Yuanwu discusses the difference between Zen and Taoism

The topic of Zen vs Taoism comes up here fairly frequently, so I thought this passage might be of interest to some. It's in Case 40 of the Blue Cliff Record, so here is the case and the excerpt of Yuanwu's commentary relevant to distinguishing early Chinese Buddhism (Kumarajiva and Chao), Zen (Nan Ch'uan and Fa Yen) and Taoism (Chuang Tzu and Lao Tzu):

The Case

As the officer Lu Hsuan was talking with Nan Ch'uan, he said, "Master of the Teachings Chao said, 'Heaven, earth, and I have the same root; myriad things and I are one body.' This is quite marvelous .''

Nan Ch'uan pointed to a flower in the garden. He called to the officer and said, "People these days see this flower as a dream."

Yuanwu's Comments

Master of the Teachings Seng Chao was an eminent monk of Chin times (latter 4th-early 5th centuries A.D.); he was together with Tao Sheng, Tao Jung, and Seng Jui in the school of Kumarajiva. They were called the Four Sages.

When (Seng Chao) was young, he enjoyed reading Chuang Tzu and Lao Tzu. Later, as he was copying the old translation of the Vimalakirti Scripture, he had an enlightenment. Then he knew that Chuang and Lao still were not really thoroughgoing. Therefore he compiled all the scriptures and composed four discourses.

What Chuang and Lao intended to say was that "heaven and earth are greatness of form; my form is also thus; we are alike born in the midst of empty nothingness." Chuang and Lao's overall meaning just discusses equalizing things; Seng Chao's overall meaning says that nature all returns to self. Have you not seen how his discourse says, "The ultimate man is empty and hollow, without form; yet none of the myriad things are not his own doing. Who can understand that myriad things are his own self? Only a sage, I wot."

Although there are spirits and there are humans, there are the wise and the sage, each is distinct, but all alike have one nature and one substance.

An Ancient said, "Heaven and earth, the whole world, is just one self; when cold, it is cold throughout heaven and earth; when hot, it is hot throughout heaven and earth. When it exists, all throughout heaven and earth exists; when it doesn't exist, heaven and earth do not exist. When affirmed, all throughout heaven and earth is; when denied, all throughout heaven and earth is not."

Fa Yen said,

He he he I I I

South north east west, everything is all right.

All right or not all right,

Only for me there is nothing not all right.

That is why it was said, "In the heavens and on earth, only I alone am honorable."

Submitted July 13, 2020 at 05:14AM by jungle_toad https://ift.tt/300q2Is