The Compass of Zen by Zen Master Seung Sahn Contents PREFACE ................................................................................ 5 FOREWORD ............................................................................ 8 EDITOR‘S PREFACE ............................................................. 10 INTRODUCTION ................................................................... 17 1) Buddhism ........................................................................... 28 The Structure of Buddhism ...................................................... 39 The Treasure of Buddha ........................................................... 40 The Treasure of Dharma .......................................................... 44 The Treasure of Sangha ........................................................... 47 2) Hinayana Buddhism ............................................................ 59 Insight Into Impermanence (The Eight Sufferings) .................... 66 Insight Into Impurity (The Five Human Desires) ....................... 86 Insight Into Nonself ................................................................. 96 Dependent Origination ........................................................... 106 The Twelve Links In The Chain of Dependent Origination ....... 117 The Four Noble Truths .......................................................... 120 The Three Seals of Existence ................................................. 128 Three kind of Practice ............................................................ 131 3) Mahayana Buddhism ......................................................... 135 The Diamond Sutra ............................................................... 145 The Maha Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra ................................... 151 The Mahaparinirvana-sutra .................................................... 161 The Lotus Sutra ..................................................................... 168 The Hua-Yen (Avatamsaka) Sutra .......................................... 173 The Song of Dharma Nature ................................................... 186 The Four Kinds of Birth Womb, egg moisture, and transformation ............................................................................................ 204 Karma .................................................................................. 213 The Six Paramitas ................................................................. 229 4) Zen Buddhism ................................................................... 236 The Classifications of Meditation ........................................... 257 Nonattachment to Language ................................................... 282 Kong-an and All Cases .......................................................... 301 Methods of Meditation........................................................... 315 The Three Essential Elements in Zen ...................................... 319 Effort in Zen ......................................................................... 328 The Zen Circle ...................................................................... 332 What is Buddha-nature? ......................................................... 343 The ten thousand Dharmas return to the One. Where does the One return? .................................................................................. 346 Three Prajna Things? ............................................................. 349 The Realm of Like-This ......................................................... 353 Looking Within, You Perceive Mind‘s True Light ................... 355 The Human Route ................................................................. 358 Just Seeing is Buddha-nature .................................................. 362 Where Are You Going? ......................................................... 371 Zen Master To Sol‘s Three Gates ........................................... 378 Which of the Following Four Sentences is Freedom from Life and Death? .................................................................................. 381 Original Face ........................................................................ 383 Zen Master Ko Bong‘s Three Gates ........................................ 384 CONCLUSION ..................................................................... 394 PREFACE Shakyamuni Buddha always gave very important teachings about karma, or the law of cause and effect. He laid down this law very simply in Four Assurance: ―This holy life of practice of Dharma, if lived—and should there be a heaven after all—is paradise, and will assure the student‘s long enjoyment of it. If there is no world beyond, at least in this very life the one who follows Dharma will be truly free from hostility and affliction. If the law of karma is indeed effective and true, then people who do no ill cannot suffer. Even if the law of karma is not effective, however, still their life of purity will always gain for them the praise of their intelligent fellow men and women, and bring happiness in this life.‖ These are the Four Assurances of the Buddha. If anyone accepts the teaching of the Dharma they will obtain the fruit of these Four Assurances. These Four Assurances are for all student of the Buddha. I first came to America on October 10, 1980. My country was having a terrible conflict. I came to do peace work here and to assist at the World Conference on Religion and Peace, being held under the auspices of the United National and U.N. Church for Peace. Cambodia was having many problems from war and civil strife, and many people were dying. But nobody seemed to notice. When I arrived I had no place to stay, and almost no resource. Very soon after coming her, I met Zen Master Seung Sahn. Later I heard that he was the seventy-eight patriarch in the Zen lineage from Bodhidharma and the Buddha, a great master from Korea, but at that time I saw only a humble monk. He gave me a place to stay and helped me do my work when no one would let me in or support me. Almost no one was interested. I was worrying very much how I could bring attention to the situation in my country. But even though we did not know each other at that time, Zen Master Seung Sahn immediately took me in. Still, I worried a lot. He said, ―You are a monk, so you shouldn‘t worry.‖ ―Why‖ I asked. He told me, ―You are a monk, so you already have million dollars!‖ I could not believe what he was saying. It sounded a little crazy to Theravada monk. ―What do you mean?‖ ―Since you are a monk, any temple in the world is your home, so you already have one million dollars. Also, you will always receive clothes from your students, so that‘s two million dollars. For your whole life, many people will always give you food so that can practice and teach other people the Dharma —- that‘s three million dollars. Next, everybody will give you medicine when your body is sick: that‘s four million dollars. All you have to do is practice and teach other people the Dharma. It is very simple. You are monk, so you are also a millionaire. Why should you worry? Ha ha ha ha!‖ Zen Master Seung Sahn is my great teacher and very best friend. When I was in New York he gave me shelter, food, medicine, and clothes. He showed me real loving kindness. He even asked me to give teachings from my tradition to his own students in his Zen center, where I lived. He let me stay as long as I liked, to spread the Dharma in the United State and to help my own country. I will never forget this. Don‘t know. Go straight. This is Zen Master Seung Sahn‘s life and his teaching. If we do this, then we have no problems; when we have no problems, there is no tension. We always have tension because of problems: problem of the past, and the problems of the future. But when there is no problem, there is no tension. Everything about Zen Master Seung Sahn is Zen teaching. He is always here and now, in the present moment, in all his action, this is very, very rare. When he is sitting, standing, walking, eating, talking, listening, and working—every moment, his life always very clear. That is why he is such a great master. His teaching is clearly visible moment, in all his actions—verbal, physical, and mental. He has always been this way, ever since I met him. Zen teaching embraces all teachings, including Theravada. The Eightfold Path of Right understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Practice, Right Mindfulness, and Right Meditation are all found in Zen, as you will see in this Book. So are the Four Noble Truths. Therefore we all follow the great Zen Master Seung Sahn as our master, teacher, and friend. Let it be so. With deep respect and gratitude, Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda, Supreme Patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism Providence Zen Center Cumberland, Rhode Island April 24, 1997 FOREWORD Zen masters are notorious for letting their eyebrows fall out. Because of their great compassion, they plunge into the weeds of relative truth. They prescribe medicine, then prescribe antidotes for the medicine, then prescribe antidotes for the antidotes, until the finally unconfused student, overwhelmed by such love, says, ―That‘s it. Thank you so much, but I‘m perfectly well now.‖ The truth is beyond words. ―You should let go of all teaching,‖ the Diamond Sutra says, ―even the Buddha‘s teaching.‖ Why so many word then? The great ninth- century Zen master Yang-shan said, ―In my shop I handle all kinds of merchandise. When someone comes looking for rat shit, I‘ll sell him