The Death of Zen.

T. O. M's prelude.

After a question that I sort of stumbled into yesterday, that no one could answer, I think the answer has come to me..

It may be a controversial question, and my answer may be so too, however, it is a question that I am interested in, and that upto now, no one seems to be able to answer..

My question is this.

WHY IS IT, THAT ZEN DIED OUT IN CHINA, AFTER THE SONG DYNASTY ERA, WHERE IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY EXPORTED TO JAPAN, AND NOW IS TOTALLY UNRECOGNISABLE FROM ITS EARLIER FORM.

T. O. M. s Potted history of zen.

1. THE LEGENDARY ERA.

Bodhidarma arrives in China around 500 A. D. He stares at a wall, and takes pity on a dude who cannot find his own mind, and is so upset, that he chops off his own arm. This passage is attributed to Bodhidarma.

"To enter by principle means to realize the essence through instruction and to believe that all living things share the same true nature, which isn’t apparent because it’s shrouded by sensation and delusion. "

Huineng writes a poem that pisses off some dude, and the famous split occurs.. Here is a passage attributed to Huineng.

" Truth has nothing to do with words. Truth can be likened to the bright moon in the sky. Words, in this case, can be likened to a finger. The finger can point to the moon's location. However, the finger is not the moon. To look at the moon, it is necessary to gaze beyond the finger, right?"

1. THE CLASSICAL PERIOD. Around 750 A. D to 950 A.D

This period brought us figures such a Huang po, Mazu and Linji.

Here is a passage attributed to Huang Po.

" Not till your thoughts cease all their branching here and there, not till you abandon all thoughts of seeking for something, not till your mind is motionless as wood or stone, will you be on the right road to the Gate."

And here is one from Linji.

"Followers of the Way [of Chán], if you want to get the kind of understanding that accords with the Dharma, never be misled by others. ..."

1. THE SONG DYNASTY PERIOD. 950 A. D to 1300 A. D

This is the period that the blue cliff record was put together, and here we have masters like Dahui Zonggao and Hongzhi Zhengjue.

Dahui was opposed to the idea of meditation, and in turn, steered zen to what is now reffered to as koan study..

Dahui's final poem reads

" Birth is thus..

Death is thus..

Verse or no verse..

What’s the fuss?"

T. O. M's Answer.

My answer to the question is this,

If we look at the whole trajectory of zen, it went from one of direct pointing and direct looking at the mind nature, and introspection, via Bodhidarma and Huening, through its various incarnations, and ended up with Dahui's abstract koan study and literature like the blue cliff record, I know that this work is loved by a lot of zen students, but I do feel that this later stage contributed to the killing off of zen in China, for it had become unrecognisable from the direct approach of its predecessors..

Submitted April 26, 2021 at 11:15AM by transmission_of_mind https://ift.tt/3vbluwW