From "begging" to "farming", from "unorganized management" to "Zen rules", what happened to the introduction of Buddhism, a foreign religion, to China? Why is Zen Buddhism now considered to be the most thoroughly localized branch of Buddhism?
In October 2019, at the China-US-Canada Buddhist Forum, Venerable Ming Yu, President of the Buddhist Federation of America, attended the forum and presented his paper "Enlightenment in the World: The Spirit and Practice of Chinese Zen".
Text/Ming Yu Venerable
In the magnificent history of Chinese Buddhism, Zen Buddhism stands out and is recognized as the most complete localization of Buddhism, and it is also the branch that best fits the spiritual characteristics of the Chinese. This is not only reflected in the creativity and innovation of the ideology, but also in the innovation and innovation of the organizational system.
From "begging" to "farming"
In addition to the differences in ideology and practice, there is another thing that is very different from Indian Buddhism: the organization and conduct of the Sangha. According to the Indian tradition, Indian Buddhist practitioners meditate under many trees, eat once a day, do not catch money, and live by begging. Since India is tropical, with its abundance and variety of grains and fruits, it is not difficult for practitioners to spend the night under the tree, even if they do not beg for food, picking fruits and vegetables is enough to satisfy their stomachs.
China is an agrarian society, and the way of living without production and begging is not respected, and the Zen masters who are home from all over the world are easy to be regarded as homeless, so Matsu Daoyi established a jungle, and Baizhang Zen Master established Qing rules, paid equal attention to agriculture and Zen, cultivated and fed themselves, and formed a large Sangha organization.
From "unorganized management" to "Zen door rules"
During the Buddha's lifetime, the Sangha was egalitarian and democratic, had no position, and followed the Buddha's teachings as the code of conduct. After the Buddha established the precepts, the combination of teachings, dharma and discipline became the standard for the early monks. The precepts are all about the individual and rarely involve the organization and management of the Sangha. However, the Han Sangha, which reveres Mahayana Buddhism and lives in a collective, lacks an effective management mechanism and a lack of norms in its behavior, which has caused a lot of confusion and led to social ridicule of monks for avoiding laziness and maintaining peace.
Based on his understanding of the Mahayana Buddhism and the spirit of compassion, Baizhang Zen Master established the Zen Gate Qing Rules, which although contrary to the Bikshu precepts, adapted to China's political, economic and cultural culture. The etiquette rules in the Qing Dynasty mostly borrowed Confucian etiquette, which made Cheng Yi, a Confucian scholar in the Song Dynasty, exclaim when he visited the temple, "Three generations of ritual music, all in it!"
"Zen Buddhism" is thoroughly sinicized
Although other schools of Chinese Buddhism have been organized and innovated, they are not as thorough as Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism has completely established a set of sangha organizations and codes of conduct that are in line with traditional Chinese regulations, so it has a strong vitality that is incomparable to other sects. It is precisely because of the thorough sinicization of thought, practice and organizational system that Zen Buddhism has experienced many historical ups and downs, but it can still continue and radiate new vitality in different time and space causes.
Continuous innovation is the key factor in maintaining the vitality of Buddhism for thousands of years, and innovation is not imposed on others with "newness", nor is it groundless groundlessness, but while understanding the connotation of Buddhism and the Buddha's original intentions, we should exhaustively study the source of the mind and reflect it into the local reality. That is to say, "innovation" is the innovation of methods, the innovation of seeing, and the essence of "return".
In-depth observation of the historical trajectory and context of the development of Zen, we can see that Zen has inspired the consciousness potential of the human heart, responding to the deep-seated spiritual needs of the Chinese nation, in the exploration of paying attention to the problems of the times and the soul of the nation, the great monks of Zen Buddhism in the past dynasties have used their lives to practice and verify the Dharma, and opened up a variety of paths for the spiritual awakening of future generations.
In the second half of the 20th century, Zen masters of Han Buddhism actively explored ways and means to integrate into modern society, such as holding summer camps, holding meditation classes, and using the Internet, new media, and high technology to create new ways of propagating the Dharma in line with the modern lifestyle, so that Buddhism could reach the hearts of modern people.
Buddhism and Eastern and Western Civilizations
In North America, since the beginning of the last century, the elders have overcome obstacles and explored the path of integration with Western culture. Zen masters rely not only on methods, techniques, and language, but also on great willingness, their own virtues, and their active understanding and adaptation to Western culture.
In the 21st century, the development environment of Buddhism has undergone earth-shaking changes, and Buddhism is not only facing the exchange and interaction of the three major language families and the inheritance and development of traditional Buddhist culture, but also a new round of innovation of Buddhism when Eastern and Western civilizations meet and multiple religions and cultures meet.
It is the mission of our generation or even several generations to find the way to the truth in the complicated classical expositions, how to advocate the experience of the soul in the era dominated by science and technology, and how to integrate the ancient wisdom and truth of Buddhism into the mainstream culture of the West to form mutual learning and common prosperity among cultures.
In the era of globalization, in North America, where science and technology are developed, material is abundant, talents are gathered, and culture is diverse, how should Chinese Zen find a point of convergence with the times and regions, enlighten the hearts of more people, and let more sentient beings gain spiritual inspiration through our efforts, and even move towards the road to enlightenment, which is the responsibility of our generation, and it is also the original intention of our gathering.
The cause and effect are endless, and the Dharma is endless. Let us uphold the pioneering spirit of the great master of the patriarch, under the new time and space karma, in the new cultural background, integrate more strength, create a new situation of Buddhism, and let the lamp of enlightenment shine on the soil under our feet.
Image source丨Ten Wishes