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Mahayana and Zen Buddhism Dr Amartya Kumar Bhattacharya

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Mahayana and Zen Buddhism Dr Amartya Kumar Bhattacharya Mahayana and Zen Buddhism Dr Amartya Kumar Bhattacharya en is the abbreviation of the Japa­ Vasumitra presided along with Ashva ghosha, nese word zenna or zenno. It refers to a another eminent scholar and the author of the Zmeditative absorption in which all dual­ Buddhacharita. A schism took place at this ism such as I and you, subject and object, true and Council that divided the Buddhists into the two false are eliminated. Zen Buddhism first flour­ branches of Mahayana and Theravada. The Pali ished in China and is now popular all over the word thera is derived from the Sanskrit sthavira, world. It is an offshoot of Mahayana, great vehicle, which means elder. Theravada Buddhism is the Buddhism, which was propagated in China by orthodox form of Buddhism and has preserved Buddhist monks from India. Kumarajiva (344– the historical teachings of Buddha. The Thera­ 413 ce) went to China in 401, and Buddha bhadra vada sutras in Pali are the earliest available his­ (359–429) in 408. Chinese Buddhists also came torical teachings of Buddha. The Pali canon, to India to study this doctrine and then spread it known as the Tripitaka in Sanskrit and the Tipi- ICKR back home. Fa­hsien, or Fa­xian, came to India taka in Pali, consists of three parts: Sutra-Pitaka, L between 399 and 414 ce, and Hsuan­tsang, or Vinaya-Pitaka, and Abhidharma-Pitaka. Xuan­zang, between 633 and 643 ce. The Indian monk Gunabhadra was the first to translate the Mahayana EDERSON / F P Lankavatara Sutra into Chinese. Another noted In Mahayana Buddhism enlightened individ­ translator was Paramartha. uals, called Bodhisattvas, strive to take all other ANDEN R Y The philosophical basis of Mahayana Bud­ beings along with them to the ultimate goal: B dhism developed in India a few centuries after nirvana. Mahayana Buddhism emerged as the oon’, M Buddha’s parinirvana. The Buddhist Emperor development of different readings of concepts Kanishka convened in 100 ce the Fourth Bud­ related to sangha, dharma, and Buddha. dhist Council of the Sarvastivada tradition at The first stirring of the dispute was regard­ image: ‘Zen Jalandhar, or Kashmir, in which the great scholar ing ideas of the sangha. The primary concern of PB November 2013 625 32 Prabuddha Bharata Buddhist monks was to keep the dharma and the truest dharma, one that also revealed the status vinaya, discipline, pure. They felt that this was of Buddha after hisparinirvana . the only way to sustain Buddhism in the long Simultaneously, the assumption that Bud­ run. But some other monks wanted the vinaya dha still existed pervaded and caught the faith­ to be flexible. The case ofmahasanghika monks ful minds of Buddhists. Dharma turned out to is the best example of the conflict between the be a means to reach the state of Buddha. When two viewpoints. These monks had added ten one realizes the ultimate truth of all things, one minor precepts for their group; for example, is sure to free oneself from all types of bondage. monks could obtain, keep, and use money. In To see dharma is to see the truth of phenom­ the Second Buddhist Council, held at Vaishali, ena. When the truth of phenomena is seen, the these monks were called papishtha bhikshus, sin­ wisdom of Buddha rises within oneself. That is ful monks. Their behaviour was unacceptable by the reason why when one sees the dharma, one the orthodox school. Later these monks estab­ also sees Buddha. Further, that state of the mind lished their own tradition and called themselves is linked to liberation. The state of liberation is mahasanghikas, the monks of the great sangha. conceived to be the same as the pure mind. A Controversies also appeared regarding human mind that is pure and detached from all dharma. Three months before Buddha’spari - types of impurities is synonymous with the state nirvana at Kushinagara, he declared that the of liberation. There were also groups that defined monks and the laity would have the dharma and dharma as the ultimate truth of Buddha. the vinaya as their leaders in the future—this is in The more these Buddhists investigated Bud­ the Mahaparinirvana Sutra. However, after the dha’s life, the less they believed that he had gone dispute about the sangha, some Buddhists, mostly away. Hence, to see dharma is to see Buddha’s the mahasanghikas, found themselves having power penetrating through all things. These no shelter except the dharma. Therefore, they groups also tended to relate dharma to Buddha’s searched for the true meaning of dharma. The mahakaruna, great compassion, and felt that statement of Buddha, ‘He who sees the Dharma, to see dharma is to see the Buddha­dhatu, sub­ sees me; He who sees me, sees the Dharma,’1 also stance, within oneself. Mahakaruna is karuna, supported their quest. If one uses logical argu­ compassion, combined with prajna, wisdom. ments to judge this sentence, an interesting ques­ Clearly, the most important duty of an individ­ tion emerges: How must one see the dharma so ual is to live and spend life in accordance with that one also sees Buddha? For some Buddhist Buddha’s intention, which was to liberate all sen­ scholars, even today, dharma is not merely the tient beings from suffering. In order to realize the sermons of Buddha. His life contains more latent Buddha­dhatu within oneself, it is crucial that implications, like his silence in certain contexts— one has also to assist other sentient beings and for example, his silence in response to questions take them along to nirvana. Prajna is vital, be­ by Vacchagotra. Thus for these Buddhist monks, cause differentupaya s, expedient means, should dharma was something more than what Bud­ be employed to bring sentient beings on the path dha spoke. The sermons are merely a part of him, to bodhi, enlightenment. Thus the concept of the not the totality. These Buddhists monks shifted Bodhisattva sprang up from this attitude. the ethical facet of Buddhism to the metaphys­ Differences also occurred regarding the ical level. And what they did was to seek out the understanding of Buddha. When the vinaya 626 PB November 2013 Mahayana and Zen Buddhism 33 and the dharma showed fault lines, the only From the vast Chinese land mass Zen Buddhism way out for some Buddhists was to go back to slowly spread to Korea and onwards to Japan. Buddha as refuge. At that time many Buddhists According to Buddhist legends, Buddha conceived the existence of Buddha in the tran­ taught, apart from his orthodox teachings, spe­ scendental state. TheSaddharma Pundarika cial techniques to a few. The famous discourse Sutra, Lotus Sutra, a Mahayana scripture, con­ of Buddha on the vulture mountain to a host of ceives of a transcendental Buddha. Buddha had assembled monks is important in Zen. It is said returned to his universal form after hispari - that Buddha just held up a flower in his hand nirvana, and he still exists. Buddha has three without speaking and only his close disciple bodies, trikaya. The first and most fundamental Kashyapa understood and smiled. As a result of body is called dharma kaya, cosmic body. The Buddha’s gesture and silence, Kashyapa experi­ conceptualization of Buddha’s all­pervading, enced a flash of enlightenment and grasped the eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, and radiant essence of Buddha’s teachings. This was the first dharmakaya provided for an intense and im­ instance of a heart­mind to heart­mind trans­ mersive spiritual experience. The nature of the mission. Kashya pa was thence known as Maha­ dharmakaya is called dharmakaya-dhatu. Dur­ kashyapa and became the first Indian patriarch ing deep meditation the state of Buddha is his in the long guru­disciple line unbroken until blissful body, sambhoga kaya. The third body now. In the sixth century Bodhidharma brought is the nirmanakaya, constructed body, which this lineage to China, where it was mixed with signifies the historical Buddha. Thenirmana - Taoism. Over the centuries many schools de­ kaya of Buddha had come and gone under the veloped, but two of them, the Rinzai and the will of the dharma kaya. He was born to fulfil Sota, reached Japan in the twelfth century. In his human functions in leading human beings China the authentic transmission of the se­ to liberation. It is believed that as long as hu­ cret knowledge declined during the Sung dy­ mankind does not realize the true dharma, the nasty (960–1279) and then got mixed up with anguish of separation from Buddha takes place. Pure Land Buddhism during the Ming dynasty And when the human mind is able to make (1368–644). In Japan, however, the Zen trad­ the distinction between the pure mind and the itions flourished. kleshas, painful impurities, the Buddha­dhatu The essential nature of Zen is summarized becomes clear. The concept ofrupakaya existed in four statements: (i) special teachings outside among the maha sanghikas, and this rupakaya the orthodox teachings, (ii) non­dependence on was later split into nirmanakaya and sambhoga- sacred writings, (iii) direct pointing to the heart, kaya in Mahayana Buddhism. and (iv) realization of one’s nature and becom­ Mahayana Buddhism combines shraddha, faith ing a Buddha. and devotion, with the wisdom of logical reason­ The Sanskrit word dhyana is a synonym of the ing. This is the appeal of Mahayana Buddhism. Pali jhana, the Chinese ch’an, Vietnamese thien, Korean son, and the Japanese zen. In Zen Bud­ Zen dhist practice one can take the help of koans— Zen Buddhist masters are found even among kung-an in Chinese, kongan in Korean—spiritual the laity, but Zen’s greatest geniuses were found puzzles, as an aid to propel the mind to a tran­ in the highly regulated life of the monasteries.
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