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Inka Shōmei
In Chan and Zen Buddhism, dharma transmission is a custom in which a person is established as a "successor in an unbroken lineage of teachers and disciples, a spiritual 'bloodline' ('' kechimyaku'') theoretically traced back to the Buddha himself." The dharma lineage reflects the importance of family-structures in ancient China, and forms a symbolic and ritual recreation of this system for the monastical "family". In Rinzai-Zen, ''inka shōmei'' (印可証明) is ideally "the formal recognition of Zen's deepest realisation", but practically it is being used for the transmission of the "true lineage" of the masters (''shike'') of the training halls. There are only about fifty to eighty of such ''inka shōmei''-bearers in Japan. In Sōtō-Zen, dharma transmission is referred to as ''shiho'', and further training is required to become an oshō. History The notion and practice of Dharma Transmission developed early in the history of Chan, as a means to gain credibility and t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chan Buddhism
Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning " meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and Song dynasties. Chan is the originating tradition of Zen Buddhism (the Japanese pronunciation of the same character, which is the most commonly used English name for the school). Chan Buddhism spread from China south to Vietnam as Thiền and north to Korea as Seon, and, in the 13th century, east to Japan as Japanese Zen. History The historical records required for a complete, accurate account of early Chan history no longer exist. Periodisation The history of Chan in China can be divided into several periods. Zen, as we know it today, is the result of a long history, with many changes and contingent factors. Each period had different types of Zen, some of which remained influential, while others vanished. Andy Ferguson distinguishes thr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahākāśyapa
Mahākāśyapa () was one of The ten principal disciples, the principal disciples of Gautama Buddha. He is regarded in Buddhism as an arhat, enlightened disciple, being Śrāvaka#Foremost disciples, foremost in dhutanga, ascetic practice. Mahākāśyapa assumed leadership of the Sangha, monastic community following the ''Parinirvana, parinirvāṇa'' (death) of the Buddha, presiding over the First Buddhist council, First Buddhist Council. He was considered to be the first Zen lineage charts#The Indian Lineage From Shakyamuni to Bodhidharma, patriarch in a number of Early Buddhist schools and continued to have an important role as patriarch in the Chan Buddhism, Chan/Zen tradition. In Buddhist texts, he assumed many identities, that of a renunciant saint, a lawgiver, an anti-establishment figure, but also a "guarantor of future justice" in the time of Maitreya, the future Buddhahe has been described as "both the anchorite and the friend of mankind, even of the outcast". In canon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lotus (plant)
Lotus identifies various plant taxa: * ''Nelumbo'', a genus of aquatic plants with showy flowers known as lotuses, having two extant species: ** ''Nelumbo nucifera'', the Sacred or Indian lotus ** ''Nelumbo lutea'', the American or yellow lotus * Certain species of ''Nymphaea'', a genus of aquatic plants known as water lilies, are also known as Egyptian lotus or Egyptian water lily: ** ''Nymphaea caerulea'', also known as blue lotus ** '' Nymphaea lotus'', white lotus or sacred lotus ** '' Nymphaea nouchali'', also known as blue or star lotus (sometimes thought to be the same species as ''Nymphaea caerulea'' above) * '' Lotus'', a terrestrial genus of legumes with small flowers, including bird's-foot trefoils and deervetches * Certain species of '' Saussurea'', a genus of herbaceous plant, are known as snow lotus, particularly those from the Himalayan vicinity * ''Ziziphus lotus'', a shrub species with edible fruit * ''Diospyros lotus'', a tree with edible fruit known as the date-p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flower Sermon
The Flower Sermon is a story of the origin of Chan and Zen Buddhism in which Gautama Buddha transmits direct '' prajñā'' (wisdom) to the disciple Mahākāśyapa. In the original Chinese, the story is ''Niān huā wéi xiào'' (拈花微笑, meaning "Picking up a flower and smiling"). Content In the story, the Buddha gives a wordless sermon to his disciples (''sangha'') by holding up a white flower. No one in the audience understands the Flower Sermon except Mahākāśyapa, who smiles. Within Zen, the Flower Sermon communicates the ineffable nature of ''tathātā'' (suchness) and Mahākāśyapa's smile signifies the direct transmission of wisdom without words. The Buddha affirmed this by saying: History The story of the Flower Sermon appears to have been recorded by Chinese Chan Buddhists. The earliest known version of the tale appeared in 1036. Interpretations Jung and Kerényi suggested a possible commonality in intent between the Flower Sermon and the Eleusinian Myste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keizan
Keizan Jōkin (, 1268–1325), also known as Taiso Jōsai Daishi, is considered to be the second great founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan. While Dōgen, as founder of Japanese Sōtō, is known as , Keizan is often referred to as . Keizan and his disciples are credited with beginning the spread of Sōtō Zen throughout Japan, away from the cloistered monastic practice characteristic of Dōgen's Eihei-ji and towards a more popular religion that appealed to all levels of Japanese society. Keizan founded several temples during his lifetime, most notably Yōkō-ji and Daihonzan Sōji-ji (founded on the Noto Peninsula and moved to Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama in 1911). Today Sōji-ji and Eihei-ji stand together as the two principal Sōtō Zen training centers in Japan. Biography Youth and Zen-training Keizan spent the first eight years growing up under the care of his grandmother, Myōchi (明智), who was one of Great Master Dōgen's first supporters on his return from China. Ke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yongjia Xuanjue
Yongjia Xuanjue (; ), also known as Yongjia Zhenjue (), was a Zen and Tiantai Buddhist monk who lived during the Tang dynasty. The name Yongjia is derived from the city of his birth, which is now called Wenzhou. He is also known by his nickname "The Overnight Guest" because of his first encounter with his teacher, Huineng. On a visit to Caoxi (漕溪), where Huineng's Nanhua Temple is located, Yongjia was convinced to stay just one night, during which his enlightenment was acknowledged. He supposedly died while meditating in 713. He is best remembered today as the author of the '' Song of Enlightenment'', often known by its Japanese name ''Shodoka'' (證道歌). This work remains popular in contemporary Zen practice. Biography Yongjia Xuanjue was born in 665 in present-day Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, China. The city went by the name of Yongjia at the time, and he came to be named for his birthplace later in life. He began studying Buddhism at an early age as a monk in the Tiantai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Song Of Enlightenment
The ''Song of Enlightenment'' (), also translated as ''Song of Awakening'', ''Song of Freedom'' and ''Song of Actualizing the Way'', is a Chan discourse written some time in the first half of the 8th century C.E. and usually attributed to Yongjia Xuanjue. The true authorship of the work is a matter of debate, with a number of elements in the writing suggesting either the text has been substantially changed over time or Yongjia was an unlikely author. According to Jinhua Jia, the ''Zhengdao ge'' likely originated within the Hongzhou School.Jinhua Jia (2006). The Hongzhou School of Chan Buddhism in Eighth- through Tenth-Century China, pages 89-95, State University of New York Press The first commentaries appeared in the 11th century during the Song Dynasty. The first English commentary on the work was written by Charles Luk. The ''Song'' deals with the methods of and attitudes towards daily Zen practice. A central theme is the contrast between dharma-nature, or reality as it is, v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northern School
East Mountain Teaching () denotes the teachings of the Fourth Ancestor Dayi Daoxin, his student and heir the Fifth Ancestor Daman Hongren, and their students and lineage of Chan Buddhism. ''East Mountain Teaching'' gets its name from the East Mountain Temple on the "Twin Peaks" () of Huangmei in present-day Hubei. The East Mountain Temple was on the easternmost peak of the two. Its modern name is Wuzu Temple (). The two most famous disciples of Hongren, Huineng and Yuquan Shenxiu, both continued the East Mountain teaching. History The East Mountain School was established by Daoxin ( 580–651) at East Mountain Temple on Potou (Broken Head) Mountain, which was later renamed Shuangfeng (Twin Peaks). Daoxin taught there for 30 years. He established the first monastic home for "Bodhidharma's Zen". The tradition holds that Hongren ( 601–674) left home at an early age (between seven and fourteen) and lived at East Mountain Temple on Twin Peaks, where Daoxin was the abbot. Teac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Subitism
Sudden awakening or Sudden enlightenment (), also known as subitism, is a Buddhist idea which holds that practitioners can achieve an instantaneous insight into ultimate reality (Buddha-nature, or the nature of mind). This awakening is described as being attained "suddenly," "in one glance," "uncovered all together," or "together, completely, simultaneously," in contrast to "successively or being uncovered one after the other." It may be posited as opposite to gradualism, an approach which says that insight can be achieved only through a long gradual step by step process. Etymology The application of the term "subitism" to Buddhism is derived from the French '' illumination subite'' (sudden awakening), contrasting with 'illumination graduelle' (gradual awakening). It gained currency in this use in English from the work of sinologist Paul Demiéville. His 1947 work 'Mirror of the Mind' was widely read in the U.S. It inaugurated a series by him on subitism and gradualism. The Ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
