2017 3rd Annual International Conference on Modern Education and Social Science (MESS 2017) ISBN: 978-1-60595-450-9 A Study of Zongmi’s Chan Buddhist Hermeneutical Diagram Indicating the Mind of Sentient Beings Qing MING Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan, China [email protected] Keywords: Chan Buddhism, Zongmi, Ãlayavijñāna, Reality, Delusion. Abstract: Zongmi was a famous scholarly Chan Buddhist monk in Chinese Buddhism, he was deeply interested in both the practical and doctrinal aspects of Buddhism. An important part of his thought is to mergeed Chan Buddhism with the philosophy of The Book of Change, this thought played a groundbreaking role in the harmonization of the major schools of Chinese culture. Thus, this paper taken Zongmi’s Chan Buddhist hermeneutical diagram interpreting the mind of sentient beings as its objects of research, in the paper, the Zongmi Chan diagrams and pictorial schemes will be approached by focusing on three aspects: 1) the life of Zongmi and his works, 2) Chan hermeneutical diagrams that attempt to represent the minds’ functions of sentient beings, and 3) the relationship between mind, the Supreme Ultimate and ālayavijñāna. Introduction Zongmi (780-841) was a Tang dynasty famous Buddhist scholar-monk, the fifth patriarch of the Chinese Buddhist Huayan school and a patriarch of Heze lineage of Southern Sudden-enlightenment Chan Buddhism; he was deeply influenced by both Chan Buddhism and Huayan philosophy. He wrote a number of works on the contemporary situation of Buddhism in Tang China, his work had an enduring influence on the adaptation of Indian Buddhism to the philosophy of traditional Chinese culture. An important part of Zongmi’s philosophy that has been deeply rooted in the cultural backbone of Chinese people is to use images and diagrams of the The Book of Changes system to interpret Chan Buddhist ideology. Zongmi and His Works Zongmi was born in Guozhou Xichong in 780. His biographies in The Song Biographies of Eminent Monks (Songgao sengzhuan), A Record of Jingde Dharma Transition (Jingde chuan deng lu), An Authentic Record of Transmitting the Dharma (Chuanfa zhenzongji), The Complete Accounts of Buddhist Patriarchs (Fozu tongzai), and Chan Master Guifeng’s Stone Tablet Inscription (Guifeng chanshi beiming) all show that when Zongmi was young, he worked with typical classical Confucian studies - Classic of Poetry, Book of Changes, Zhou Rites, The Analects, Book of History (Shangshu), Mencius, Record of History (Shiji). He was ordained as a Buddhist monk at the age of twenty-eight and trained under Chan Master Daoyuan for three years until he was reported to have suddenly attained enlightenment by studying and practicing The Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment (Dafangguang yuanjue xiuduolo liaoyi jing) and thus received the Chan Buddhist “mind testimony” (xinyin) from Chan Master Daoyuan in 807. After becoming a Chan Master, Zongmi’s Chan lineage can be viewed as follows (“→” represents the transmission of the Dharma): Huineng (the Sixth Patriarch) → Heze Shenhui (the Seventh Patriarch) →Cizhou Zhiru→ Yizhou Nanyin →Suizhou Daoyuan →Zongmi From 810 to 816, Zongmi visited scholarly monks of the Huayuan School, such as Chen’guan (738-839) who studied and practiced according to The Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra (Dafang guangfo huayan jing), Commentary on Avataṃsakasūtra (Huayan jingshu) and A Treatise of Notes and Interpretations While Studying the Avataṃsakasūtra (Suishu yanyichao) etc. From 816 to 841, Zongmi predominantly resided on Mount Zhongnan 820 and the city of Changan to write. During this period, he produced many Buddhist works, which mainly included: A Commentary on Bhadracarīpraṇidhāna (Huanyanjing xingyuanpin shuchao), A Treatise on a Commentary on Bhadracarīpraṇidhāna (Huanyanjing xingyuanpin shuke), A Commentary on Huayan Dharmadhātu Contemplation (Zhu huanyan fajie guanmen), Writings on the Subject of Huayan Dharmadhātu Contemplation (Zhu huanyan fajie guan kewen), Inquiry into the Origin of Humanity (Yuan ren lun), Commentary on Huayan Major Dharma Gate (Huayan xinyao famenzhu), Great Commentary on the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment (Yuan jue jing da shu), Subcommentary to the Great commentary on the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment (Yuan jue jing da shu chao), Outline to the Subcommentary the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment (Yuan jue jing da shu ke), Abridged Subcommentary to the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment (Yuan jue jing lue shu), Outline of the Abridged Commentary on the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment (Yuan jue jing lue shu ke), Manual of Procedures for the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment (Yuan jue jing dao chang xiuzheng yi), Preface Regarding Collections of Chan Original Hermeneutics (Chanyuan zhuquan jidouxu),Chart of the Master-Disciple Succession of the Chan Gate that Transmits the Mind Ground in China (Zhonghua chuanxindi chanmen shizi chengxi tu). These works were the significant summary of each of the Buddhist schools of the Tang dynasty. They not only played a guiding role in the historical moment when Chinese Buddhism transitioned to Chan Buddhism but also played a groundbreaking role in the harmonization of the major schools of Chinese culture such as Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and the philosophy of the Book of Change. Chan Hermeneutical Diagram Indicating the Mind of Sentient Beings One the most important parts of Zongmi’s philosophy that has been deeply rooted in the cultural backbone of Chinese people are the Chan Diagrams of Ãlayavijñāna Circular Images. These diagrams are clearly explained in Chapter 48 of Taisho Shinshu Daizokyo which is entitled, Preface of Collections of Chan Original Hermeneutics (Chanyuan zhuquan jidouxu). There are four pages of diagrams because of their complexity and size, however, the major idea behind the diagrams can be summarized in a figure in page 413 of volume 48 of the Taisho Shinshu Daizokyo. This figure is an interpretation of the famous doctrines of “One Mind,” “two aspects,” “three greatnesses,” “four faiths” and “five practices” of the Mahāyāna śraddhotpada śāstra. At the top of this diagram is the “sentient beings mind” (zhongsheng xin) which suggests that all sentient beings possess the true mind of original awakening—tathāgatagarbha Buddha nature, which is represented by Zongmi as Chan Diagram ○. “This mind includes all states of being of the phenomenal world and the transcendental world.” It can be separated into two aspects, with the diagram representing “reality (zhen),” and diagram ● representing the “illusion (wang).” The reality mind has two aspects: with diagram ○ representing constant (bubian) and with diagram representing conditioned (suiyuan). The illusionary mind ● also has two aspects: with diagram ○ indicating the absence of substance (tikong) and with diagram indicating phenomenal (chengshi). As two aspects of One Mind, reality (zhen) and illusion (wang) are not differentiated, but include each other; it is only through illusionary thought (wangnian) that all things come to be differentiated. If one is free from illusionary thought, there will be no illusion. As described in the sutra: there is no difference whatsoever between nirvana (absolute) and samsara (phenomena). Therefore, on the one hand, both the constant (bubian) ○ and the devoid of substance (tikong) ○ constitute an “aspect of mind in terms of the absolute (tathātā),” which is Suchness (zhenru) ○, the nature of mind. It “transcends all forms of verbalization, description and conceptualization.” In other words, it is inexpressible (liyan). However, if it is predicated in words, it has two aspects: 1) sunya, empty (kong), which is known as true mind, and 2) nonempty (bukong), which is known as illusionary mind. On other hand, both conditioned (suiyuan) and phenomenal (chengshi) constitute the other aspect of “mind in terms of phenomena (samsara),” which is grounded on the 821 tathāgatagarbha - ālayavijñāna (Storehouse Consciousness) . Ãlayavijñāna “has two aspects which embrace all states of existence and create all states of existence.” One is enlightenment (jue) and the other is non-enlightenment (bujue) . Enlightenment is divided into ten stages: 1) realization of original enlightenment (wu benjue). The essence of mind is free from thought. To see self-nature one should realize one’s original enlightened mind. 2) Raise the thought of awakening (faxin). When one raises the thought of awakening, one will attain perfect enlightenment. 3) Training in the cultivation of the five practices (xiu wuxing). 4) Training in the cultivation of three great minds of awakening (kaifa sanxin): the true mind that is mindful of thusness; the profound mind which endeavors for wholesome activities and the mind of great compassion that seeks to save all sentient beings. 5) Empty of ātma (wokong). 6) Empty of dharma (fakong). 7) Free from matter (sezizai). 8) Free from the illusionary mind (xinzizai). 9) Departure from thought (linian). 10) Becoming a Buddha. Additionally, there are ten stages in the process of non-enlightenment: 1) original awakening ● (benjue), 2) non-awakening ● (bujue), 3) thoughts arising ● (nianqi), 4) perception of subject arising ● (jianqi), 5) sense of objects appearing ● (jingxian), 6) grasping of dharma ● (zhifa), 7) grasping of self ● (zhiwo), 8) ● the three poisons that disturb the mind (fan nao san du), 9) creation of karma ● (zaoye), and 10) karmic retribution and rebirth into the six realms ● (shoubao liudao). The Relationship among Mind, the Supreme Ultimate and Ãlayavijñāna A more detailed