DOCSLIB.ORG

Prefazione Teisho

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Prefazione Teisho Tetsugen Serra Zen Filosofia e pratica per una vita felice varia 3 08/05/19 10:45 SOMMARIO Prefazione . .9 Teisho . .9 Introduzione . .13 PARTE PRIMA CENNI STORICI DEL BUDDISMO ZEN . .17 Bodhidharma . .20 Hui Neng . .21 Dogen Kigen . .21 Keizan Jokin . .22 Il nostro lignaggio . .22 Harada Daiun Sogaku . .22 Ban Roshi . .23 Tetsujyo Deguchi . .24 LO ZEN: FILOSOFIA, RELIGIONE O STILE DI VITA? . .25 Filosofia zen . .25 Lo Zen come stile di vita . .28 PARTE SECONDA LA PRATICA ZEN . .33 Che cos’è la mente? . .34 Che cosa vuol dire risvegliarsi alla natura della propria vita? . .34 Che cos’è la consapevolezza? . .36 Che cos’è la meditazione? . .36 Che cos’è lo stato meditativo? . .37 4 4 08/05/19 10:46 COME SI MEDITA . .39 Perché si medita seduti . .39 Come accordare il corpo . .40 I Mudra nello Zen. Postura delle mani . .45 ZAZEN . .49 Come accordare il respiro . .49 Prima meditazione . .52 Occhi e nuca . .53 Bocca . .53 Collo, spalle e braccia . .54 Addome e gambe . .55 Kinhin, una meditazione speciale . .57 Le quattro meditazioni zazen . .60 Susokukan, contare i respiri da uno a dieci . .61 Zuisokukan, seguire i respiri . .66 Shikantaza, il puro essere . .67 Koan, le domande . .68 La pratica in un tempio zen . .70 Shin Getsu . .71 L’abito fa in monaco . .71 Nello Zendo . .72 Shakyamuni . .75 Dokusan, l’incontro diretto con il maestro . .78 PARTE TERZA MEDITARE A CASA . .83 Come creare il vostro Dojo . .83 L’immagine . .84 I fiori . .84 L’incenso . .85 La campana . .86 Il rituale . .87 Conclusioni sulla meditazione . .90 Segnali che indicano una meditazione non corretta . .90 5 5 08/05/19 10:46 I segnali di una meditazione corretta . .92 SUTRA: LA PAROLA DEL SILENZIO . .93 I quattro voti del Bodhisattva . .94 Maka Hannya Haramitta Shin-Gyo, il Sutra del cuore . .96 Che cosa significa Maka Hannya Haramitta Shin-Gyo . .98 Hokyozanmai, Samadhi dello specchio prezioso . .100 Gli ammonimenti di Kozen Daito . .103 Dedica dei Sutra . .105 PARTE QUARTA UNA GIORNATA ZEN . .109 Svegliarsi a un nuovo giorno. Protagonisti della vita . .109 Uscire di casa . .114 Sviluppare l’attenzione . .116 Al lavoro . .119 Essere ricettivi tutto il giorno, non conflittuali . .121 Il dibattito . .122 L’intervallo . .123 Incontrare la persona amata . .125 In famiglia . .128 La cena zen . .131 Gioia e piacere . .133 PARTE QUINTA KOAN E STORIE ZEN PER LA VITA DI TUTTI I GIORNI . .139 Koan . .140 Lo zelo . .146 Sariputra . .149 Il terremoto è dentro di noi . .151 Dhammapada: “Il Cammino del Dharma” . .158 PARTE SESTA VITA ZEN . .163 Le arti zen . .163 6 6 08/05/19 10:46 La cucina zen . .164 Nei monasteri zen . .164 Etichetta zen . .165 Sutra di invocazione durante i pasti . .167 Tenzo, il cuoco zen . .168 Wabi Sabi e Shibui . .170 Il cibo zen . .172 Preparare un pasto . .172 PARTE SETTIMA ZEN SHIATSU, L’ARTE DELLA CURA DEL CORPO . .177 Ki, energia vitale . .178 Gli strumenti . .180 Kata di apertura dell’Hara . .180 Kata del principiante . .182 Quando praticare . .184 Scrivere Zen: dalle poesie Haiku alla calligrafia Shodo passando per i nostri Post-it . .185 Diario zen . .186 Materiale di scrittura . ..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Great Teacher Mahapajapati Gotami
    Zen Women A primer for the chant of women ancestors used at the Compiled by Grace Schireson, Colleen Busch, Gary Artim, Renshin Bunce, Sherry Smith-Williams, Alexandra Frappier Berkeley Zen Center and Laurie Senauke, Autumn 2006 A note on Romanization of Chinese Names: We used Pinyin Compiled Fall 2006 for the main titles, and also included Wade-Giles or other spellings in parentheses if they had been used in source or other documents. Great Teacher Mahapajapati Gotami Great Teacher Khema (ma-ha-pa-JA-pa-tee go-TA-me) (KAY-ma) 500 BCE, India 500 BCE, India Pajapati (“maha” means “great”) was known as Khema was a beautiful consort of King Bimbisāra, Gotami before the Buddha’s enlightenment; she was his who awakened to the totality of the Buddha’s teaching after aunt and stepmother. After her sister died, she raised both hearing it only once, as a lay woman. Thereafter, she left Shakyamuni and her own son, Nanda. After the Buddha’s the king, became a nun, and converted many women. She enlightenment, the death of her husband and the loss of her became Pajapati’s assistant and helped run the first son and grandson to the Buddha’s monastic order, she community of nuns. She was called the wisest among all became the leader of five hundred women who had been women. Khema’s exchange with King Prasenajit is widowed by either war or the Buddha’s conversions. She documented in the Abyakatasamyutta. begged for their right to become monastics as well. When Source: Therigata; The First Buddhist Women by Susan they were turned down, they ordained themselves.
    [Show full text]
  • Zen and Japanese Culture Free
    FREE ZEN AND JAPANESE CULTURE PDF Daisetz T. Suzuki,Richard M. Jaffe | 608 pages | 22 Sep 2010 | Princeton University Press | 9780691144627 | English | New Jersey, United States Influence of Zen Buddhism in Japan - Travelandculture Blog This practice, according to Zen proponents, gives insight into one's true natureor the emptiness of inherent existence, which opens the way to a liberated way of living. With this smile he showed that he had understood the wordless essence of the dharma. Buddhism was introduced to China in the first century CE. He was the 28th Indian patriarch of Zen and the first Chinese patriarch. Buddhism was introduced in Japan in the 8th century CE during the Nara period and the Heian period — This recognition was granted. InEisai traveled to China, whereafter he studied Tendai for twenty years. Zen fit the way of life of the samurai : confronting death without fear, and acting in a spontaneous and intuitive way. During this period the Five Mountain System was established, which institutionalized an influential part of the Rinzai school. In the beginning of the Muromachi period the Gozan system was fully worked out. The Zen and Japanese Culture version contained five temples of both Kyoto and Kamakura. A second tier of the system consisted of Ten Temples. This system was extended throughout Japan, effectively giving control to the central government, which administered this system. Not all Rinzai Zen organisations were under such strict state control. The Rinka monasteries, which were primarily located in rural areas rather than cities, had a greater degree of independence. After a period of war Japan was re-united in the Azuchi—Momoyama period.
    [Show full text]
  • Dokument in Tabellen
    Der wichtige Punkt besteht darin, das Ver- Debate : Zen und Krieg halten in jener Zeit zu untersuchen und zu (Der Präsident) verstehen, und vor allem, davon ausge- hend unsere eigene Praxis von hier und Als Antwort auf das Buch «Zen, Nationa- jetzt tief zu betrachten. lismus und Krieg» von Brian Victoria und auf die Anschuldigungen, am Zweiten Worauf müssen wir achten, damit solche Weltkrieg teilgenommen und ihn unter- Entgleisungen weder im Grossen noch im stützt zu haben, die darin gegen das japa- Kleinen je wieder geschehen? Was müssen nische Zen, einschliesslich Kodo Sawaki, wir in unserer Praxis und Unterweisung vorgebracht werden, eröffnen wir hiermit entwickeln, worauf müssen wir unsere eine Debatte zu diesem Thema. Aufmerksamkeit lenken, damit solche Irr- tümer sich nicht wieder ereignen? Es geht nicht darum, den Standpunkt des Zen fünfzig Jahre nach diesen Ereignissen anzugreifen oder zu verteidigen – das hal- Die Personen, die hier ihre Meinung äu- ten wir für nicht sehr nützlich. ssern, tun dies in ihrem eigenen Namen. Um nicht das Kind mit dem Bade gen kennen. Ich war selbst Soldat während auszuschütten des Russisch-Japanischen Krieges, und ich habe hart auf dem Schlachtfeld gekämpft. (von Roland Rech) Aber da wir das, was wir gewonnen haben, wieder verloren, sehe ich, dass das, was wir 1. Selbst wenn Zazen die Erweckung ist, so machten, nutzlos war. Es gibt absolut keine ist diese Verwirklichung weder andauernd Notwendigkeit dafür, Krieg zu führen.„ noch endgültig. Es ist unsere Aufgabe, unse- re falschen Vorstellungen ständig zu durch- Schliesslich Seite 21: „ Ob der Krieg gross leuchten, wie auch immer unsere Position oder klein ist, die Wurzel dafür ist in unserem und unsere Funktion in der Sangha ist.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Zen Practice
    An Introduction to Zen Practice at Great Plains Zen Center ii An Introduction to Zen Practice At Great Plains Zen Center iii A Publication of The Great Plains Zen Center & Myoshinji—Subtle Mind Temple, Susan Myoyu Andersen, Roshi, Abbot Palatine, Illinois © 2006-2009 Table of Contents What is Buddhism? 1 What is Zen? 2 What is Zen Practice Like at Great Plains Zen Center? 2 Zendo Procedures 2 Entering the Zendo 2 Correct Sitting Posture 3 Beginning and Ending Zazen 3 Walking Meditation, or Kinhin 4 Three Bows 4 Exiting the Zendo 5 Dokusan, or Interview with the Teacher 5 Establishing a Home Practice 6 Showing Respect 7 The Lineage of Masters 8 Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Roshi (1931-1995) 8 Baian Hakujun Kuroda Roshi (1898-1978) 8 Hakuun Ryoko Yasutani Roshi (1885-1973) 8 Koryu Osaka Roshi (1901-1987) 9 Who is GPZC’s Guiding Teacher? 9 MembershiP 9 Myoshinji 10 Glossary 11 Contact Information 13 v Introduction to Zen Practice At Great Plains Zen Center Trust yourself! You are no other than the Buddha Way itself to begin with!” —Taizan Maezumi, Roshi We at the Great Plains Zen Center (GPZC) and Myoshinji-Subtle Mind Temple wish to invite you to share in the wisdom and compassion of Zen Buddhism and have prepared this booklet to help get you started. As you begin your practice, you will undoubtedly have questions that are not answered here, so please don’t hesitate to ask questions of a senior practitioner or our teacher, Susan Myoyu Andersen, Roshi. Please note that a glossary of some commonly used Japanese terms will be found toward the end of this booklet.
    [Show full text]
  • Japan Studies Association of Canada 2020 Ad Hoc Conference Date
    Japan Studies Association of Canada 2020 ad hoc Conference delivered online with ZOOM Date: October 17-18, 2020 Hosted by Professors Aya Fujiwara (University of Alberta) and Norio Ota (York University) Panel Coordinator and Chair: Jay Goulding Panel 3. Japan and Philosophy Saturday October 17 3:00-4:15 pm © Jay Goulding PhD, 2020 Heidegger’s Japanese Interlocutors Revisited Abstract: Over a five-decade period, the hermeneutic phenomenologist Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) entertains elite Japanese scholars in what has come to be known as the Freiburg pilgrimage. In this paper, we revisit these interactions and the impact on Japanese philosophy and religion. Tanabe Hajime 田辺元 (1885-1962), Yamanouchi Tokuryū 山内得立 (1890-1982), Kuki Shūzō 九鬼周造 (1888-1941), Watsuji Tetsurō 和辻哲郎 (1889-1960) and Nishitani Keiji 西谷啓治 (1900-1990) are well known students of Heidegger’s philosophy. Others including Tsujimura Kōichi 辻村公一 (1922–2010), Hisimatsu Shinichi 久松真一 (1889-1980) and Abe Masao 阿部正雄 (1915-2006) make their mark on a then expanding field of tetsugaku 哲學 (philosophy) as Japan’s intellectual attempt to handshake with the Western world. Contrary to Western impulses to whole heartedly accept Suzuki Daisetsu Teitarō’s 鈴木大拙貞太郎 (1894-1966) version of Zen from the Rinzai-shu 臨済宗, many Heidegger scholars stress theory and practice of Sōtō-shū 曹洞宗, with Watsuji leading the way in his resurrection of Dōgen Zenji’s 道元禅師 (1200-1253) teaching proper. The paper sketches out Suzuki’s engagement with Heidegger as well as that of long-forgotten philosopher and one-time Bavarian noble Karlfried Graf Dürckheim (1896-1988). Dürckheim first introduces Suzuki to Heidegger.
    [Show full text]
  • Zen and the Samurai: Rethinking Ties Between Zen and the Warrior
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 5-2006 Zen and the Samurai: Rethinking Ties Between Zen and the Warrior James Earl Hataway Jr. University of Tennessee, Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Philosophy Commons Recommended Citation Hataway, James Earl Jr., "Zen and the Samurai: Rethinking Ties Between Zen and the Warrior. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2006. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/4486 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by James Earl Hataway Jr. entitled "Zen and the Samurai: Rethinking Ties Between Zen and the Warrior." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Philosophy. Miriam Levering, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Rachelle Scott, Johanna Stiebert Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by JamesEarl Hataway entitled "Zen and the Samurai: RethinkingTies Between Zen andthe Warrior." I have examined the final paper copy of this thesis for form and content and recommendthat it be accepted in partial fulfillmentof the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Philosophy.
    [Show full text]
  • Lobetti, Tullio Federico (2011) Faith in the Flesh: Body and Ascetic Practices in a Contemporary Japanese Religious Context
    Lobetti, Tullio Federico (2011) Faith in the flesh: body and ascetic practices in a contemporary Japanese religious context. Mphil Thesis. SOAS, University of London http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/18465 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. Faith in the Flesh Body and Ascetic Practices in a Contemporary Japanese Religious Context Tullio Federico LOBETTI Student No. 145319 Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of the Study of Religions School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London June 2011 1 I hereby confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own and the work of other persons is appropriately acknowledged. Date Signed 2 Abstract The religious practices that may be labelled “ascetic” are still alive and well in contemporary Japan, from the strict hardships undertaken by practitioners of various religious denominations to the “fire-walking” by lay people on harmless half- extinguished sacred fires at local celebrations.
    [Show full text]
  • Shorin~ Bodhidharma's Tempel in China, Kutsu~ Höhle, Dojo~ Üb
    Shorinkutsu und Zen-Essenz, Stand 25.11.18 Shorinkutsu Dojo (Shorin~ Bodhidharma’s Tempel in China, kutsu~ Höhle, Dojo~ Übungshalle) ist kein Tempel, sondern eine reine Übungsstätte für den Zen-Weg. Zen-Lehrer Das Zendo wurde 1931 von Iida Toin Roshi (1863-1937) in Osaka Takatsuki gegründet. Toin Roshi übte in der ersten Lebenshälfte Zen als Laie bei verschiedenen Rinzai-Meistern, erst als 60 Jähriger wurde er von Harada Daiun Sogaku Roshi (1871-1961) zum Soto Mönch ordiniert - auch Sogaku Roshi hatte ein Zen-Training bei Soto- und Rinzai-Meistern hinter sich. Heute werden in diesem ersten Shorinkutsu Dojo vom Toin Roshi Großenkel, Katano Rintaro, Zazenkai angeboten (keine Verpflegungs- und Übernachtungsmöglichkeit). Der 2. Abt Iida Tobun Roshi (1886-1935) erkrankte bereits zwei Jahren nach seiner Ernennung schwer. Der 3. Abt Inoue Giko Roshi (1883-1968) gründete 1958 ein zweites Shorinkutsu Dojo mit Übernachtungsmöglichkeit und kleiner Küche, für eine begrenzte Teilnehmerzahl in Tadanoumi bei Hiroshima. Nach Giko Roshi wurde Shorinkutsu vom 4. Abt, von Inoue Daichi Roni (1902-1984), der „außerordentlichen alten Nonne“ weitergeführt. Seit 1984 ist der 5. Abt, Inoue Kido Roshi (1940- ) für die geistige Leitung des Shorinkutsu Dojo verantwortlich. Bereits mit 13 Jahren legte er das Mönchsgelübde ab und übte sich von 1962 bis 1984 unter Giko Roshi und Daichi Roni im Zen. Die Shorinkutsu Dojo gehören zur Soto-Schule aber auf dem Zen-Weg gibt es kein Soto und kein Rinzai, sondern nur Shikantaza (Geist folgt genau dem Ein- und dem Ausatmen), Bodhaishin (ernsthaftes Streben nach Erkenntnis, nach Erleuchtung) und alltägliche kurze Koan, da die üblichen längeren Koan, das intellektuelle Denken eher anregen als abschneiden.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Zen Practice (Pdf)
    An Introduction to Zen Practice at Great Plains Zen Center ii An Introduction to Zen Practice At Great Plains Zen Center iii A Publication of The Great Plains Zen Center & Myoshinji—Subtle Mind Temple, Susan Myoyu Andersen, Roshi, Abbot Palatine, Illinois © 2006-2009 Table of Contents What is Buddhism? 1 What is Zen? 2 What is Zen Practice Like at Great Plains Zen Center? 2 Zendo Procedures 2 Entering the Zendo 2 Correct Sitting Posture 3 Beginning and Ending Zazen 3 Walking Meditation, or Kinhin 4 Three Bows 4 Exiting the Zendo 5 Dokusan, or Interview with the Teacher 5 Establishing a Home Practice 6 Showing Respect 7 The Lineage of Masters 8 Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Roshi (1931-1995) 8 Baian Hakujun Kuroda Roshi (1898-1978) 8 Hakuun Ryoko Yasutani Roshi (1885-1973) 8 Koryu Osaka Roshi (1901-1987) 9 Who is GPZC’s Guiding Teacher? 9 Membership 9 Myoshinji 10 Glossary 11 Contact Information 13 v Introduction to Zen Practice At Great Plains Zen Center Trust yourself! You are no other than the Buddha Way itself to begin with!” —Taizan Maezumi, Roshi We at the Great Plains Zen Center (GPZC) and Myoshinji-Subtle Mind Temple wish to invite you to share in the wisdom and compassion of Zen Buddhism and have prepared this booklet to help get you started. As you begin your practice, you will undoubtedly have questions that are not answered here, so please don’t hesitate to ask questions of a senior practitioner or our teacher, Susan Myoyu Andersen, Roshi. Please note that a glossary of some commonly used Japanese terms will be found toward the end of this booklet.
    [Show full text]
  • Mind Moon Circle a Journal of the Sydney Zen Centre
    Mind Moon Circle A journal of the Sydney Zen Centre Teachings that can’t be taught… Spring/Summer 2015 About the Issue: Teachings that can’t be taught… Stuart Solzberg Teachings that can’t be taught…to me are the essence of the Zen teachings. These beginningless and endless teachings remain impossible to teach, and yet can be learned over and over and over again. From my most sorrowful sorrows to my most joyous of joys, these life experiences prevail to be the true teachings that I will not find in any book or from any teacher, and exemplify the Zen teachings in the deepest of ways and of the clarity found in the unclear mystery. Many texts, maps, guides, and fingers pointing the way, this is good, crucial and very necessary. But these are not the teachings. To understand Zen intellectually is not the full understanding. I must feel it with every cell in my body, in every follicle of hair on my skin. It is the naturalism and experiential nature of our practice that always prevails in the end. The teachings of a life lived; the passing of time; the ebbs and flows; I am born, I grow, I learn, I live, I joy and I sorrow, I age, I get sick, I die; these cannot be fabricated or forced. Gradually you purify yourself, eliminating mistaken knowledge and attitudes you have held from the past. Inside and outside become one. You’re like a mute person who has had a dream – you know it for yourself alone. Suddenly Mu breaks open.
    [Show full text]
  • Télécharger [PDF]
    Cet article est protégé par les législations françaises et internationales sur le droit d’auteur et la propriété intellectuelle. Il vous est proposé pour votre seul usage personnel. Vous êtes autorisé à le conserver sous format pdf sur votre ordinateur aux fins de sauvegarde et d’impression sur papier. Tout autre usage est soumis à autorisation préalable et expresse. Toute diffusion, mise en réseau, reproduction, vente, sous quelque forme que ce soit, partielle ou totale, sont interdites. LA GUERRE SAINTE DU ZEN © Josh Baran (1998). Un compte rendu de Zen at War de Brian Victoria et de The Rape of Nanking : The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II d’Iris Chang. Pratiquant du zen et du dzogchen depuis de nombreuses années, Josh Baran vit aux Etats-Unis. Une version abrégée de ce texte est parue dans le magazine Tricycle (numéro de mai 1998). Un Zen Occidental, 55 rue de l’Abbé Carton 75014 Paris Site internet : http://www.zen-occidental.net Courrier électronique : [email protected] Téléphone : 33 [0] 1 40 44 53 94 Document numérique du 1er décembre 2007 (version révisée) Josh Baran La guerre sainte du zen Zen at War, Brian Victoria, Weatherhill, 228 pages, 1997, couverture papier, $19.95 The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II, Iris Chang, Basic Books, 290 pages, 1997, cartonné, $25.00 “Si on vous ordonne de marcher : une, deux, une, deux ! ou de tirer : bang, bang ! C’est là la manifestation de la plus haute sagesse de l’éveil. L’unité du zen et de la guerre [...] se propage jusqu’aux confins de la guerre sainte qui est maintenant en cours.” Harada Daiun Sogaku (1939) “Les guerriers qui sacrifient leur vie pour l’empereur ne mourront pas.
    [Show full text]
  • A Tentative Exploration Into the Development of Master Sheng Yen’S Chan Teachings
    Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal (2010, 23:3-38) Taipei: Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies 中華佛學學報第二十三期 頁3-38 (民國九十九年)，臺北：中華佛學研究所 ISSN:1017-7132 A Tentative Exploration into the Development of Master Sheng Yen’s Chan Teachings Dr. Jimmy Yu Assistant Professor, Florida State University Abstract In 2006 the late Master Shengyen Huikong 聖嚴慧空 (1930-2009) (hereafter, Sheng Yen) established a new Chan Buddhist school called the Dharma Drum Lineage (Fagu zong 法鼓 宗), which unites the two lineages of Linji 臨濟 and Caodong 曹洞 that Sheng Yen was heir to. Sheng Yen’s creation of a new Chan school was a momentous historical development in Chinese Buddhism. This article aims to historicize the process of Sheng Yen’s formation of the Dharma Drum Lineage and how his own teachings have evolved over time in response to different conditions. It argues that Sheng Yen Chan teachings does not constitute a stagnant, premeditated set of doctrines, but was a product of his own life experiences, interpretations of early Buddhism, and appropriations of the Japanese Buddhist response to modernity. Sheng Yen’s Chan was unique in that he synthesized the early Buddhist Āgama teachings with the teachings embodied in the Platform Scripture. His formulation of Chan as a form of “Buddhist education” was uniquely modern, but at the same time not out of line with the adaptive nature of Chan in Chinese history. He took a critical stance against contemporary representations of Chan as antinomian and spontaneous, ungrounded in Buddhist doctrine, and appropriated, reinterpreted, and reinvigorated traditional teachings, especially in a time when these values and teachings had already lost much of their ideological vigor to meet the needs of modern times and revive Chinese Buddhism.
    [Show full text]