Youru's Buddha-Nature-in-Zen, 3 of ??: Buddha nature v/s Self nature in Huineng

More from Youru's exceptional essay on Buddha nature.

However, upon closer inspection, Huineng's use of "self nature" is actually unique, for it tends to emphasize more plainly the possibility of existential awakening within the living body and mind of every sentient being. It underlines the point that every human being can actualize this possibility or fulfill this goal through the practice of non-attachment in all everyday circumstances. As we have indicated, it does not stress the need to establish a Buddha nature or true mind dearly distinguishable from the living mind of every sentient being, namely, the mind in samsara. Attaining Buddhahood is but the existential transformation of the same mind of the human being in everyday life. This point is made much clearer than in the DacbengQixin Lan. The meaning of this term, therefore, is soteriological, functional, and non-substantialist.

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Huineng's point is clearly non-substantialist, since "self nature" here does not mean something existent in and by itself, or self-identity. No such meaning is involved in the use of this term at all. ... Secondly, it is used in the Post-M~dhyamika sense as the Yogacara school and some tathagatagarbha texts would maintain, namely, that emptiness, or being devoid of self existence, is the nature of all things. This understanding of the empty nature of all things, in its best form, is maintained as something like the condition of the possibilities of all things. It is not an origin or essence of all things, but nonetheless involves everything. ...when Huineng stated that emptiness is human nature or human nature is empty, he did not stop with this second usage, but gave the term new meaning. His use of the term involves the meanings of relationality, the existential changeability of personhood, and the accomplishment of action.

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To make this point clearer, I must clarify the linguistic-cultural background of Huineng's use of the term Mng ~ (nature) or renxing (human nature) in relation to the term zixing. Scholars have commonly accepted that the Confucian, especially Mencian, emphasis on the innate goodness of human nature had great impact on the Chinese Buddhist acceptance of tathagatagarbha thought. However, scholars also have recently revealed that the notion of human nature in Chinese philosophy is different from the Western notion of human nature as a changeless essence contained in all individual human beings.

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ewk note: This essay raises lots of interesting points and arguments. This section on the usage of self nature instead of buddha nature in the text might have been taken as a translation choice if not for this essay.

Here's the bit that builds on Huangbo's most frequent (anti-Buddhist) role in /r/Zen:

Attaining Buddhahood is but the existential transformation of the same mind of the human being in everyday life.

Take it away, Huangbo.

Submitted September 01, 2019 at 04:26PM by ewk https://ift.tt/2ZtKKTP