Chinese Buddhism中国佛教

温海明 Prof. WEN Haiming

Associate Professor, School of Philosophy

Renmin University of China 中国人民大学哲学院副教授

Ph.D. University of Hawaii夏威夷大学哲学博士

23/4/20Prof. Haiming Wen, School of Philosophy, Renmin

University of China1

History of Chinese Buddhism

Took place in first half of the 1st Century CE

1st, 2nd Centuries: considered occultism Daoist story of Buddha as Laozi’s disciple Designed to imply sutras were foreign

variant of the Daodejing Originally interpreted by analogy 5th Century: analogy abandoned,

terminological similarity used synthesized Buddhism and Daoism

General Buddhist Concepts Several schools (Hinayana, Mahayana,

etc) but agree on basics The theory of karma

Thoughts and deeds have effects on the Samsara, or Wheel of Birth and Death

Sufferings are rooted in ignorance of true nature of things (Avidya, Wu-ming)

Hope lies with Enlightenment, or Bodhi, and emancipation from rebirth cycle, Nirvana

Mahayana School on Universal Mind

Mahayana school believed in ‘universal mind’

Nirvana means individuals’ identification with the universal mind

AKA the ‘Buddha-nature’ School of the Middle Path described

Nirvana differently

School of the Middle Path on Theory of ‘Double Truth’

“Double truth” means common sense and higher sense truth

Three levels of double truth (you=being, wu=non-being) Saying things are you is common sense,

saying they are wu is higher truth Saying things are both is common sense,

saying they are neither is higher Saying they are neither is common sense,

saying they are neither you nor wu, neither not-you nor not-wu, and the middle path is neither one-sided nor not one-sided is higher

End Results - Zhuangzi

School of the Middle Path, all things must be denied, for they are unreal

When all is denied, including the denial of the denial of all, one is enlightened

Similar like Zhuangzi’s “Sitting in forgetfulness”

A state of nirvana ?

Seng Zhao

Great Middle Path thinker Kumārajīva - Indian, born in what is

now Chinese Turkistan Seng Zhao: Things are in constant

flux A thing of one moment is an entirely

new thing The story of Fan Zhi

Dao-sheng A monk so learned rocks nodded in

agreement “A good deed entails no retribution” Following wu-wei=having no cravings, Karma is due to cravings, therefore no retribution Buddhahood by Sudden Enlightenment Everyone has the Buddha-nature

Realizing this through learning, practice frees you

There is no ‘Pure Land’ – Buddha is here already

Icchantika can achieve Buddhahood

Chan or Zen Buddhism

Dao-sheng and Seng Zhao had laid philosophical groundwork for Chan Buddhism

Northern-Southern school split Hui-neng succeeded Hong-ren as

patriarch Writing the best poem summarizing

Chan Buddhism

Teaching of the First Principle

“First Principle” (same as ‘double truth-3rd level’)

Unspeakable and unnamable Asking about the First Principle

elicited no response, hitting, irrelevant answers

No scriptures or sutras have real connection to the First Principle

Cultivation Best way to cultivate is to not cultivate To cultivate oneself is to have effort, or you-wei Do things without effort or purposefulness Act without effects and Karma will be exhausted Don’t worry about institutionalized religion Original ignorance and naturalness are gifts of

nature knowledge of un-knowledge and cultivation

through non-cultivation are products of spirit Sudden Enlightenment is result of non-

cultivation

Attainment of Non-Attainment

Nothing further than Enlightenment The mountain is the mountain, the

river is the river The story of riding the ass

1323/4/20Prof. Haiming Wen, School of Philosophy, Renmin

University of China