DOCSLIB.ORG

Compass-Of-Zen.Pdf

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Version 2.0 Cleaned up all images. Paper Captured pages not previously done: Pg. (5, 8) Back cover Table of Contents Corrected typos in Bookmarks. Corrected incorrect OCR of “CHOGYE ORDER” on pg. 391. Included Glossary words in the Bookmarks. Made Table of Contents interactive with links to the corresponding pages. Created links throughout the book of the following Glossary terms: Bodhisattva Chogye Dae Soen Sa Nim Hara Inka Kalpa (found only in Glossary: no links to create) Kasa Kido (found only in Glossary: no links to create) Kwan Seum Bosal Mantra Patriarch Samsara Sangha Transmission Due to the frequency of occurrence of the following words, links are not provided. It is assumed novices already know them, or will quickly learn them due the frequency of use: Buddha Buddha-nature Dharma Dharma Room Karma Kong-an Mahayana Sutra Zen Zen Center The dragon is an age-old symbol of the highest spiritual essence, embodying wisdom, strength, and the divine power of transformation. In this spirit, Shambhala Dragon Editions offers a treasury of readings in the sacred knowledge of Asia. In presenting the works of authors both ancient and modern, we seek to make these teachings accessible to lovers of wisdom everywhere. SHAMBHALAPUBLICATIONS, INC. Horticultural Hall 300 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, MA 02115 www.shambhala.com 0 1997 by the Kwan Um School of Zen All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America @ This edition is printed on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards Institute ~39.48Standard. Distributed in the United States by Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada Ltd Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Seung Sahn. The compass of ZenlZen Master Seung Sahn.-1st ed. p. cm. ISBN 1-57062-329-5 (pbk.: alk. paper) I. Zen Buddhism. I. Title. BQ9266.S47 1997 97-14070 CIP CONTENTS Preface by Maha Ghosananda ix... Foreword by Stephen Mitchell x111 Editor's Preface xv Introduction: Where Are You Going? 1 1. Buddhism The Purposes of Buddhism 13 The Divisions of Buddhism 19 The Structure of Buddhism 24 2. Hinayana Buddhism Insight into Impermanence 49 Insight into Impurity 68 Insight into Nonself 77 Dependent Origination 85 The Twelve Links in the Chain of Dependent Origination 94 The Four Noble Truths 97 The Eightfold Path 99 The Three Seals of Existence lo5 Three Kinds of Practice 108 3. Mahayana Buddhism The Diamond Sutra 124 The Maha Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra 130 The Mahaparinirvana-sutra 140 The Lotus Sutra 146 The Hua-yen (Avatamsaka) Sutra 150 The Song of Dharma Nature 160 The View of Mind-Only and Karma 164 Karma 185 The Six Paramitas 198 4. Zen Buddhism The Classifications of Meditation 224 Utmost Vehicle Zen 229 Nonattachment to Language 244 The Special Transmission 250 Pointing Directly to Mind 257 See Your True Nature, Become Buddha 261 Kong-an and All Cases 262 Sitting in Zen Meditation 268 The Great Enlightenment 271 Methods of Meditation 275 The Three Essential Elements of Zen 280 Effort in Zen 287 The Zen Circle 291 What Is Buddha-nature? 301 Three Prajna Things 306 The Realm of Like-This 310 Looking Within, You Perceive Mind's True Light 312 The Human Route 315 Just Seeing Is Buddha-nature 319 Where Are You Going? 327 Zen Master To Sol's Three Gates 333 Which of the Following Four Sentences Is Freedom from Life and Death? 336 Original Face 338 Zen Master KO Bong's Three Gates 340 Just-Like-This Is Buddha 342 Conclusion Only Go Straight, Don't Know 349 Appendix: The Ten Gates 355 The First Gate: Joju's Dog 358 The Second Gate: Joju's "Wash Your Bowls" 363 The Third Gate: Soeng Am Calls "Master!" 365 The Fourth Gate: Bodhidharma Has No Beard 367 The Fifth Gate: Hyang Eom's "Up a Tree" 369 The Sixth Gate: Dropping Ashes on the Buddha 370 The Seventh Gate: KO Bong's Three Gates 373 The Eighth Gate: Dok Sahn Carrying His Bowls 377 The Ninth Gate: Nam Cheon Kills a Cat 382 The Tenth Gate: The Mouse Eats Cat Food 388 Three Men Walking 389 Glossary 391 Zen Master Seung Sahn's Lineage 393 PREFACE H AKYAMUNI BUDDHAalways gave very important teachings about skarma, or the law of cause and effect. He laid down this law very simply in the Four Assurances: "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 Assur- ances of the Buddha. If anyone accepts the teachings of the Dharma they will obtain the fruit of these Four Assurances. These Four Assurances are for all students 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 Nations 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 resources. Very soon after coming here, I met Zen Master Seung Sahn. Later I learned that he was the seventy-eighth 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 none 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 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, SAMDECHPREAH MAHA GHOSANANDA, Supreme Patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism Providence Zen Center Cumberland, Rhode Island April 24,1997 FOREWORD EN MASTERSare 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 Dia- mond Sutra says, "even the Buddha's teaching." Why so many words 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 rat shit. When someone comes looking for gold, I'll sell him pure gold." Pure gold means that there is no gold: there's nothing to sell, nothing to buy. In fact, it's time to close up shop, take the customer by the hand, and go out for a drink. A monk asked Ma-tsu, "Why do you teach, 'Mind is Buddha'?" Ma-tsu said, "To stop a baby from crying." The monk said, "When the crying has stopped, what then?" Ma-tsu said, "Then I teach, 'Not mind, not Buddha.' '' The monk said, "How about someone who isn't attached to ei- ther?" Ma-tsu said, "I would tell him, 'Not beings.' " The monk said, "And what if you met a man unattached to all things: what would you tell him?" Ma-tsu said, "I would just let him experience the great Tao." Zen Master Seung Sahn is a born teacher, an astonishingly adept and fer- tile inventor of skillful means. In the early days, just after he came to America, he would change his slogan every few months. One month it was "Only go straight," which he would repeat so often that it seemed to be the .. Xlll theme song of the whole universe, even in the depths of our dreams. Then, two months later, it was "Just do it" (this was long before some hotshot at Nike came up with the phrase). Then it was "Don't check other people's minds." You get the idea. But all these marvelous teaching devices, and all the many teachings you will find in The Compass of Zen, are variations on a single theme. Zen Master Seung Sahn has said probably a million times, "I brought just one teaching to America: Don't-know mind." That's all you need to know: Don't-know. Of course, if you're in the market for rat shit, he will sell you the finest quality pellets, and if you want to take an extended tour through the weeds, he will be an excellent guide.
Recommended publications
  • Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 274 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen •

    Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 274 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen •

    201 The following kong-an is number nine from the Blue Cliff Records: When you have a clear mirror, the beautiful and the ugly reveal themselves. When you hold the legendary sword, you can kill or grant life, as the moment dictates. Chinese come, foreigners go: foreigners come, Chinese go. In death there is already life: in life there is already death. Now tell me, what can you do? Unless your eye can penetrate all barriers and your body is free to make any turn, you can’t do a thing. But what is this eye that can penetrate all barriers? What is this body that is free to make any turn? Read this kong-an and see: A monk asked Jo-ju, “What is Jo-ju?” Jo Ju answered, “ East Gate, West Gate, South Gate, North Gate.” Strange language. We usually think that when a man dies he is dead, and when he lives he is alive. But in this language, life is death, death is life. Where does life come from? Where does death go? Life and death are only thinking. You must go beyond life and death. That is infinite life. It is “like this.” “Like this” is Jo-Ju’s original face. Mountains are mountains, rivers are rivers: yellow is yellow, red is red. Jo-Ju’s teacher, Nam Chan, said that everyday mind is the Way. Everyday mind is the mind that cuts off all thinking. It is the same as a mirror: when the beautiful comes, it is beautiful: When the ugly comes, it is ugly.
  • Buddhism: a Tale of the Dalai Lama a Teacher’S Resource Guide

    Buddhism: a Tale of the Dalai Lama a Teacher’S Resource Guide

    1 Buddhism: A Tale of the Dalai Lama A Teacher’s Resource Guide Content Area Relevance: World History, World Religions Grade Level: Grades K-5 Duration: 4, 60-minute class periods Content Standards: See Appendix C below Authors: Shruthi Nagarajan, Cassidy Charles, and Arjun Kaul Email: [email protected] Driving Question ● How does learning about different religions help us develop our cultural awareness, and increase our understanding of global complexities? Learning Objectives: - Students will be able to identify and locate Tibet on a map. - Students will be able to identify Buddhism as a religion and list at least two or three teachings of Buddhism. - Students will learn about the Dalai Lama and core aspects of his teachings. - Students will learn about the spread of Buddhism to East Asia and the U.S. Quick Facts: - Buddhism began in India after Prince Siddhartha Gautama freed himself from the cycle of desire and suffering over 2500 years ago - The religion is based on the Buddha’s teachings of the Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path which allow us to reach Nirvana and end suffering - The three main tiers of the Eightfold Path are Wisdom, Morality, and Meditation - The three main sects of Buddhism are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism which each spread to different regions of Asia - Tibetan Buddhism follows a mix of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism - The Dalai Lama is essential to Tibetan Buddhism as the head monk of the religion and a crucial part in Tibetan politics 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Background Information………………………..……………………….……3-4 2. Teacher Guidance…………………………………………………………… 5-9 a.
  • Religious Movements –Jainism and Buddhism 5.1 Timeline 5.2 Glossary

    Religious Movements –Jainism and Buddhism 5.1 Timeline 5.2 Glossary

    Religious Movements –Jainism and Buddhism 5.1 Timeline Timelines Image Description C 6th Century BCE Urbanization in the Ganges Plain C 6th Century BCE Formation of the earliest states C 6th Century BCE The rise of Magadha 563 BCE Birth of Gautama Buddha 540 BCE Birth of Mahavira 512 BCE Second Jaina Council held at Vallabhi 483 BCE Mahaparinirvana of Buddha 483 BCE First Buddhist Council held at Rajagriha 468 BCE Nirvana of Mahavira 383 BCE Second Buddhist Council held at Vaisali 250 BCE Third Buddhist Council held at Pataliputra 5.2 Glossary Staring Related Term Definition Character Term A Ahimsa Non-violence, Non-injury B Bikkhu Pali [Sanskrit bhikshu] a Buddhist monk D Digambara Literally ‘Sky-Clad’ – one of the Jaina schools H Hinayana Literally ‘lesser vehicle’, school of Buddhism K Karma Action or Deed M Mahayana Literally ‘Great vehicle’ –school of Buddhism M Moksha Liberation from rebirth N Nirvana Release from the cycle of rebirth P Pali An Indo-Aryan language S Sangha Frequently used to indicate the organizational order in Buddhism S Svetambara Literally ‘clad in white’ – one of the Jaina schools T Tirthankara Literally ‘monk ‘Ford builder’ – Jaina saint T Triratna Literally ‘three gems’, - In Jainism refers to the triple path of right faith, knowledge and conduct U Upasaka A male lay follower of the Buddha’s teaching U Upasika A female lay follower of the Buddha’s teaching 5.3 Web links Web links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_religions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/history/the-sixth-century-bc-was-a-period-of-religious-and-economic- unrest-in-india-history/4436/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varna_%28Hinduism%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirthankara http://www.dhammaweb.net/books/DVEMATIK.PDF 5.4 Bibliography Bibliography Basham, A.L., The History and doctrine of the Ajivikas, London, 1951, 2003 Basham, A.L., The wonder that was India, 3rd edn, Newyork, 1971 Battacharya.
  • Primary Point, Vol 5 Num 3

    Primary Point, Vol 5 Num 3

    I 'I Non Profit Org. �I 'I U.S. Postage /I J PAID 1 Address Correction Requested i Permit #278 ,:i Return Postage Guaranteed Providence, RI 'I Ii ARY OINT PUBLISHED BY THE KWAN UM ZENSCHOOL K.B.C. Hong Poep Won VOLUME FIVE, NUMBER THREE 528 POUND ROAD, CUMBERLAND, RI 02864 (401)658-1476 NOVEMBER 1988 PERCEIVE UNIVERSAL SOUND An Interview with Zen Master Seung Sahn. we are centered we can control our This interview with Zen Master Seung Sahn strongly and thus our condition and situation. appeared in "The American Theosophist" feelings, (AT) in May 1985. It is reprinted by permis­ AT: When you refer to a "center" do you sion of the Theosophical Society in America, mean any particular point in the body? Wheaton, Illinois. The interviewer is Gary DSSN: No, it is not just one point. To be Doore. Zen Master Sahn is now ,I Seung strongly centered is to be at one with the to his students as Dae Soen Sa referred by universal center, which means infinite time Nim. (See note on 3) page and infinite space. Doore: What is Zen Gary chanting? The first time one tries chanting medita­ Seung Sahn (Dae Soen Sa Nim): Chanting is tion there will be much confused thinking, very important in our practice. We call it many likes, dislikes and so on. This indicates "chanting meditation." Meditation means keep­ that the whole mind is outwardly-oriented. ing a not-moving mind. The important thing in Therefore, it is necessary first to return to chanting meditation is to perceive the sound of one's energy source, to return to a single point.
  • The Practice of Together Action and Buddhist Wisdom

    The Practice of Together Action and Buddhist Wisdom

    The Practice of Together Action and Buddhist Wisdom BY ZEN MASTER WU BONG One of the most important roles of Providence Zen Center is its residential training program. In the Orient, where the monastic tradition has dominated Zen, residential training has historically been the main reason for the existence of Zen centers and monasteries. While Zen in the West is undergoing a phase of adaptation and experimentation, residential training is still an important part of the practice. To live in a community such as Providence Zen Center is not easy. There is a structure and a set of rules that must be followed. There is less privacy than one would have living outside such a community. There are people living in the community or visiting it with whom one would have nothing to do if given the choice. There is sometimes food one does not like, and often a lack of food that one likes. There is the "getting up in the morning," one of the greatest problems facing a Center resident. And there are other obstacles to a life of leisure. There are, of course, pluses to being a resident. There is a structure and a set of rules that help us put down our checking mind and help our discipline. With less privacy, there is more openness and less need to hide behind one’s image. There are people with whom one learns to deal correctly, notwithstanding feelings of like or dislike. There is the opportunity to learn to appreciate food, and not be hindered by its taste.
  • THE BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES COMPARED with the BIBLE! !Robert Krueger! Presented To! !SYMPOSIUM: the UNIQUENESS of the CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES! Dr

    THE BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES COMPARED with the BIBLE! !Robert Krueger! Presented To! !SYMPOSIUM: the UNIQUENESS of the CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES! Dr

    !THE BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES COMPARED WITH THE BIBLE! !Robert Krueger! Presented to! !SYMPOSIUM: THE UNIQUENESS OF THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES! Dr. Martin Luther College! New Ulm, MN! !April 15-17, 1993! !THE BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES COMPARED WITH THE BIBLE! !Introduction! In regard to the title of this essay and the theme of the symposium, both of which refer to scrip- tures, it must be noted that there's a lot more material to be found on Buddhism than on Buddhist scriptures -- at least it's easier to find. Whole books as well as parts of books dealing with Bud- dhism often treat the matter of Buddhist scriptures only briefly or in passing. To be sure, there are Buddhist scriptures and reference is made to a Buddhist canon, but as we shall see, these are dif- !ferent than and not so clearly defined as are our Christian Scriptures and the Biblical canon.! An appreciation for the Bible may also be gained by just looking at the origin, history, and doctrine of Buddhism, and these areas are also important in considering the Buddhist scriptures. Thus we'll !first look at those aspects of Buddhism as well as at some important terms and concepts.! !1. History and Origin of Buddhism! The founder of Buddhism is Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 560-480 B.C.), a prince of the Sakyas, who became known as Sakyamuni, sage of the Sakya people, and as the Buddha, the Enlightened One. There are various stories about his birth and life and even his conception, but it is generally agreed that he grew up as a prince and a member of a privileged class, married, and had a son.
  • American Buddhists: Enlightenment and Encounter

    American Buddhists: Enlightenment and Encounter

    CHAPTER FO U R American Buddhists: Enlightenment and Encounter ★ he Buddha’s Birthday is celebrated for weeks on end in Los Angeles. TMore than three hundred Buddhist temples sit in this great city fac- ing the Pacific, and every weekend for most of the month of May the Buddha’s Birthday is observed somewhere, by some group—the Viet- namese at a community college in Orange County, the Japanese at their temples in central Los Angeles, the pan-Buddhist Sangha Council at a Korean temple in downtown L.A. My introduction to the Buddha’s Birthday observance was at Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, just east of Los Angeles. It is said to be the largest Buddhist temple in the Western hemisphere, built by Chinese Buddhists hailing originally from Taiwan and advocating a progressive Humanistic Buddhism dedicated to the pos- itive transformation of the world. In an upscale Los Angeles suburb with its malls, doughnut shops, and gas stations, I was about to pull over and ask for directions when the road curved up a hill, and suddenly there it was— an opulent red and gold cluster of sloping tile rooftops like a radiant vision from another world, completely dominating the vista. The ornamental gateway read “International Buddhist Progress Society,” the name under which the temple is incorporated, and I gazed up in amazement. This was in 1991, and I had never seen anything like it in America. The entrance took me first into the Bodhisattva Hall of gilded images and rich lacquerwork, where five of the great bodhisattvas of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition receive the prayers of the faithful.
  • Getting to Know the Four Schools of Tibetan Buddhism

    Getting to Know the Four Schools of Tibetan Buddhism

    THE FOUR ORDERS: BOOK EXCERPT Getting to know the Four Schools of Tibetan Buddhism hundreds ofyears that the four main been codified by Tibetan intellectual historians, who categorize Buddha's teachings in terms of three distinct of Tibetan Buddhism — Nyingma, vehicles — the Lesser Vehicle (Hinayana), the Great Vehicle akya, and Gelug — have evolved out of (Mahayana), and the Vajra Vehicle (Vajrayana) — each of which was intended to appeal to the spiritual capacities of their common roots in India, a wide array of particular groups. divergent practices, beliefs, and rituals have • Hinayana was presented to people intent on personal salvation in which one transcends come into being. However, there are signifi- suffering and is liberated from cyclic existence. • The audience of Mahayana teachings included cant underlying commonalities between the trainees with the capacity to feel compassion for different traditions, such as the importance the sufferings of others who wished to seek awakening in order to help sentient beings over- of overcoming attachment to the phenomena come their sufferings. of cyclic existence, and the idea that it is • Vajrayana practitioners had a strong interest in the welfare of others, coupled with determination necessary for trainees to develop an attitude to attain awakening as quickly as possible, and the spiritual capacity to pursue the difficult practices of sincere renunciation. John Powers' fasci- of tantra. nating and comprehensive book, Introduction Indian Buddhism is also commonly divided by scholars of the four Tibetan orders into four main schools of tenets to Buddhism, re-issued by Snow Lion in — Great Exposition School, Sutra School, Mind Only School, September 2007, contains a lucid explanation and Middle Way School.
  • RLS Report 2-22.Indd

    RLS Report 2-22.Indd

    Symposium on Religion and Politics RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AND THE COMMON GOOD Reading Packet 1 Fall 2013 24 quincy road, chestnut hill, massachusetts 02467 tel: 617.552.1861 fax: 617.552.1863 email: [email protected] web: www.bc.edu/boisi BOSTON COLLEGE BOISI CENTER FOR RELIGION AND AMERICAN PUBLIC LIFE Symposium on Religion and Politics RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AND THE COMMON GOOD Table of Contents: “The Religious Composition of the United States” 3 Chapter 1 of the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey (2008) Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life “America’s Grace: How a Tolerant Nation Bridges Its Religious Divides” 13 Concluding Chapter of American Grace (2010) Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell “The Challenge of Pluralism” 32 Nieman Reports, “God in the Newsroom” Issue, Vol. XLVII, No. 2 (Summer 1993) Diana Eck “Wrestling with One God or Another,” 44 The Chronicle of Higher Education (June 27, 2010) Stephen Prothero “Christianity and Religious Pluralism – Are there Multiple Ways to Heaven?” 51 Probe Ministries Rick Wade 24 quincy road, chestnut hill, massachusetts 02467 tel: 617.552.1861 fax: 617.552.1863 email: [email protected] web: www.bc.edu/boisi 1 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life / U.S. Religious Landscape Survey Chapter 1: The Religious Composition of the United States he Landscape Survey details the great diversity of Major Religious Traditions Treligious affiliation in the U.S. at the beginning of the 21st in the U.S. century. The adult population can be usefully grouped into Among all adults more than a dozen major religious traditions that, in turn, % can be divided into hundreds of distinct religious groups.
  • Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist Preliminaries Practices 3 Levels Of

    Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist Preliminaries Practices 3 Levels Of

    Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist Preliminaries Practices 3 Levels of Buddhism 1/ Hinayana (Meditation and liberation for Self enlightenment) 2/ Mahayana (Bodhisattva Mind and liberation to be able to liberate others) 3/ Vajrayana or Tantrayana (Non Duality Emptiness, All Phenomenon are Nirvana, Guru Yoga and Yidam visualisation, Mahamoudra meditation and liberation in one's life) 3 Refuges Taking refuge in the 3 Jewels is a ceremony or a self decision that marks officially the entrance in Buddhism, and when somebody wants to call himself or herself a Buddhist. Taking refuge in the 3 Jewels is the first step in Buddhism. Taking refuge in the 3 Jewels consists in repeating 3 times the phrases "I take refuge in the ..." with and for each jewel. Buddha (Doctor) Dharma (Medicine) Sangha (Nurse) 5 Precepts Engaging oneself in the 5 precepts is an important part of the Buddhist practice as it means that the person is trying to bring the Dharma into her or his own life and daily reality. It is a real engagement and a real daily effort to live with the guidelines of the Dharma, with integrity and compassion, and to follow the 5 precepts. Such a conscious and volontary engagement is also very helpful and meaningful in order to bring more understanding and experiences in one's own practice. Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist Preliminaries Practices 1 - 17 The 5 precepts is about avoiding wrong actions and developping skillful actions. Undertaking the training to abstain from doing unskilful or negative actions. Avoiding 10 evil actions and developing 10 virtuous actions. The 5 precepts are based on non violence (in body, speech and mind, and about others living beings, material objects, and self) upon others and oneself.
  • P Int Primary Volume 36 • Number 3 • Winter 2020

    P Int Primary Volume 36 • Number 3 • Winter 2020

    PRIMARY POINT® Kwan Um School of Zen 99 Pound Rd Cumberland, RI 02864-2726 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Primary Primary P int P Volume 36 • Number 3 • Winter 2020 Winter • 3 Number • 36 Volume IN THIS ISSUE Primary Point Our Original Strength and Compassion 99 Pound Road Zen Master Soeng Hyang ............................................................4 Cumberland, RI 02864-2726 U.S.A. Telephone 401/658-1476 Hide Under the Path www.kwanumzen.org/primary-point Zen Master Dae Bong .................................................................4 online archives: Hothouse Zen: Practicing Zen in a Time of Climate www.kwanumzen.org/primary-point-archive and Ecological Crises Visit kwanumzen.org to learn more, peruse back Myong An Sunim JDPS ..............................................................5 issues, and connect with our sangha. The World’s 2-Billion-Ton Trash Problem Just Got More Alarming Ann Koh and Anuradha Raghu ...................................................8 Published by the Kwan Um School of Zen, a nonprofit reli- The Zen of Gardening: Less Is More gious corporation. The founder, Zen Master Seung Sahn, 78th Patriarch in the Korean Chogye order, was the first Korean Zen Chow Xin Tong ........................................................................10 Master to live and teach in the West. In 1972, after teaching A Zen Flower in Korea and Japan for many years, he founded the Kwan Um sangha, which today has affiliated groups around the world. He Chee Hoyyee ............................................................................11
  • The Hinayana Fallacy

    The Hinayana Fallacy

    e Hīnayāna Fallacy* Anālayo In what follows I examine the function of the term Hīnayāna as a referent to an institutional entity in the academic study of the history of Buddhism. I begin by surveying the use of the term by Chinese pilgrims travelling in India, followed by taking up to the Tarkajvālā’s depiction of the controversy between adherents of the Hīnayāna and the Mahāyāna. I then turn to the use of the term in the West, in particular its promotion by the Japanese del- egates at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in . I conclude that the current academic use of the term as a referent to a Buddhist school or Buddhist schools is misleading. e Chinese Pilgrims According to the succinct definition given in the Encyclopedia of Buddhism, Hīna- yāna “is a pejorative term meaning ‘Lesser Vehicle’. Some adherents of the ‘Greater Vehicle’ (Mahāyāna) applied it to non-Mahāyānist schools such as the eravāda, the Sarvāstivāda, the Mahāsāmghika,. and some fieen other schools.” * I am indebted to Max Deeg, Sāmanerī. Dhammadinnā, Shi Kongmu, Lambert Schmithausen, Jonathan Silk, Peter Skilling, and Judith Snodgrass for comments on a dra version of this paper. Strong : , who continues by indicating that in the Encyclopedia of Buddhism the term “mainstream Buddhist schools” is used instead. is term, which is an improvement over Hīna- yāna, has not found unanimous acceptance, cf., e.g., Sasaki : note : “I cannot, however, subscribe to the indiscreet use of the term ‘Mainstream’, which implies a positive assertion about a particular historical situation, and therefore, although completely outmoded, I continue to use the terms ‘Mahāyāna’ and ‘Hīnayāna’”; for critical comments on the expression “mainstream” cf.