"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
Taken
from 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 Page