Thao - Duong Zen
School:
The Zen-Pure Land Union and Modern
Vietnamese Buddhism
Ven. Thich Thien
An
---o0o---
(Note: The Vietnamese names in this essay
are written with the VIQR-VietNet convention)
Before considering the Zen-Pure Land union
as introduced to Vietnam through the Tha?o - Ddu+o+`ng school, let us survey the
Vietnamese Buddhist scene from the Ddinh (969-981) to Tra^`n (1225-1400) dynasties when
Buddhism developed from a national religion to a nationalist religion before merging with
aspects of Taoist and Confucian beliefs characteristic of the unification of the three
religions following the decline of Buddhist influence in the Late Trän dynasty. The
beginning of Buddhism as the national religion of the Vietnamese can be placed as early as
the Ddinh-Bo^.-Li~nh established a Vietnamese Sangha and initiated the practice of
appointing eminent monks to serve as royal advisors on political, religious, and domestic
matters. The Early Le^ dynasty (981-1009) continued this policy in addition to providing
Vietnam's Buddhist heritage with a firm basis for development by obtaining from China the
complete Chinese Tripitaka, the collection of Buddhist sacred texts. During this period of
growth and assimilation, Buddhism adjusted itself to local practices, absorbing diverse
areas of belief in the comprehensive goal of enlightenment for all sentient beings. The
teachings of the Buddha flourished in the land, and, with the coming of the Ly' dynasty
(1010-1225), the Vo^-Ngo^n-Tho^ng sect was particularly prosperous; the first two kings,
Ly'-Tha'i-To^? (ruled 1010-1028), a former disciple of Ty`-Ni-Dda-Lu+u-Chi master Ven.
Va.n-Ha.nh, and Ly'-Tha'i-To^n (ruled 1028-1045), a student of Ven. Thie^`n-La~o, a famous
master of the Vo^-Ngo^n-Tho^ng Zen sect, continued the practice begun by Ddinh-Bo^.-Li~nh
of appointing learned monks to advisory positions in the government, thus providing a
basis for the merging of religious and national interests characteristic of the Early
Tra^`n dynasty.
The first real propagation of a Buddhist
sect occurred under the third king of Ly', Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n (ruled 1054-1072),
Dharma-successor to Ven. Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng. As first patriarch of the Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng sect,
Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n was instrumental in establishing the teachings of his master in Vietnam
and in providing a suitable ecology for the growth of Tha?o- Ddu+o+`ng Zen. The four
successive monarchs of the Ly' were likewise earnest Buddhist patrons; among them
Ly'-Anh-To^n (ruled 1138-1175) and Ly'-Cao-To^n (ruled 1176-1210) received the
seal-of-mind (V. Ta^m-a^'n, J. Shin-in) in the Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng tradition. With emphasis on
the merging of loving-kindness (S. karuna) and insight (S. prajna), the Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng
sect provided the background material from which the first monarch of the Tra^`n dynasty,
Tra^`n-Tha'i-To^n, constructed his all-encompassing philosophy of humanism, which was to
weave an important pattern in the Zen of the Tru'c-La^m sect founded by Tra^`n-Nha^n-To^n
in the thirteenth century.
The interval separating King
Ly'-Cao-To^n's abdication to accept the seal-of-mind within the patriarchial tradition of
the Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng school from King Tra^`n-Nha^n-To^n's resignation to become a monk and
founder of the Tru'c-La^m school was marked by three significant events acting as a
catalyst phasing the religion of the Ly' dynasty into the national religion, the
comingling of nationalism and religion of the Tra^`n dynasty. These events--the Mongol
invasions of 1257, 1285 and 1287--led to a reassessment of national character, inner
conviction, and ethnic aim culminating in the founding of the Tru'c-La^m Zen sect. Thus we
may say of the Tra^`n dynasty, in contradistinction to the Ly' dynasty, that Buddhism
adapted itself to the nationalist tendencies of the Vietnamese which were then finding
their full expression under the stimulus to reevaluation provided by the Mongolian threat
of foreign domination; during the Ly' dynasty, however, with which we are concerned in
this chapter, Buddhism captivated the Vietnamese to such extent as to make the teaching of
Sakyamuni the one belief of the entire country. The Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng school, with its
practical methods suitable for all to follow in everyday life, opened the way by which
Buddhism penetrated the heart of the nation and over the years transformed and directed
the energies of the Vietnamese towards the Pure Land.
Speaking of the circumstances leading to
the introduction of Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng Zen during King Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n's reign (1054-1072),
Mai-Tho.-Truye^`n writes in his 'Buddhism in Vietnam' (p.42): "In 1069, to be
precise, a significant event occurred. At that time the country was at war with the
kingdom of Champa, a turbulent neighbor, whose frequent incursions into Vietnamese
territory caused great alarm. The Emperor returned from an expedition against Champa with
a number of prisoners of war," among them the Chinese monk Tha?-Ddu+o+`ng (C.
Ts'ao-tang), who had been temporarily in Champa teaching the unified Zen-Pure Land
practice with fellow Chinese Buddhists. On Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n's return to the palace he
assigned Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng to assist Vietnam's Royal Head Monk (V. Ta(ng-lu.c); one day when
this nmonk was out on a visit, according to historical sources, Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng took his
Ngu+~-Lu.c, a record of the teachings of great Buddhist bonzes, and made corrections in
the text. After Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n heard of this he sent for the prisoner to test his
understanding of Buddhism. Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng explained the teachings of numerous Buddhist
tests and answered questions with penetrating insight, thoroughly convincing the king of
his extraordinary abilities. Then, learning of Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng's background of study with
the Chinese master Tuye^'t-Dda^.u Minh-Gia'c (C. Hsueh-t'ou Ming-chueh, 980-1052) and of
his teaching activities in Champa at the time of his capture, King Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n
admitted him to the Vietnamese Sangha with the title Quo^'c-Su+ (C. Kuo-shih, J. Kokushi),
or National Teacher, and placed him in charge of teaching Zen practice and Buddhist
philosophy in the royal palace; thereafter Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng stayed at Khai-Quo^'c temple in
the capital city of Tha(ng-Long (now Hanoi). With Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n as his earnest
supporter, the master's fame spread quickly to the surrounding countryside; hearing of his
residence at Khai-Quo^'c, Dharma-seekers journeyed from both China and Vietnam to benefit
from his teachings.
Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng, one of seventeen
Dharma-successors to Tuye^'t-Dda^.u Minh-Gia'c, advocated the unified practice of Zen and
Pure Land methods for attaining enlightenment. The combined teachings, known as the
doctrine of Ch'an-ching I-chih (Thie^`n Ti.nh Nha^'t Tri'), were accepted and widely
cultivated during the development of Sung (To^'ng)dynasty syncretism, a movement grounded
in the late T'ang (Ddu+o+`ng) dynasty when leaders of different Buddhist schools found it
profitable to join together with their fellow Buddhists in soliciting the favor of the
imperial court. Emphasis shifted to the harmonious elements under-lying all Buddhist
teachings, and, through the interchange of doctrine and practice, the traditional
boundaries once separating various sects merged with one another as Chinese Buddhism found
a new mode of expression in the philosophy of syncretism. The union of Zen meditation and
Pure Land avocation, a lasting result of Sung syncretism, may, at first glance, as
Heinrich Dumoulin writes in 'A History of Zen Buddhism' (p.125), "seem especially
surprising in view of the basic difference in structure between the two movements. But
here too the embedding of Zen in Buddhist piety--a piety shich Zen may surpass in mystical
enlightenment but can never fully deny--becomes evident. Moreover, there is a remarkable
psychological similarity between the rhythmic repetition of the Buddha name in the
so-called nien-fo (Jap. Nembutsu) and the intensive practice of the koan."
The similar goal of meditation and of
Buddha's-name-recitation, or mantra as devotional invocation designed to produce a certain
state of mind, and their connection in the history of Buddhist propagation in China, goes
back to the early days of the introduction of the Dharma. As Buddhism developed in China,
by the time of the sixth patriarch Hui-ne^ng (J. Eno, 638-713), looking into one's own
nature to perceive the Buddha was tantamount to perfecting the mind to reach the Pure
Land. Due to the growth in popularity of Pure Land teachings, questioners seeking to
understand the nature of faith in Amitabha and the essence of his Western Heaven
frequently approached the patriarch solicting his opinion. His remarks, as recorded in the
Altar Sutra (trans. Lu K'uan Yu, pp. 40-41), present an outlook supported by most
enlightened monks within the Ch'an tradition. According to Hui-ne^ng:
"The deluded man repeats the
Buddhas's name to seek rebirth in the (Western) Paradise but the enlightened man purifies
his own mind (instead). This is why the Buddha said that purification of mind is
simultaneous with purification of the Buddha land. The ignorant man who does not know
clearly about his own nature and ignores the Pure Land which is within himself, looks to
the east and the west. For the enlightened man, the position in which he may find himself
makes no difference. This is why the Buddha said that happiness existed anywhere one might
happen to be. If your mind is entirely right, the West(ern) Paradise is near at hand. If
your mind is wrong, it will be very difficult to reach it by (merely) repeating the
Buddha's name....If thought after thought and without interruption you perceive your own
nature, and if you are constantly impartial and straightforward, you will arrive there in
a snap of the fingers and will behold Amitabha Buddha. If you practice the ten good
virtues, there will be no need for you to be reborn there. If you do not get rid of the
ten evils, which Buddha will come and receive you? If you are awakened to the
instantaneous doctrine of the uncreate, you will perceive the Western Paradise in an
instant (ksana). If you are not awakened to it and if you (only) repeat the Buddha's name
to be reborn there, the distance being so great how can you go there?"
Hui-ne^ng's teachings provided a basis for
the subsequent union of Zen and Pure Land traditions--a union producing a cooperant
methodology drawn from the source of knowledge and inspiration cultivated by each school.
One of Hui-ne^ng's chief disciples, Nan-yueh Huai-jang (Nam Nha.c Hoa`i Nhu+o+.ng, J.
Nangaku Ejo, d.744), did in fact suggest the recitation of Buddha's name to augment Zen
meditation. The important compiler of the basic rules for monastic living, Pai-chang
Huai-hai (Ba' Tru+o+.ng Hoa`i Ha?i, J. Hyakujo Ekai, 720-814), a student of Ma-tsu Tao-i
(Ma~ To^? Dda.o Nha^'t, J. Baso Doitsu, D. 788), the famed disciple of Nan-yueh Huai-jang,
included in his twenty monastic principles the method of Buddha's-name-recitation.
Contemporaneous with Pai-chang, a school of practice developed by Hsuan-shih in Szechwan,
claiming descendance from the fifth patriarch Hung-je^n (J. Gunin, 601-675), advocated
meditation on the recitation of Buddha's name. So we see that between Zen and Pure Land
Buddhism, as Heinrich Dumoulin writes in 'The Development of Chinese Zen' (pp. 36-37),
"connecting links had existed for a long time. The Nembutsu, the devout invocation of
Amida Buddha's name, was practiced by many important adherents of Zen, as for instance
Hoji, the Fourth Patriarch of the branch line of Gozu Zen, by Eno's disciple Nangaku Ejo,
and others....Yomyo Enju of the Hogen Sect, one of the greatest syncretists of Chinese
Buddhism, declared himself emphatically in favor of combining the Nembutsu and Zen (zenjo
icchi). While one who limited himself to Zen practice alone reached the goal only with
difficulty, he who combined Zen with the Nembutsu was certain to attain
enlightenment."
This basic attitude stressing the ease and
sureness with which enlightenment may be won by the practice of both meditation and
Buddha's-name-recitation comes through clearly in the teachings of Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng as
presented to his disciples in his famous 'Warning Statement', a summary of his essential
views containing the most central doctrines of Zen-Pure Land union. In the poem below
introducing his Warning Statement, Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng emphasizes giving rise to a
psychological disposition of mind such that the teachings of Buddhism may bring about
their effect. Thus in order to enter the unchanging realm of nirvana, we prepare for this
attainment by realizing the world of samsara as though-construction, knowing the body as
the production of our mind working through karmic causes, and experiencing the ceaseless
change and unsatisfactoriness of life conditioned by birth and death. Unless consciousness
be set free from these bindings, the force of illusion continues to control the content of
our mind and shape the aspects of our being. Knowing the power of the samsaric current
holding us within its confines, keeping us from purifying our mind of illusion-creating
thought-construction veiling the nature of reality, Buddha in his compassion comes to
teach the doctrine of liberation from suffering and the means whereby this may be
attained.
--Warning Statement--
Regard the world has an air-flower,
Unreal.
See the body as though a vision,
Without basis.
All things change and are not dependable.
Unless you seek the path of purification
You live in illusion for many lives.
Knowing this, Buddha came to the world in
compassion,
Using the Way to teach us how to vanquish
suffering,
How to cut off desire, release birth and
death,
And enter nirvana's unchanging abode.
Before continuing with Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng's
'Warning Statement', we may note briefly that his understanding of Buddha's appearance in
the world is upheld by most followers of the Mahayana, and as detailed in the Lotus Sutra
(S. Saddharmapundarika Sutra), its applicability extends to influence a large area of
basic Mahayana belief. Essentially the Lotus Sutra regards Buddha's appearance in this
sahaloka, our world of birth and death, as the natural outcome of compassion working
through wisdom resulting in fitness of action, or skillful means (phu+o+ng tie^.n, S.
upaya, C. fang-pien, J. hoben), the inherent way of all Tathagatas who neither come nor go
but abide in thusness (S. tathatva). As stated in the Lotus Sutra (pp. 76-77): "He,
the Tathagata... who has reached the highest perfection in the knowledge of skillful
means, who is most merciful, long-suffering, benevolent, compassionate... appears in this
triple world... in order to deliver from affection, hatred, and delusion the beings
subject to birth, old age, disease, death...."
Thus with the appearance of a Buddha,
practice of the Dharma becomes possible. Acknowledging the variety of available methods,
Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng condenses them as follows:
"Though you may practice Buddhism in
many ways, in summary there are three main methods: meditation, contemplation, and
Buddha's-name-recitation. The method of meditation has no definite way to follow and is
therefore a difficult practice. If you do not have an enlightened master or a capable
mind, you may stop midway in your progress or remain mistaken for your entire life.
Contemplation is a very subtle method; without a good teacher or prajna wisdom, complete
enlightenment is hard to attain. Buddha's-name-recitation [V. Nie^.m-Pha^.t] is a quick
and easy method. In all the ages past both intelligent and dull, both men adn women have
been able to practice Nie^.m-Pha^.t. Nobody makes a mistake with this method because of
the applicability of the four types of outlook [V. Tu+' Lie^.u-gia?n]. Putting worries
aside, you may therefore proceed with a decisive heart."
According to Pure Land tradition as
formulated by the Chinese patriarch T'an- luan (J. Donran, 476-542), Nagarjuna first
distinguished between difficult and easy practice in his Dasabhumivibhasa Sastra (Tha^.p
tru. Ti` Ba` Sa Lua^.n, C. Shih-chu P'i-p'o-sha Lun, J. Fujubibasharon), section five
"On Easy Practice," in which he writes that a practitioner wishing to quickly
reach the stage of no-turning-back should keep the Buddha's name ever before his mind. In
Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng's threefold classification, meditation and contemplation, the ways of the
Holy Path schools in contradistinction to the Pure Land path, come under the heading of
difficult practices, while the Nie^.m-Pha^.t, or way of recitation, is considered the easy
way to Buddhahood.
Before discussing Tu+' Lie^.u-gia?n, the
four types of outlook formulated by the founder of the Lin-chi (J. Rinzai) sect in China,
and their relation to Buddha's-name-recitation (V. Nie^.m-Pha^.t), we may note here that
as regards the practice of Buddhism, Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng's philosophy is one of Ddo^`ng-quy
nhi thu`-ddo^`, a Vietnamese expression meaning "one purpose through different
methods" or "same destination but different directions." Thu`-ddo^` refers
to the Buddhist practices of meditation, contemplation, and Nie^.m-Pha^.t. Ddo^`ng-quy is
to go in one direction with one aim and for one purpose--that is, to keep the mind at all
times on its goal, inner-realization of the Pure Land. According to Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng's
philosophy, meditation, contemplation, and Nie^.m-Pha^.t are all ways within the one
practice of Buddhism for stripping mind of attachment to desire, thus eliminating
self-clinging which obscures the Dharma-eye, preventing attainment of nirvana and arrival
at the other shore, the Pure Land. For achieving this aim Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng clearly
indicates that Buddha's-name-recitation (V. Nie^.m-Pha^.t) supplemented with the four
types of outlook (V. Tu+' Lie^.u-gia?n) is both an easy and an efficacious practice.
As we turn to the topic of Tu+'
Lie^.u-gia?n (C. ssu-liao-chien, J. shi ryoken), we begin to see the results of combined
Zen-Pure Land methods; that is, the operation of Lin-chi (J. Rinzai) techniques in the
form of the four types of outlook within a practice traditionally ascribed to the Pure
Land school, the Nie^.m-Pha^.t (C. Nien-fo, J. Nembutsu), or recitation of the name of
Buddha Amitabha, a form of mantra practice leading to singlehearted concentration through
which the other-ower finds a channel of expression. Within the workings of Nie^.m-Pha^.t
the four distinctions are self-acting or self-perpetuating in the sense that an outside
agent, such as a Zen master, does not apply them. They arise of their own through the
"power of the other," which may actually result from concentrated belief and
complete faith in the efficacy of the practice. The four distinctions, listed below are as
formulated by Lin-chi, are central to his methodology of self-realization:
eliminating subject, leaving object
eliminating object, leaving subject
eliminating both, leaving neither
eliminating neither, leaving both
Regarding the applicability of the four
distinctions from a more general viewpoint, "eliminate" can be looked upon as a
form of emptying; the four distinctions themselves can then quite readily be seen as
relating to the first four types of emptiness, or negation, comprising the twenty,
sometimes eighteen, styles of emptiness outlined in the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra
(S. Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, C. Ta-pan-jo Po-lo-mi-to Ching, J. Daihannyaharamittakyo):
emptiness of subject, emptiness of object, emptiness of both subject and object, and
emptiness of emptiness. In Zen methodology, depending on the astuteness of the master, the
particular level or experience of attainment of the student, and the aptness of
circumstance, one sometimes empties the subject of itself, sometimes the object. Sometimes
one empties both subject and object, sometimes neither, thereby leaving emptiness void of
that emptiness. The third patriarch of Zen Se^ng-ts'an (J. Sosan), writing on this subject
in his "On Having No Doubt in Mind" (Ti'n Ta^m Minh, trans. Suzuki, Manual, p.
78), declares:
"The two exist because of the One,
But hold not even to this One;
When a mind is not disturbed,
The ten thousand things offer no offense.
No offense offered, and no ten thousand
things;
No disturbance going, and no mind set up
to work:
The subject is quieted when the object
ceases,
The object ceases when the subject is
quieted.
The object is an object for the subject,
The subject is a subject for the object:
Know that the relativity of the two
Rests ultimately on one Emptiness."
Within this one emptiness, according to
Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng,
"Nie^.m-Pha^.t is to keep your mind
on the six syllables Nam-mo^ A-Di-Dda` Pha^.t and not let it move and jump freely about.
While practicing Nie^.m-Pha^.t the eyes look at the image of Buddha, the mouth recites the
Buddha's name, and the ears hear the chanting sounds. When you feel heavy and frustrated,
try harder and keep on without losing a single second. A quiet mind naturally
returns."
With these instructions on
Buddha's-name-recitation, Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng introduces Pure Land meditation as cultivated in
China where it drew increasingly for doctrinal support from the teachings of the
Dharma-ending-age, when, because of accumulated evil karma, men would be able to attain
enlightenment only through reliance on Amitabha Buddha's compassionate vow to save all
suffering beings. Holmes Welch remarks of this attitude in The Practice of Chinese
Buddhism (pp. 89-90):
"Since we are living in the age of
the decay of the dharma, it is difficult... to reach nirvana here through our own efforts.
Therefore most Buddhists in China prefer to get the help of Amitabha by reciting his name
(nien-fo). That is, they repeat the words 'homage to the buddha Amitabha' (na-mo
O-mi-t'o-fo) in the belief that if they do so wholeheartedly they will be reborn in the
Western Paradise. 'Wholeheartedly' means making their minds 'whole and still' (i-hsin
pu-luan, nha^'t ta^m ba^'t loa.n), so that nothing is there but Amitabha. He is in their
mouths (as they recite his name), in their ears (as they listen to the recitation), and in
their minds (as they visualize him). This is called 'perfect concentration in reciting
buddha's name' (nien-fo san-mei, nie^.m Pha^.t tam muo^.i). It corresponds to a degree of
enlightenment achieved in the meditation hall."
In Zen-Pure Land practice in Vietnam, as
in China, both hua-t'ou (thoa.i dda^`u, J. wato), which are similar in function to the
koan exercise, and Nie^.m-Pha^.t may be pursued. Describing the actual Chinese practice,
identical in many aspects with Vietnamese ways, Holmes Welch notes, again from his
'Practice of Chinese Buddhism' (pp. 398-399):
"Many monastries carried on the joint
practice of Ch'an and Pure Land (ch'an-ching shuang-hsin, thie^`n ti.nh song ha`nh). This
usually meant that they had both a meditation hall and a hall for reciting the buddha's
name. But there was also a special form of joint practice in one hall.... There seem to
have been eight periods of work a day... and each period was divided into circumambulation
and sitting. While the inmates circumambulated, they recited Buddha's name aloud. While
they sat, they either worked on a Ch'an hua-t'ou or employed 'buddha's name meditation'
(nien-fo kuan, nie^.m Pha^.t qua'n). The latter included different techniques for people
at different stages of proficiency. Beginners used the technique termed 'reciting buddha's
name while meditating on the buddha image' (kuan-hsiang nien-fo). That is, they would fix
their eyes on the image in the hall. Those further advanced would attempt to visualize the
form of Amitabha with their mind's eye. This was termed 'reciting buddha's name while
meditating on the mental image of the buddha' (kuan-hsièng nien-fo). Those furthest
advanced strove to avoid having any buddha to visualize or any ego to do the visualizing.
This was termed 'reciting buddha's name while meditating on the quintessence of the
buddha' (shih-hsiang nien-fo). Explanations were given of both Ch'an and Pure Land
methods.
Abiding of mind in the Pure Land results
from continued practice of these three gradations of method. According to Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng:
"If you continue to practice
Nie^.m-Pha^.t, your mind will stay in the Pure Land; your heart will join with Amitabha
Buddha. Without walking a step the Pure Land appears in front of you; without waiting for
a future life the blessings of the Western Heaven are yours. Why do you tarry in this
short, impermanent life of birth, old age, sickness, and death, rather than reaching for
an unlimited life of permanency, joyfulness, substantiality, and purity? Is this not
happier?"
In this section of his 'Warning Statement'
Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng presents the form which Pure Land doctrine assumed under practical
interpretation of the Chinese mind. Originally based on the Larger Sukhavativyuha Sutra
and related at least in aim with the cult of Maitreya, Pure Land tradition as developed in
China evolved from the idea of a Pure Land in the West where one seeks entrance by various
practices as noted in the Larger Sukhavativyuha Sutra (C. Ta-wu Liang-shou Ching, J.
Daimuyrojukyo), the Smaller Sukhavativyuha Sutra (C. O-mi-t'o Ching, J. Amidakyo), and the
Amitayurdhyana Sutra (C. Kuan-wu Liang-shou Ching, J. Kammuryojukyo), to the
identification of the Chinese character for "land" or "realm" with the
meaning of "mind"; hence in the process of Zen-Pure Land union, the Pure Land
came to mean the realm of Pure Mind. Speaking of this transformation of Pure Land
doctrine, Hajime Nakamura notes in 'Ways of Thinking of Eastern Peoples' (pp. 253-254)
that the authority of the Vimalakirtinirdesa Sutra which teaches "the pure mind is
identical with the Pure Land" provided support for the growth of "a mind-only
doctrine" resulting in the dictum that "the Pure Land of the pure mind exists in
all parts of the world." As a development of Sung dynasty syncretism, "the
Chinese Buddhists exclusively followed this pure-mind view, and after the Ming dynasty, no
contradiction was felt in practicing simultaneously sitting and the Pure Land
practice."
The Chinese, with their emphasis on the
practical value of belief, its demonstrable validity in the everyday world, gradually
shifted the distant or non-too-distant Pure Land of the Sukhavativyuha Sutra to the
immediate presence-of-mind, a shift creating a rich field of cultivation for Chinese
Buddhists by providing a basis from which the practices of both common man and monk could
grow. Thus when pressed for an explanation of the combination of seemingly contradictory
methodologies in the Zen-Pure Land union, "many enlightened Chinese Buddhists,"
as Reginald Johnston writes in his 'Buddhist China' (p.93), "will declare that the
Ch'an and Ching-t'u teachings are not really inconsistent with one another, but that the
Ch'an doctrines are to the educated Buddhist what the Amidist doctrines are to the
ignorant." Shifting the Pure Land from the beyond to the here-and-now, the beyond
within, resulted in recognition of the potentially of all beings to attain an enlightened
state of mind in this very life. The Chinese, like the Vietnamese, were not overly
interested in preparing for something in the distant future might or might not come about.
With a practical bent of mind already steeped in the this-wordly traditions of
Confucianism, they sought the substantiation of belief through its efficacy in daily life.
In closing his 'Warning Statement' with
the gatha below, Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng emphasizes awakening to the original mind of Ch'an, one's
own true abode, which is none other than the Pure Realm, the real native land.
"Three worlds like the burning house,
Eight merit-giving-waters refresh and
purify;
To leave this suffering world,
Direct your mind toward Pure Land.
Six syllables Nam-mo^ A-Di-Dda`-Pha^.t
form the links
Returning mind's natural, unmoving
condition;
Amitabha Buddha dwells not in seclusion;
The wise man wakes to this realization.
84,000 wonderous Buddha-shapes
Derive no form outside of mind;
Don't hesitate or wait!
The Pure Land's truly your native
land."
Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng's verse contains
principles and teachings recognized by almost all Buddhist sects, and here we might do
well to dwell momentarily on the background tradition from which he draws his gatha. The
three worlds or realms (tam gio+'i, S. traidhatuka or trailokya) with which he opens his
gatha refer in Buddhism's cosmology of mind to the world of sensuous desire (du.c gio+'i,
S. kamadhatu) including the six heavens of desire, the human world, and the hells where
existence is characterized by desires deriving from six and appetite; the world of form
(sa('c gio+'i, S. rupadhatu) inclusive of the four dhyana heavens and located above
kamadhatu; and the formless world (vo^ sa('c gio+'i, S. arupadhatu) of pure spirit
comprising the four attainments beyond form (S. arupyasamapatti). All such realms are
generally considered indications of various states of consciousness; according to the
Lankavatara Sutra (pp. 145,75), for example, "The triple world is no more than
thought- construction (prajnapti), there is no reality in its self-nature." And,
"The being and nonbeing of things subject to causation has no reality; the triple
world owes its existence to the Mind put into confusion by reason of habit-energy."
Thus in the authoritative text of early
Zen Buddhism the triple world appears as none other than mind disturbed by the permeating
and dwelling nature of vasana, or "habit-energy" (C. hsi-chi) according to
Chinese translation; as put concisely in the Avatamsaka Sutra (C. Hua-yen Ching, J.
Kegonkyo): "The three worlds are only Mind." (S. Svacittamatram traidhatukam).
That mind is the foundation of both samsara and nirvana, and that samsara is but the
obscured function of mind confused by habit-energy (S. vasana) and solidified by wrong
views (S. vikalpa, C. fe^n-pieh, J. fumbetsu), while nirvana is mind's original nature
undisturbed by the structural elements of samsara, the nature of which is like a house
eternally devoured by flames, is a basic outlook of Mahayana Buddhists symbolized in part
through the parable of the burning house contained in the Lotus Sutra. Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng's
gatha contrasts the burning house of samsara with nirvana's Pure Land where eight waters
of good qualities extinguish the flames of the passions. To pass beyond the misery of the
triple world Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng teaches in accordance with the Larger Sukhavativyuha Sutra,
and as provided for in the sixteen meditations comprising the Amitayurdhyana Sutra, to
form a firm thought of the Pure Land in order to lead mind to its realization.
The desire to see the Pure Land, made
possible by the grace or power of Buddha's vows (S. pranidhana, adhis-thana), but
initiated in action by the stirring of self-nature in search of its own fulfillment, is
one of the deepest perceptions of human consciousness, and one in which the other-power of
Buddha's compassion to save us and the self-power of our own determination to attain
enlightenment merge in the One Mind of neither self nor other, the fourth outlook of
Lin-chi's distinctions (V. Tu+' Lie^.u-gia?n). As presented in the Amitayurdhyana Sutra
(p.169), by the power of Buddha and his vows we may see the Pure Land, but only if we
direct our mind to that realm and make it "our only aim, with concentrated thought,
to get a perception of the western quarter." And so in Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng's gatha he
points out "to leave samsara behind, send your thought to Pure Land."
The concentration of mind necessary to
achieve this aim in Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng's school is accomplished through the efficacy of
mantra meditation, or concentration on the name of Amitabha Buddha, which, as taught in
the Amitayurdhyana Sutra, is the way to sever the bonds of samsara and, as Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng
says, "return mind to its original, unmoving condition." In the Smaller
Sukhavativyuha Sutra (p.99), meditation on the name of Amitabha is held up as the way even
to the exclusion of the performance of good deeds. No stock of merit amassed in this life
leads to birth in the Pure Land, in contradistinction to the teaching of the Larger
Sukhavativyuha Sutra (p.15), but rather,
"whatever son or daughter of a family
shall hear the name of the blessed Amitayus, the Tathagata, and having heard it, shall
keep it in mind...then that Amitayus, the Tathagata, surrounded by an assembly of
disciples and followed by a host of Bodhisattvas, will stand before them at the hour of
death, and they will depart this life with tranquil minds. After their death they will be
born in the world Sukhavati, in the Buddha country of the same Amitayus, the
Tathagata."
That Amitabha Buddha does not dwell in
seclusion as Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng teaches in his gatha is indicated in the Amitayurdhyana Sutra
which provides for this realization through various visualization exercises leading to the
clear perception that 84,000 shapes of Buddha have no substance outside of mind; the three
Pure Land practices of visualizing the form of Amitabha Buddha while meditating on the
essence of the name likewise lead to an undeniable experience of the emptiness of all form
as perceived by mind--that is, its emptiness apart from the content or substrate of mind.
As stated in the Amitayurdhyana Sutra (pp.177-178):
"When you have perceived this, you
should next perceive Buddha himself. Do you ask how? Every Buddha Tathagata is one whose
(spiritual) body is the principle of nature (Dharma-dhatu-kaya), so that he may enter into
the mind of any beings. Consequently, when you have perceived Buddha, it is indeed that
mind of yours that possesses those thirty-two signs of perfection and eighty minor marks
of excellence (which you see in Buddha). In fine, it is your mind that becomes Buddha,
nay, it is your mind that is indeed Buddha. The ocean of true and universal knowledge of
all the Buddhas derives its source from one's own mind and thought. Therefore you should
apply your thought with an undivided attention to a careful meditation on that Buddha
Tathagata, Arhat, the Holy and Fully Enlightened One."
And, as put concisely in Lu K'uan Yu's
translation of this same sutra (p.93): "When the mind is set on thinking of (that)
Buddha, it is identical...because Mind realizes Buddhahood; Mind is Buddha...."
"Therefore," says Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng, "what are you waiting for? This Pure
Land--you've been there before."
We find in Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng's 'Warning
Statement' a unification of the practices of the Zen and Pure Land schools of Buddhism and
a fusing of the concepts of self-power and other-power which, up to the time of the Sung
dynasty, had served to distinguish meditation as the way of self-power and
Buddha's-name-recitation as the way of other-power, an outlook preserved today in Japanese
Buddhism in contrast to Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhism. Approaching the subject of
self-power and other-power in terms of prajna and karuna, the foundations supporting
Mahayana Buddhist practices, D.T. Suzuki writes in 'The Essence of Buddhism' (pp.46,76):
"There are two pillars supporting the
great edifice of Buddhism: the Daichi (tai-chi), Mahaprajna, the Great Wisdom, and the
Daihi (tai-pei), Mahakaruna, the Great Compassion. The wisdom flows from the Compassion
and the Compassion from the Wisdom, for the two are in fact one, though from the human
point of view we have to speak of them as two....In Japanese Buddhism, Zen represents the
Prajna phase of the Mahayana, and the Pure Land school claims the Karuna."
In Vietnamese Buddhism, with its emphasis
on syncretism, these two pillars are one in practice; the prajna phase of Zen and the
karuna aspect of the Pure Land, joined in the Zen-Pure Land union originally introduced to
the country by Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng, support the framework of modern Vietnamese Buddhism.
Though appearing somewhat antithetical, Zen and Pure Land Dharma-doors ultimately open on
the same goal; approached from this standpoint, various fluctuations in methodology are of
small concern, for as Holmes Welch notes in 'The Practice of Chinese Buddhism'
(pp.399-400):
"Regardless of contradictory details,
the main principles of the joint practice of Ch'an and Pure Land seem clear enough. In
both sevts the goal was to reduce attachment to ego. The Pure Land method of "no
stirrings in the whole mind" (i-hsin pu luan) did not differ essentially from the
Ch'an method of "meditating to the point of perfect concentration" (ch'an-ting).
Pure Land speaks of getting the help of another, that is, Amitabha, to reach the Western
Paradise, while Ch'an asserts that one must depend on oneself to reach enlightenment. But,
as the abbot of Chin Shan remarked, "Who is going to help you stop your whole mind
from stirring? You have to do it yourself." A lay informant said he had been told by
Hsu-yun that "all the buddhas in every universe, past, present, and future, preach
the same dharma. There is no real difference between the methods advocated by Sakyamuni
and Amitabha...." The methods of the two sects are connected in many ways. For
example, the hua-t'ou most often used in orthodox Ch'an meditation halls directly involved
Pure Land practice, for how could one ask "Who is this reciting buddha's name?"
unless one had been reciting it?...Many monks told me that they regarded Ch'an and Pure
Land as complements essential to one another. "Pure Land without Ch'an cannot be
depended upon (k'ao-pu-chu). Ch'an without Pure Land has no 'principle' (mei-yu
chu)."
Even the distinctions "Ch'an"
and "Pure Land" vanish in Vietnamese Buddhism where all ways are Buddha-ways and
are one in the communal quest of enlightenment through Thie^`n-Ti.nh Nha^'t-tri' (C.
Ch'an-ching I-chih, J. Zenjo itchi), the unification of meditation and recitation. In the
Vietnamese view, if we practice Nie^.m-Pha^.t with mouth calling Buddha's name, eyes
seeing Buddha's form, ears hearing Nam-mo^ A-Di-Dda`-Pha^.t until the Pure Land appears in
front of us and we realize 84,000 wondrous Buddha-shapes are not outside of mind, then
what real difference is there with the Zen aim of meditating until Mind, Buddha, and
sentient beings are not three separate things or until realizing one is all, all things
are one, samsara is nirvana, and passions are Bodhi? The fusion of Zen and Pure Land
systems, of no-mind and one-mind in the Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng school, is the significant
junction of the loving-kindness (S. karuna) and wisdom (S. prajna) of Buddha and his
teachings. According to Vietnamese Buddhists, when karuna (V. Tu+`-bi) and prajna (V.
Tri'-hue^.) are united there is no difference between Zen and Pure Land, between
self-power and other-power; instead there is oneness and togetherness within the
Karuna-Prajna MInd which is indeed the meeting place of all sects in Buddhism. This
unified philosophy of Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng was keenly attuned to the character and aspirations
of the Vietnamese people; having inherited the various teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and
Confucianism with their accompanying cultural traditions, the Vietnamese ever sought to
consolidate these traditions into a spiritual rationale or ethical mean consonant with
their own cultural background and indegenous beliefs. Since Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng's philosophy
of syncretism was so suited to this purpose, dignitaries of high position, kings, and
officials of the imperial court, as well as the Vietnamese people, accepted it with their
earnest heart. King Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n, as mentioned previously, when once aware of
Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng's position as a distinguished Chinese Zen master, gave him his full
support, openly praising his philosophy and concept of practice. As Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng's
first disciple the king was instrumental in creating and spreading the doctrine of this
third Zen school in Vietnam; Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n was not just a Buddhist patron in word, but
in deed as well. Many instances of his kindness and benevolence are recorded in Vietnamese
history, and stories such as the ones below are familiar to Vietnamese Buddhists.
According to historical sources King
Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n was a most sincere Buddhist, incomparable in devotion and compassion.
During the winter months his thoughts often dwelt on the suffering of the prisoners and
poor people. Calling his attendant one bitter-cold day the king lamented, "Here I am
in the palace--warm clothes and shelter--yet still I feel cold. What of those in our
prison cells who don't have enough to eat or enough to wear? How they must suffer from
cold and hunger! And what of those suspects who have yet to be questioned--are we to
assume them guilty and treat them like criminals? They could suffer unjustly merely
waiting for interrogation which would be most pitiful. Surely we must do something about
all this." The king then ordered sufficient clothing, bedding, and food for all
prisoners and suspects being detained by the state.
A sceond frequently related incident
concerns the time Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n's daughter Princess Ddo^.ng-Thie^n attended a
Thie^n-Kha'nh court session over which the king presided. After issuing his judgment on a
particular case before the court he turned to his board of jurors and said, "Today my
daughter is here, Princess Ddo^.ng-Thie^n. Though I love my peoples as I love my daughter,
when they break laws they must be punished. Nonetheless I feel deeply for them; from now
on we must mitigate every penalty."
Due to Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n's dedication in
realizing the Bodhisattva ideal and his insight acquired through continual practice of
both meditation and recitation, Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng transmitted the seal-of-mind (V.
Ta^m-a^'n, J. Shin-in) to him, thus establishing the king as the first patriarch of the
Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng Zen school. Ly'-Nha^n-To^n (ruled 1072-1127), Ly'-Tha^`n-To^n (ruled
1128-1138), Ly'-Anh-To^n (ruled 1138-1175), and Ly'-Cao-To^n (ruled 1176-1210), the four
successive monarchs who brought the prosperous Ly' dynasty to a close, all emulated
Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n in their patronage and study of Buddhism. They frequently arranged for
esteemed masters to teach meditation and Buddhist doctrine in the imperial palace, honored
them with the positions of national teachers, and sought their advice concerning
administration of internal and foreign affairs. Among these later Buddhist kings,
Ly'-Anh-To^n and Ly'-Cao-To^n were most successful in their religious life, receiving the
seal-of-mind and transfer of patriarchal authority in the tradition of Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng
Zen.
Following Ly'-Tha^`n-To^n's death,
Ly'-Anh-To^n (Prince Thie^n-To^., ruled 1138-1175) succeeded to the throne, where he
studied meditation and recitation with Ven. Kho^ng-Lo^., sixth patriarch in the second
generation of the Tha?o- Ddu+o+`ng school, from whom he received the seal-of-mind.
Ly'-Anh-To^n supported other Buddhist sects as well as his own; during his reign Buddhism
prospered in the country under many enlightened monks such as Venerables Tri'-Thuye^`n,
Am-Tri', Ba?o-Gia'm, and Vie^n-Tho^ng. In 1144, though his own disposition of mind lay
with the Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng teachings, Ly'-Anh-To^n chose to name Ven. Vie^n-Tho^ng, a famed
master of the Ty`-Ni-Dda-Lu+u-Chi Zen sect, as national teacher. The king ever urged
people to expand their educational horizons by becoming aware of their diverse cultural
background and the significance of the teachings of the three religions; in 1169 in order
to stimulate study he opened an examination based on the doctrines of Buddhism, Taoism,
and Confucianism as a means of selecting government officials. Speaking of these
educational reforms and noting commercial advancements made during Ly'-Anh-To^n's reign,
Professor Howard Sosis writes in his "Introductory Notes on the Meditation Sects of
Buddhism in Ancient Vietnam" (p.19, n.188): "Under the rule of this Emperor
commercial relations were made with China, Java, and Thailand in precious metal and
jewels, elephants for warfare, rhinoceros horns, silk and brocades.... This ruler was also
to open schools in religious instruction in the three major religions in the land:
Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism."
The last monarch of the Ly' dynasty,
Ly'-Anh-To^n's son Prince Long-Ca'n (ruled as King Ly'-Cao-To^n 1176-1210), inherited the
throne at the age of three, but national affairs ran well due to the guidance of mandarin
supervisor To^-Hie^'n-Tha`nh. As Prince Long-Ca'n grew older he evinced the same
earnestness in pursuing Buddhist studies as did preceding kings of Ly'; he practiced
meditation and recitation with Ven. Tru+o+ng-Tam-Ta.ng of the fourth generation of the
Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng sect and upon receiving his master's seal-of-mind became the sixteenth
patriarch in Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng tradition. After coming of age and assuming actual control of
the government, he received the name of King Ly'-Cao-To^n; in this position he continued
his father's work, propagating Buddhism in the country and sincerely practicing both Zen
and Nie^.m-Pha^.t. Ly'-Cao-To^n belonged to the fifth and last generation of the
Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng school. Subsequent history does not mention the names and biographies of
any other successors.
Generally speaking, Buddhism, especially
the Ty`-Ni-Dda-Lu+u-Chi, Vo^-Ngo^n- Tho^ng, and Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng Zen sects, flourished
during the Ly' dynasty due to the generous support and sincere interest of the Ly'
monarchs and their officials whose practice of the Buddhist way influenced the people to
join their hearts and minds with the teaching of Buddha. The Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng sect, having
a number of kings among its patriarchs, was most prosperous during this period of
Vietnamese history and, as we see from the following lineage of the school, various
eminent monks and outstanding laymen as well as these monarchs contributed to the
extension of Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng tradition through five generations and eighteen patriarchs,
spanning the years from Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n (1054) to Ly'-Cao-To^n (1210).
Lineage of the Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng Zen School
Founding Patriarch: Ven. Tha?o-Ddu+o+`ng
(d. eleventh century)
First Generation:
1. King Ly'-Tha'nh-To^n (ruled 1054-1072)
2. Ven. Ba't-Nha~
3. Layman Ngo^-Xa'
Second Generation:
4. Prince Ngo^-I'ch
5. Ven. Thie^.u-Minh or Hoa`ng-Minh
6. Ven. Kho^ng-Lo^.
7. Ven. Ddi.nh-Gia'c or Gia'c-Ha?i
Third Generation:
8. Layman Ddo^~-Vu~
9. Ven. Pha.m-Am
10. King Ly'-Anh-To^n (ruled 1138-1175)
11. Ven. Ddo^~-Ddo^
Fourth Generation:
12. Ven. Tru+o+ng-Tam-Ta.ng
13. Ven. Cha^n-Huye^`n
14. Layman Ddo^~-Thu+o+`ng
Fifth Generation:
15. Ven. Ha?i-Ti.nh
16. King Ly'-Cao-To^n (ruled 1176-1210)
17. Layman Nguye^~n-Thu+'c
18. Layman Pha.m-Phu.ng-Ngu+.
oOo
Source: Thich Thien An, 1975.
"Buddhism & Zen in Vietnam, in relation to the Development of Buddhism in
Asia", Chapter 4, published by Charles E. Tuttle, ISBN 0-8048 1144-X, edited by Carol
Smith.
(Sincere thanks to Anh Minh Quang,
BuddhistI@aol.com , who kindly posted this article to the vn-buddhism@saigon.com mailing
list on 4 January 1998)
Source: Buddhasasana Home
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