The attitude of Zen student toward Koan should be same as Tourei talks about Buddhist scripture as above quoted. This particular Chapter of TULZ commands us to reflect the state of awareness of Self-nature (Reality) upon the Koan so that Self-nature is examined if it is clear enough. But as Tourei writes to study Koan is not the final purpose of Zen study but to reflect the Koan upon the Self-nature to examine if Self-nature is clear enough.
For the purpose of bringing student to the ultimate attainment of self realization of Reality(ÓÞçöôËî¼), Hakuin systematized traditional paradigmatic episodes(ͯöÎü¥Ôé) into the more effective order(ÍëäÐô÷ͧ). Koan system itself is, however not opened in any document form, but secretly transmitted through Nissitu-sanzen(ìýãøóÑàÉ) or private interview of student with Roshi(ÒÇÞÔ) in small room of the monastery. And contents of so-called seventeen hundred Koans(ô¶öÒÛÝöΪÎÍëäÐ) are told to be different each other according to the two main branches, that is to say Inzan-branch(ëßߣͧ) and Takujyu-branch(öññ¶Í§), that were separated under Gasan-jitou(ä±ß£í±Ô¡ 1727-1797) who is the one of Hakuin¡¯s Greatest disciple.
However, both branches are at least keeping the fundamental Koan system which Hakuin set for his students. Or it would be better to say that Hakuin confirmed Koan system which had already been developed by the Japanese Rinzai Zen patriarchs in early days of Japanese Zen such as En¡¯ni-ben¡¯nen(êì³Ü©ê 1202-1280) or Nampo-jyoumain(ÑõøÝáÉÙ¥ 1235-1308). These Patriarchs divided Chinese Koans into three groups according to their function, namely Richi(ìµöÈ or Ultimate of Truth), Kikan(Ѧμ or Skillful Method) and koujyon(ú¾ß¾ or Non-attachment).
¡°Richi¡± is the group of words, which show the True Reality and most of them are extracted from Buddhist scripture and Patriarchal record. All Koan of Richi are the theoretical expression of Buddhist theology or State of Zen mind, so students practice Zazen meditation(ñ¦àÉ) reflecting his mind upon the Koan so that he will realize authentic meaning of each phrase through his bodily experience of awareness(Satori çöªê or Kenshou ̸àõ in Jp.)
¡°Kikan¡± is the group of the episodes by which student knows how the Patriarchs of early days of China came to self realization of Reality, and by refelcting upon those stories through Practice of Zazen meditation, he might attain the living mind of the Patriarch or Kassoi(üÀðÓëò) which is called Satori.
¡°Koujyou¡± is the group of Koan through which student wipes the dust which he get by above two groups koan. In other words, student has to remove so called the attachment of Buddha-view(Bukken ÝÖ̸ in Jp.) or Dharma-view (Hokken Ûö̸) or his Pride of Ultimate attainment of Reality so that he might return to what Buddha or Patriarchs really taught which is nothing but original Ordinariness(Heijyoutei øÁßÈî¼).
Hakuin opened these three divisions into the five, that is to say Hossin(Ûöãó or dharma-kaya), Kikan(Ѧμ or Skill), Gonsen(åëï¬ or Word expression), Nantou(Ññ÷â or difficult to pass through) and Koujyou(ú¾ß¾ or Non-attachment).
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6. Non-attachment to the ultimate
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As I already mentioned above, the qualitatively different path still remained for the student as a final part of his Zen study jhourney and it is called Kojyon(ú¾ß¾). A well-known phrase: ¡°This particular path of Koujyou has never been transmitted by any past Saint¡± (ú¾ß¾ñýìéÖØ, ô¶á¡Üôîî). This path is specially called ¡°Smallness of Koujyou¡±(ú¾ß¾ñýÞÁí) which means that this path is the entirely different from the preceding path where student has passed, or it would be better to be said that this path is the total negation of what has been experienced before. Therefore student should not continue his quantitative progress of path walked but jump into the entirely different realm of quality. Chinese Patriarchs teach this jump by saying: ¡°Have one more step at the top of hundred feet pole!¡± Here Tourei writes as follows;
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Here is a path of non-attachment. This is called the One which even patriarchs never transmitted before. ..... This is what all Patriarchs ever transmitted from one to the other. (Nishimura¡¯s Text, page92)
What Tourei mentions here seems to be somehow paradoxical, but this is the essence of Zen transmission. However, as a matter of fact, such Self realization of Reality is never able to be transmitted from man to man directly but only transmitted through indirectly transmitted as an existential philosopher Soeren Kierkegaard ever pointed out. Therefore, we may realize that Koan system itself is not the object of study as it is mere foot-prints of Patriarchs and not the Reality of Patriarch himself. Student should not follow such a shadow of the Reality. Instead, he should jump out of traditional transmission after all. This might be the deep significance of the small path of non-attachment.
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7. How to live the ordinary life
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Next chapter of TULZ is entitled Rikiyuu(ÕôéÄ or daily Use) in which Torei talks about the way of living daily life for the student who achieved his Zen study. A student who came to be free from tradition and returned to his own self has to live his daily life authentically(×ÛôÂÝÂÙ¥ risen-hunmyou in Jp.) His ordinary daily life has to be the continuity of Right meditation(ïáÒ·ßÓáÙ Shounen-souzoku in Jp.).
As Bodhi-Dharma says, There are many who attain the Buddha¡¯s Way, but very few who are practicing it. And, moreover, this practice should have no traces(ÙÒÁ¾îæ Mosshouseki in Jp.). Torei calls this kind of daily use ¡°Wisdom-use beyond scale(Ì«èâªÎò±éÄ kakugai no chiyuu)¡± because nobody knows his Saint-ness.
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8. Succession of Buddha-Dharma
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In this Chapter of Succession, Tourei discusses the Importance of Succession of Buddhas Lamp. Succession (ÞÔ㯠Shijyou in Jp.) means to succeed to the Wisdom-life of Buddha(ÝÖªÎû´Ù¤ Butu-no-emyou in Jp.) from certain Zen master who is supposed to be a carrier of Zen Buddhist tradition. For this very reason, student who lives his life in the daily use of attained Reality has to go out of his home for searching authentic Zen master. If student kept staying within his enjoyment of Awareness of Reality, he would remain inside of the mere self-satisfaction. Such a self-satisfaction is called the ¡°Heresy of Selfish awareness without Master¡±(ÙíÞÔÔ¼çöªÎèâÔ³ musidokugo-no-gedou in Jp.). Tourei writes upon this danger as follows;
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A matter of Succession is the most central. Ancient Zen student who arrives at the source of Self-awareness and passes a certain numbers of Patriarchal gates, used to travel throughout the country without any doubt about Reality and have a discussion or fix to the prices of commodities after discussion(ÙýÓÍßÂÕá Mondou-shouryou in Jp.) with any person he meet. But sometime later on, he happened to meet Great Zen master who has Great eyes of Dharma(ÓÞäÑÙÍ daiganmoku in Jp.), and was compelled to realize the essence of Zen existing in completely different realm that is called Non-attachment, from the Reality he had held until that time. Then he quits his travelling and begins his sincere study under the Great master. In this way, he arrives at Unmovable confidence of his reality. This is the time of Succession(ÞÔã¯). Since that time, he lives with unforgettable thanks to the master about the kindness he received. Such a student should be called ¡°Dharma-successor¡±(ÛöÞË Hassu in Jp.). the Patriarchs of Zen tradition all the same have transmitted Fruit of Zen in this way. (Nishmura¡¯s Text, page 119)
From above quotation, we may know that the horizon where succession of Patriarchal lamp become possible is even under the bottom of egoistic self where individual personality is broken into the universal Non-self which is common with master¡¯s Non-self. This is what Wu-men Hui-kai(ÙíÚ¦û´ËÒ 1183-1150) writes in his ¡°We-men-kuan¡± (ÙíÚ¦ËÒ Mumonkan in Jp.) like ¡°To walk hand in hand with the traditional Patriarchs, and to see the things with same eyes of Patriarch¡¯s and to listen with same ears¡±.
In other word, Succession is not possible so far as the master and the student stand in opposition to each other, but only possible when student comes down to the transcendentally deep level where he may touch directly with transcendental Non-self of the Master. As we already studied in the above Chapter, this transcendence is only possible with one important step beyond the ultimate self realization of the Reality which was called Koujyou or Non-attachment. However to arrive at such complete level of Non-attachment is so hard that even Wu-tsu Fa-yen(çéðÓÛöæÑ ?-1104) says; ¡°I have studied Zen for twenty years, and now I feel the shame to know my incompleteness(ä²ß³ì£ä¨Ò´, ÐÑÛ°òÅâº).
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9. Breeding of the Seed of Buddha
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In this chapter entitled ¡°Chouyon íþåס± or Breeding of the seed of Buddha, Torei talks about importance of cultivation of Buddha-seed which student sowed deep in his body through his long Zen meditation. He writes as follows;
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Yuan-wu Ko-chin(ȯçöкÐà 1063-1135) says; ¡°Ancient Masters used to live their lives in the humble hermitage or stone cave and take poor meals prepared in broken pans, after he attained Buddha-way(ÝÖÔ³). They never hoped to be known in the world and occasionally spew a word to switchover student¡¯s mind to transmit Buddha¡¯s Dharma¡±. Therefore, what Zen student has to do is only to
breed the Buddha-seed through many years. Do not like to build a monastery for the purpose of accepting more students. (Nishimura¡¯s Text, page127)
Torei is then taking a number of examples of ancient Patriarchs who hid themselves in the deep mountain or amid the secular world for many years such as the six Patriarch Hui-nung(ë»ðÓû´Òö638-713)¡¯s fifteen years in the South countryside, Nan-yang Hui-chung(ÑõåÕû´õ÷ ?-775)¡¯s forty years, Ta-mei Fa-chang(ÓÞØÞÛößÈ 752-839)¡¯s thirty years, and so on.
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10. Currency
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The final Chapter of TULZ is the conclusion or the End of long Path of Zen study. Or we should say that it was the ultimate purpose to begin study of Zen when a student was standing at the gate of Zen Path. Since Zen Buddhism is based upon the Mahayana Buddhist thought, no matter how this particular branch is hoping to realize a Reality in his own-self and therefore it might be called the religious way of Self-inquiry(ÐùÞÀϼ٥ªÎú¼Ô³) lasting throughout a whole life, it should be done for the salvation of all sentient Beings. Here the title of this Chapter ¡°Currency¡± (êü÷× Ruzuu in Jp.) means the spread of the Buddha Dharma all over this earth.
However Currency of Buddha Dharma might not be the same as so-called religious Mission or social service done under the name of religion. For Tourei, ¡°currency¡± actually means transmission of Unextinguished Lamp of Zen (in fact, this was the title of his work) to only a few students. Torei writes as follows;
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Yen-tou chuan-huo(äÜÔéîïüà 828-887) says¡¯ ¡°Whenever you intend to demonstrate Great teaching of Buddha, you have to let it issue from your own heart each by each, so that it fills the whole heaven and earth for the sake of all other beings. ¡°I hope that Buddha¡¯s Dharma would last forever by the currency that is possible in a way of gaining of an authentic Seed of Dharma. What I worry is the Buddha Dharma is now in danger like the eggs been piled up! I really do not hope that Buddha Dharma extinguish so easily in future. Situation is like the case that the several persons are traveling through the stormy field. And the all lanterns are almost going to be blown out by the storm. However, if there were one person in the party gives his effort only to concentrate his mind upon a lantern not to extinguish, all other people would be saved by that one lantan. (Nishimura¡¯s Text, page131)
As Tourei teaches here in its most impressive example, ¡°Currency¡± does not mean to scatter Zen to the masses of world, but maintain the fruit and its seed within deep individual person so that his existence itself could naturally be a shining Lamp for the world of Darkness. This is nothing but what Zen Patriarchs have taught as ¡°The Great Compassion of Non-object¡±(ÙíæÞªÎÓÞÝè Muen no daihi) which is entirely different from ordinary Compassion occasionally given to a particular Object(ñëßææÞªÎí±Ýè Shujyouen no jihi). And Tourei here stresses the importance of this specific sort of Compassion as an Ultimate purpose of Zen study.
Topic: Practical Principle Of Hakuin Zen By Eshin Nishimura Professor of Hanazono Univ (Read 2494 times)