Song dynasty (960-1276), commentaries on this scripture began to appear, such that by the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644- 1911) dynasties, it was one of the most widely studied and commented upon scriptures of the Chinese Buddhist canon. Judging from the large corpus of commentaries and exegetical tracts that survive from this period,5 we can 1 On the role of these two snjtras in early Chan, see Faure (1997, 136-59) and McRae (1986, 15-29; 1987, 227-78). 2 The full title in Chinese is Da foding rulai miyin xiuzheng liaoyi zhu pusa shou lengyan jing ⣏ἃ枪⤪Ἦ⭮⚈ᾖ嫱Ḯ佑媠厑啑椾㤆♜䴻, otherwise called Da foding shoulengyan jing ⣏ἃ枪椾㤆♜䴻. Abbreviated as Lengyan Jing 㤆♜䴻. 3 See, for example, Welter (2011). On scholary views regarding the origins of the ĝnjraۨgama Snjtra, see Benn 4 (2008). 5 Among the people who composed commentators on this snjtra, there is no shortage of famous Chan masters: Changqing 攟ㄞ, Yanshou ⺞⢥, Juefan 奢䭬, Mingben 㖶㛔, Zhenke 䛇⎗, Deqing ⽟㶭, Guanheng 奨堉, Yuancheng ⚻㼬, Yuanxian ⃫岊 and Tianran ⣑䃞. The important extant commentaries include the Lengyan jing zun ding 㤆♜䴻⮲枪 by Juefan 奢䭬, Lengyan jing yaojie 㤆 132 Journal of Chinese Buddhist Studies Volume 27 (2014) surmise that it was only after the Tang and Song dynasties that the Chan school came to hold theĞǍraΥgama SǍtra in high regard. This is corroborated by the prodigious number of commentaries on the ĞǍraΥgama that were written by Chan masters in Song and later eras. For example, Chan master Zhongfeng Mingben ᷕⲘ㖶㛔 (1263-1323) states: “This single scripture of the ĞǍraΥgama SǍtra is for the most part held as the standard by Chan practitioners.” 6 Master Ouyi Zhixu 哭䙲㘢㖕 (1599-1655) also states, “Although you may be unable to master the many scriptures in the tripiΛaka, it is inexcusable not to be well versed in this single text of theĞǍraΥgama.”7 Furthermore, the modern Chan master Xuyun 嘃暚 (1840-1959) states that, when it comes to reading canonical texts, it is best if one can simply concentrate on reading the single text of theĞǍraΥgama SǍtra.8 What is curious is that in theĞǍraΥgama SǍtra, we find a unique method of practice through which Avalokitƞğvara (Guanyin) Bodhisattva attains full buddhahood, and this method finds resonance with many cases of Chan awakening experiences. In the ĞǍraΥgama it is recorded that in a kalpa of the distant past, there was an “Ancient Buddha Avalokitƞğvara” (Guanyin Gufo 奨枛⎌ἃ) who through the practice of “perfect realization based on the auditory faculty” achieved the ultimate fruit of Buddhahood. Also in the scripture, the Buddha praises Avalokitƞğvara for revealing this method, which is the most efficacious method for practitioners of the later age—thus, sanctifying it as the very heart of the practice and realization of the scripture itself. For this reason it is understandable that subsequent masters within the Chan school directed their attention to this method. II. What is perfect realization based on the auditory faculty? The phrase “perfect realization based on the auditory faculty” is not explicitly found in theĞǍraΥgama SǍtra, though the terms “auditory faculty” (ergen 俛 ♜䴻天妋 by Jiehuan ㆺ䑘, Lengyan jing huijie 㤆♜䴻㚫妋 by Weize ょ⇯, Lengyan jing mo 㤆♜䴻㐠 by Zhuhong 䤑⬷, Lengyan jing xuanjing 㤆♜䴻 ㆠ掉 and Lengyan jing tongyi 㤆♜䴻忂嬘 by Deqing ⽟㶭, Lengyan jing zhizhi 㤆♜䴻䚜㊯ by Tianran ⣑䃞 and Lengyan jing zongtong 㤆♜䴻⬿忂 by Zeng Feng Yi 㚦沛₨. See Li (1998, 207-29) 6 Lengyan jing mengchao 㤆♜䴻呁憼, X. no. 287, 13: 858b17-18. 7 Lingfeng Ouyi dashi zonglun 曰Ⲙ哭䙲⣏ⷓ⬿婾, J. no. B348, 36: 330a26-27. 8 See Lü Xuecen ⏪⬠ⰹ (2001, 234). Realization through Hearing in Chan Literature 133 㟡) and “perfect realization” (yuantong ⚻忂) are. The earliest evidence of coupling these two terms together can be found in fascicle eighty-six of the Essentials of the AvataΥsaka SǍtra (Da fangguang fo huayan jing gangyao ⣏ 㕡⺋ἃ厗♜䴻䵙天) by the Tang dynasty Huayan master, Chengguan 㼬奨 (738-839). He states: “As to Avalokitƞğvara [Guanyin 奨枛] TathƘgata, it was through hearing, contemplation, and cultivation that he attained perfect realization based on the auditory faculty.”9 The text in the ĞǍraΥgama SǍtra that details “perfect realization based on the auditory faculty” is this: At first, while in the midst the hearing, upon entering the stream [of sound], the stream becomes extinct (ruliu wangsuo ΕࢬΫ܌). That which enters also became quiescent. The attributes of motion and stillness (dongjing erxiang ୏ᓉΒ࣬) were utterly unborn (liaoran bushen Αฅόғ). Thus, advancing gradually, hearing and its object ceased completely. Not abiding in this cessation, both the awakened awareness (jue ᝺) and the object of awareness (suojue ܌᝺) were emptied. The awakening in emptiness (kongjue ޜ᝺) thus became thoroughly perfect (jiyuan ཱུ༝). Both emptiness (kong ޜ) and that which is emptied (suokong ܌ޜ) were extinguished. At this time, arising and cessation ceased (shenmie jimie ғྐࡽྐ), and nirvƘΧa manifested (jimie xianqian ஍ྐ౜߻).10 In Chinese Buddhism, these stages of practice would usually be construed as a gradual progression of “cultivating meditative concentration in order to generate wisdom” (xiuding fahui ᾖ⭂䘤ㄏ). I will discuss the progressive nature of this practice in detail below.
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