History and Periodization of Chan Buddhism
– Historical records for early Chan history no longer exist.
– Chan in China can be divided into several periods.
– Ferguson distinguishes three periods: Legendary period, Classical period, Literary period.
– McRae distinguishes four phases: Proto-Chan, Early Chan, Middle Chan, Song dynasty Chan.
– Chan was transported to Japan and had an influence on Korean Seon.
– Legendary period: Bodhidharma to An Lushan Rebellion, split between Northern and Southern School.
– Classical period: End of An Lushan Rebellion to beginning of Song dynasty, great masters of Chan.
– Literary period: Song dynasty, gongan-collections compiled, idealized previous period.
– Proto-Chan: Chan developed in multiple locations in northern China, based on dhyana practice.
– Early Chan: Clear contours of Chan, prime figures include Daman Hongren and Huineng.
Introduction and Sinification of Buddhism in China
– Buddhism in China adapted to Chinese culture and understanding.
– Theories about the influence of other schools in the evolution of Chan vary widely.
– Chan may have developed from the interaction between Mahāyāna Buddhism and Taoism.
– Buddhist meditation was practiced in China before the rise of Chan.
– Chinese translations of Indian Sarvāstivāda Yogacara manuals formed the basis for Chan meditation techniques.
– Buddhism was exposed to Confucian and Taoist influences.
– Chan was seen as a natural evolution of Buddhism under Taoist conditions.
– Taoist terminology was used to express Buddhist doctrines in early translations.
– Early Chinese Buddhists were influenced by Taoist keystone works.
– Chan emphasized Buddha-nature in everyday human life, influenced by Taoist concept of naturalness.
– Chinese Buddhism absorbed Neo-Daoist concepts.
– Concepts such as Essence and Function and Noumenon and Phenomenon appeared in Hua-yen Buddhism.
– Taoists initially misunderstood sunyata to be akin to Taoist non-being.
– Chinese Buddhism had to compete with Taoism and Confucianism.
– Chan developed its own unique teachings and practices within the Chinese cultural context.
Spread of Buddhism in China and Divisions of Training in Buddhism
– Buddhism infiltrated China during a politically unstable period.
– Traditionalists opposed the foreign influence.
– Chinese misunderstood the two truths doctrine.
– Chinese believed Buddha-nature was the final teaching.
– Different divisions of training were established.
– Three divisions of training in Buddhism: virtue and discipline, meditation, and recorded teachings.
– Vinaya masters specialized in discipline for monks and nuns.
– Dhyāna masters specialized in meditation practice.
– Dharma masters specialized in Buddhist texts.
– Monasteries and practice centers were created for different types of training.
Origins and Patriarchs of Chan Buddhism
– Chan Buddhism ascribes its origins to the Flower Sermon in India.
– Bodhidharma is traditionally credited as the originator of Chan in China.
– Historical information about Bodhidharma is scarce.
– Chan lineage developed during the Tang dynasty.
– Ascetic practitioners of Buddhism may have influenced the origins of Chan.
– Six ancestral founders of Chan in China: Bodhidharma, Huike, Sengcan, Dayi Daoxin, Daman Hongren, Huineng.
– Lineage extended to include 28 Indian patriarchs.
– Bodhidharma considered the 28th patriarch in the line of descent from Mahākāśyapa.
– Yongjia Xuanjue wrote the Song of Enlightenment, mentioning the lineage.
– Early masters of Chan were referred to as Laṅkāvatāra masters.
– Bodhidharma came to China during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
– Depicted as ill-tempered, bearded, and wide-eyed in Buddhist art.
– Referred to as The Blue-Eyed Barbarian in Chinese Chan texts.
– Little contemporary biographical information about Bodhidharma.
– Legends and hagiographies developed around Bodhidharma’s life.
– The Record of the Buddhist Monasteries of Luoyang by Yáng Xuànzhīs (547).
– Tan Lin’s preface to the Long Scroll of the Treatise on the Two Entrances and Four Practices (6th century CE).
– Dayi Daoxin’s Further Biographies of Eminent Monks (7th century CE).
– These sources vary in their account of Bodhidharma’s origin.
– Some traditions specifically describe Bodhidharma as the third son of a Pallava king from Kanchipuram.
– Bodhidharma’s teachings in the Long Scroll of the Treatise on the Two Entrances and Four Practices.
– The entrance of principle: becoming enlightened to the Truth based on the teaching.
– The entrance of practice: four increments including acceptance of circumstances and eradication of wrong thoughts.
– Huike and his students used and studied this text.
– The True Nature refers to the Buddha-nature.
– Bodhidharma passed three items to Huike as a sign of transmission of the Dharma.
Early Chan in Tang China and Hongzhou School
– Chan began to take shape as a distinct school with the fourth patriarch Daoxin.
– The link between Huike, Sengcan, and Daoxin remains unclear.
– Daoxin and Hongren introduced a new style of teaching inspired by the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana.
– The East Mountain School associated with the sudden and direct approach to Chan practice.
– Meditation practice focused on the nature of mind and turned attention from objects to the perceiving subject.
– The East Mountain community was a specialized meditation training center.
– Hongren taught students of various religious interests.
– Shenxiu used short formulas from sutras to package the teachings.
– The establishment of a community in one location was a change from the wandering lives of Bodhidharma and Huike.
– The East Mountain Teaching aimed to make meditation accessible to a larger audience.
– Huineng is regarded as the sixth and last ancestral founder of Chan. Source URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chan_Buddhism
