HARPER & BROTHERS 16 NEW YORK THE PRACTICE OF ZEN CHANG CHEN-CHI THE PRACTICE OF ZEN Copyright ® I959 by Chang Chen-chi Printed in the United States of America All rights in this book are reserved. No part of the book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Harper & Brothers 49 East 33rd Street, New York I6, N. Y. FIRST EDITION H·I Library of Congress catalog card number: 59·I0330 CONTENTS FOREWORD ix I. THE NATURE OF ZEN ZEN STYLE AND ZEN ART . 2 THE'CORE OF ZEN: STUDIES IN THE THREE MAIN ASPECTS OF MIND . 24 FOUR VITAL POINTS IN ZEN BUDDHISM . 30 v Vl Contents II. THE PRACTICE· OF ZEN A GENERAL REVIEW OF ZEN PRACTICE . 41 DISCOURSES OF FOUR ZEN MASTERS . 49 1. Discourses of Master Hsu Yun . 49 2. Discourses of Master Tsung Kao . 59 3. Discourses of Master Po Shan . 66 4. Discourse of Master Han Shan . 79 SHORT AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF FIVE ZEN MASTERS 85 1. Epitome of Zen Master Han Shan's Autobiography 85 2. Zen Master Wu Wen's Story . 103 3. Zen Master Hsueh Yen's Story . 105 4. Zen Master Meng Shan's Story . 108 5. Zen Master Kao Feng's Story . 112 III. THE FOUR PROBLEMS OF ZEN BUDDHISM IS ZEN COMPLETELY UNINTELLIGIBLE? . 116 WHAT IS ZEN "ENLIGHTENMENT"? . 120 ZEN AND MAHAYANA BUDDHISM . 124 THE "FOUR DISTINCTIONS" OF LIN CHI . 130 IV. BUDDHA AND MEDITATION THE THREE ASPECTS OF BUDDHAHOOD IN RE­ LATION TO THE SIX PATTERNS OF HUMAN THINKING . 139 A SURVEY OF THE PRACTICE OF BUDDHIST MEDI- TATION . .. 150 1. The Four Basic Characteristics of Samadhi . 152 2. The Seven Different Types of Meditation Practice 153 3. The Three Successive Stages of Meditation . 162 Contents vii NOTES ................................................ 167 BIBLIOGRAPHY .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 178 Chinese Characters . 179 APPENDIX . 182 Chinese Characters for the Text . 183 Chinese Characters for the Footnotes . 187 INDEX................................................ 191 FOREWORD People in the West who take up the study of Zen Buddhism enthusiastically often discover, after the initial fascination has worn off, that the consecutive steps re­ quired for its serious pursuit turn out to be disappointing and fruitless. Wonderful indeed is the experience of Enlightenment; 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 enthusiasts in the West. This is because Zen studies in the West are still in their begin­ nings, and its students are still lingering in that shadowy region IX X FOREWORD 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, and make it their own innermost possession. Since Zen is not, in its essence and on its higher levels, a philosophy, but a direct experience that one 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 experi­ ence, known as the "Wu insight" or "Enlightenment," one needs either to rely completely on an accomplished Zen Master, 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 searching for practical instruc­ tion, I selected, translated, and presented herein a number of short autobiographies and discourses of the great Zen Masters, from both ancient and modern sources, which, although very popular in the East, are generally unknown in the West. From the contents of these documents one may obtain a picture 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, Han Shan, and Po 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 before. 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 some other books of its kind availaqle at present in the English language. Chapter III, "The Four Problems of Zen Buddhism," was origi­ nally an essay on "The Nature of Ch'an'·Buddhism" appearing in the January, 1957, issue of Philosophy East and West, published by the FOREWORD xi University of Hawaii. 'With some minor changes, it has now been incorporated into this book. I believe that the four problems dis­ cussed therein are of great importance for Zen studies. Chapter IV, "Buddha and Meditation," was originally 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 introduced to the West. As many Zen phrases and expressions are extremely difficult if not impossible to translate, even being considered 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-en, "Satori" for Wu, "Zen" for Ch'an etc., have now become established and are widely used in the West, and they are also em­ ployed in this book, concurrently with the original Chinese 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 general 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 Donath, 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 con­ stant assistance and encouragement. As a refugee from China, I wish also to thank all of my American friends, and both the Bollingen Foundation and the Oriental Study Foundation, for their generous 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. CHANG CHEN-CHI NEW YORK CITY MARCH, 1959 THE PRACTICE OF ZEN I. THE NATURE OF ZEN What is Zen? "Zen" is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word "Ch'an," and "Ch'an" is the abbreviation of the original phrase "Ch'an-Na"-a corruption of the pronunciation of the Sanskrit word Dhyana or the Pali, fhana. In other words, "Zen" is a mispronunciation of another mis­ pronunciation! This, however, is less important than the fact that Zen represents a teaching which may well be considered as the pin­ nacle of all Buddhist thought, a teaching that is most direct, pro­ found, and practical-capable of bringing one to thorough liberation 1 2 THE PRACTICE OF ZEN and perfect Enlightenment. But it is very difficult to give a clear account of it. Zen is, as one of the Chinese expressions puts it, some­ thing "round and rolling, slippery and slick"-something ungrasp­ able 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. ZEN STYLE AND ZEN ART Zen is a school of Mahayana 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 unconventional 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 remarkable 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 Bodhi­ dharma'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 :answers as implying the ubiquitousness of Reality; for truth is everywhere and all-pervading: the cypress tree or the blowing wind, the howling dog or even the board that grows hair are all vibrantly alive in the present "here and now." The purport of Bodhidharma's coming from the West is to elucidate this universal Truth.