The Practice of Zen Practice of Zen Garma C. C. Chang PERENNftL LIBRARY T Harper & Aow, Publishers New York THE PRACTICE OF ZEN Copyright © 1959 by Chang Chep-chi All rights in this book are reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this Book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever wfthout written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information add幾ss Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc,, 49 East 33rd Street^ New York, N. Y. 10016. First perennul library edition published 1970 Contents FOREWORD 7 I. THE NATURE OF ZEN ZEN STYLE AND ZEN ART 12 THE CORE OF ZEN: STUDIES IN THE THREE MAIN ASPECTS OF MIND 41 FOUR VITAL POINTS IN ZEN BUDDHISM 49 夏 L THE PRACTICE OF ZEN A GENERAL REVIEW OF ZEN PRACTICE 62 DISCOURSES OF FOlJTi ZEN MASTERS 72 1. Discourses of Master Hsu Yuri 72 2. Discourses of Master Tsung Kao 85 3. Discourses of Mast^KPo Shan 94 4. Discourse of Master hun Shan 111 SHORT AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF FIVE ZEN MASTERS 118 1. Epitome of Zen Master Han Shan's Aui6 biography 5 6 Contents 2. Zen Master Wu Wen s Story 42 3. Zen Master Hsueh Yen*s Story 44 4. Zen Master Meng Shan's Story 48 5. Zen Master Kao Feng's Story 53 III. THE FOUR PROBLEMS OF ZEN BUDDHISM 57 IS ZEN COMPLETELY UNINTELLIGIBLE? 62 WHAT IS ZEN “ENLIGHTENMENT”？ 67 ZEN AND'M AHA YANA BUDDHISM 75 THE “FOUR DISTINCTIONS” OF LIN CHI IV. BUDDHA AND MEDITATION THE THREE ASPECTS OF BUDDHAHOOD IN RELATION TO THE SIX PATTERNS OF HUMAN THINKING 185 A SURVEY OF THE PRACTICE OF BUD­ DHIST MEDITATION 201 1. The Four Basic Characteristics of Sam- adhi 202 2. The Seven Different Types of Meditation Practice 204 3. The Three Successive^ Stages of Medita* (ion' 215 NOTES 220 BIBLIOGRAPHY 236 APPENDIX 239 Romanized Chinese Characters for the Text 239 Romanized Cbkiese Characters for the Notes 243 INDEX 247 Foreword People in the West who take up the study of Zen Bud­ dhism enthusiastically often discover, after the initial fas­ Cination has worn off,4hat the consecutive steps required for its serious pursuit turn out to be disappointing and fruitless. Wonderful 傘 ideed is the experienCe of En­ lightenment; but the ^CruCial question is, how Can one get into it? The problem of Catching this tantalizing “Zen witch” remains unsolved for most of the Zen en­ thusiasts in the West. This is beCause Zen studies in the West arC still in their beginnings, and its students are still lingering in that shadowy region between “being interested in” and “understanding” Zen. Most of them have not yet Come to a point of maturity in their studies at which they Can aCtually praCtice Zen, realize it, ^nd make it their own innermost possession. Since Zen is not, in its essence aiTd%Cu^its higher levels, a philosophy, but a direCt experienCe one 7 8 Foreword must enter into with his whole being, the primary aim should be at the attainment and realization of the Zen experience. To realize this supreme experienCe, known as the “Wu insight” or “Erilightenraent,” one needs either to rely Completely on an aCcomplished Zen Mas­ ter, or to struggle on alone through study and aCtual practice. In the hope of furthering an understanding of Zen and making things easier for those who have been kearchiog for practical instruCtion, I selected, translated, and presentCd、herein a number of short autobiographies and discourses of the great Zen Masters, from both an­ cient and modern sources, which, although very popular in the East, are generally unknown in the West. From the Contents of these docun^ents one may obtain a pic­ ture of the lives and works of the Zen Masters, thus getting a Clearer idea of how Zen work is aCtually done. For none is better qualified than these accomplished Masters to deal with the subjeCt of praCtical Zen. To follow their example and instruCtion is, therefore, the best and safest way to praCtice it. It is for this reason that the discourses of the four Celebrated Chinese Zen Masters, Hsu Yun, Tsung Kao, Po Shan, and Han Shan, are introduCed. ! In addition to my own suggestions and Comments on Zen practice, which may be found in the beginning of the second Chapter, a survey of the essential aspeCts of Zen Buddhism is also given at the outset of this book. It is hoped that, after reading the first Chapter, the reader may gain a further insight into Zen Buddhism, and thus be able to pursue his studies with greater ease than be­ fore. The newComer to Buddhism, however, may meet with some difficulties. Although as a whole this book is of an introduCtory nature, it is perhaps more specific on Certain problems and in Certain fields of Zen study than Foreword 9 some other books of its kind available at present in the English language. Chapter III, “The Four Problems of Zen Buddhism,” was originally an essay on “The Nature of Ch’an Bud­ dhism” appearing in the January, 1957, issue of Phi­ losophy East and West, published by the University of Hawaii. With some minor changes, it has now been in­ Corporated into this book. I believe that the four prob­ lems discussed therein are of great importanCe for Zen studies. Chapter IV, “Buddha and Meditation,” was origi-' nally in the form of a lecture, given in a seminar at Columbia University in 1954, at the invitation of Dr. Jean Mahler. It gives some basic teaChings of Buddhism and some essential prinCiples underlying Buddhist medi­ tation praCtice which perhaps have not yet been fully in­ troduCed to the West. As many Zen phrases and expressions are extremely difficult if not impossible to translate, even being Con­ sidered by some sCholars as utterly untranslatable, I have had to resort, in a few instances, to free translation. Some of the Japanese terms suCh as “koan” for Kung- ent “Satori” for Wu, “Zen” for Ch'an etC” have now beCome established and are widely used in the West, and they are also employed in this book, ConCurrently with the original Chiiiese terms. The romanization of the Chinese CharaCters used is based upon the Wade- Giles system. All the diaCritical marks in romanized Chinese and Sanskrit words used in the text have been left out, since they would only be confusing to the gen­ eral reader and are unneCessary for Chinese and Sanskrit scholars, who will at onCe recognize the original Chinese CharaCters and Devanagiri sCript. I wish to express my deep gratitude to Mr. George Currier, Miss Gwendolyn Winsor, Mrs. Dorothy Do- 10 Foreword nath, and to my wife, Hsiang Hsiang, all of whom have rendered great assistance in helping me with my English, in preparing, editing, and typing the manusCript, and in making valuable suggestions and Comments on the work. I also wish to thank my old friend, Mr. P. J. Gruber, for his Constant assistanCe and enCouragement. As a refugee from China, I wish also to thank all of my AmeriCan friends, and both the Bollingen Founda­ tion and the Oriental Study Foundation, for their gen­ erous assistanCe in providing me with the opportunity to Continue my work and study in the field of Buddhism here in the United States. To them all I am grateful beyond measure. NEW YORK CITY M ARCH, 1959 What is Zen? “Zen” is the Japanese pronunCiation of the Chinese word “Ch’an，” and “Ch’an” is the abbrevia­ tion of the original phrase “Ch’an-Na”一 a Corruption of the pronunCiation of the Sanskrit word Dhyana or the Pali, Jhana. In other words, “Zen” is a mispronunCia­ tion of another mispronunCiationl This, however, is less important than the faCt that Zen represents a teaChing which may well be Considered as the pinnaCle of aU Buddhist thought, a teaChing that is most direCt, pro­ found, and praCtiCal~Capable of btinging one to thor­ ough liberation and perfeCt Enlightei^nent But it is very difficult to give a Clear aCCount of it. ^en is, as one of the Chinese expressions puts it, something “round and rolling, slippery and slick”一 something ungraspable and indesCribable, which Cannot be explained or interpreted. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile trying to overcome this difficulty in order to present a Clearer piCture of Zen. 11 12 The PraCtiCe of Zen Zen Style and Zen Art Zen is a school of Mabayana Buddhism, originated and developed in China. Its philosophy and praCtiCe are not essentially different from those of other Mahayana schools. Zen does not possess any unique or exclusive teaChings that are not inCluded in over-all Mahayana Buddhism. The difference is solely in the unConven­ tional style and in the unusual forms of expression adopted by the Zen Buddhists. This "Zen style” or “tradition,” formed in the later period of Zen history, is so outstanding and unusual that it has made Zen a re­ markable and extraordinary form of Buddhist teaChing unparalleled in any other field of philosophy or religion. What, then, is this "Zen style”？ Put briefly, Zen style Consists of the puzzling language, baffling attitudes, and surprising methods that Zen Buddhists employ in their teaChings and practice. For example, a monk asked, “What is the meaning of Bodhidharma's coming from the West?” (That is to say, “What is the Truth?”） The Master answered, “The cypress tree in the Courtyard•” The same question, put before another Master, was answered by, “The teeth of the board grow hair.” One may interpret these an­ swers as implying the ubiquitousness of Reality; for truth is everywhere add all-pervading: the Cypress tree or the blowing wind, the howling dog or even the board that grows hair are all vibrandy alive in the present “here and now.# The purport of Bodhidharma’s com­ ing from the West is to eluCidate this universal Truth.