Buddhism in China: Ch

1
Buddhism in China Chan

• Berger
• Intro to Asian Religions

2
The Legendary History of Chan (?) Buddhism

• The culminating flower sermon of Buddha
• Bodhidharmas (d. 532) four features
• Chan is a special transmission outside the
  scriptures,
• not founded upon words or letters
• By pointing directly to ones own mind (? hsin ),
• one sees into ones inner Buddhahood.
• The patronage of Shen-hsius (d.706) Chan

3
The Biography of Hui-neng (638-713) in the
Platform Sutra

• The illiterate childs awakening (p. 508)
• The initiation of Hung-jen (pp. 508-509)
• The poem contest with Shen-hsiu (509-511)
• Shen-hsius assertion of need for mental
  cultivation mind as mirror (?? jing tzu), needs
  constant cleaning
• Hui-nengs assertion of original enlightenment
  in the brightness nature (? ? ming hsing) of
  Buddha-nature
• Second awakening, transmission from Hung-jen

4
Teachings of Hui-nengsPlatform Sutra

• The oneness of meditation and awakening (511)
• The dao (?) or movement of no-thought and the
  warming against clinging to thoughts (512)
• Meditation as realizing the purity of ones
  original nature (? ? ben hsing ) (513)
• Original bright nature (? ? ming hsing) covered
  up by evil deeds that cling to environments
  (514)

5
Reading for Next Class

• Sourcebook, 345-46, 367-71
• Response Paper 2 Due