Review

1. Review • Buddhism as Indo-European thought system • Four noble truths • Pessimism and “kindergarten” Buddhism • Philosophical focus on Nirvana (Buddha-nature) • Theory develops with politically natural split • Mahayana and Theravada • How many can reach Nirvana?

2. To China • Mahayana and Hinayana schism necessary • Importance for China • Otherwise elitist, egoistic, mentalist and immoral • Neo-Daoism, Dark Learning and Pure conversation • Vehicles for metaphysical parallels for Nirvana-無 • "Grade analysis" of sutras • Insights into paradoxes of Buddhism • More intellectual, metaphysical for “higher” level

3. Paradoxes • Paradox of desire • Leads to Boddhisattvaideal • With Zen wrinkle—all are Buddha:only lack realization • Like Confucian all are Sages/Daoist all are natural • Yogacara paradoxes • Individual achievement meaningless • Karma and consciousness slices • Paradox of illusion = Buddha nature • Aren’t the illusions real?

4. Madyamika Paradoxes • Contradiction and eventual silence • Opposites, Both and, neither nor, repeat • Daoist facilitated merging—玄學 dark learning • Being and non-being  emptiness, Nirvana

5. Questions: Explain Peirce’s theory of belief and how to fix belief.

6. All is pure Buddha nature • How does Madyamika get to Zen result? • Nothing is real but Buddha Nature • Ergo Everything that exists is Buddha Nature • The Illusions are Buddha Nature • I am Buddha Nature • Flip side: illusions are Buddha-mind • Storehouse consciousness • Everything is Buddha-nature

7. Chinese Big Schools • Tian-tai天台and Huayen華嚴for theory • 禪 Chan for practice! • 清土 Pure Land for populace • Chan 禪 from Channa (=Dyana = meditation) • Paradox: rejects meditation • Daoist reversal • meditation = everyday consciousness = Satori • Logical development of Madyamika • Everything is Buddha nature • You are already Buddha

8. Internal Story • Hui Neng 慧能 and the Platform Sutra 六 祖壇 經 of the 6th Patriarch • Illiterate woodcutter becomes 6th patriarch • Chinese Buddhist focus on line of transmission • No words and easy enlightenment • Southern barbarian(?) hears and enlightened • Goes to temple

9. Never Allowed to Study • Pounds rice, carries wood • Poem story: Competition of desert v learned • No dust to wipe from the mirror • No illusions to dispel • Kyoto Stories • Enlightened before he went to the temple • Not from gradual study—ShenXiu

10. Aftermath • Leaves monastery to return to Guangdong mountains! • Walking Zen • Throws away the robe signifying status • Importance to spread of Zen (Chan) • Cluster of sects concentrated in Southern China • Cultural area v Northern Barbarians • Tang idenity • South:North::Sudden:Gradual enlightenment

11. Background • Cultural revolution against Buddhism • Foreign, too intellectualized v practical native philosophies • Egalitarian tendencies • Southern movement • Internal reform of Buddhism along Daoist lines • Shift of center of Chinese intellectual culture • Reassertion of Chinese characteristics and own form • Egalitarian, common sense, practical,

12. External Story • ShenHui(7th) the real influence • Vanquished ShenXiu and Northern 禪 Chan • Becomes 7thpatriarch • 6th may be a fiction(?) • Sudden v. gradual enlightenment • Cultivation to some goal v • Give up the goal!

13. Paradox of desire: Zen style! • Give up desire for Nirvana first • Daoist view of desire/distinction • Give up distinction of meditation/ordinary consciousness • Enlightenment and ordinary practice • Dualism of Nirvana/Samsara • Buddhism (period)

14. Story of Shen Hui • Exile and triumphant return • Story-telling skills • Politics and money • Authorship of the Platform Sutra • Daoist Wang Wei hypothesis

15. Great Liberation • Rush to claim descent from Hui Neng • Wide variety but Feng's 5 common doctrines: • No (expressible) highest truth • Spiritual cultivation cannot be cultivated • In the last resort nothing is gained • There is nothing much in Buddhist teaching • In carrying water and chopping wood lies the wonderful dao

16. Iconoclastic Stories • Function: like koans? • Burning or spitting on the Buddha • Just wood (everything is Buddha) • No temples, praying, bowing, shaving, begging, ritual, chanting • Chan as Buddhist atheism • Survival in persecutions

17. Every Moment Zen Umbrella to left or right of clogs?

18. Doctor Story Zen is care for patients A Koan – meaningless Absorbed in care for patients and lost fear of death

19. The Strawberry Values of eating, drinking, sleeping Tiger and strawberry

20. Teaching Techniques • Interview time—anti-metaphysical • Spit, beat, shout, awaken! • Koan—give up • Walking Zen • Never tell too plainly • Envy of Confucians

21. Final Jump • Modern scientific philosophy • With a social model of language • Social cooperation rather than picturing the world • Closer to Chinese/Nietzsche conception • Reality in the back door • Science as a dao

22. Evolution and Utility • Some ways of talking dominate, others die out • Science with the Nietzsche twist • A social way to survive and thrive • Science: a system of "useful" beliefs • Natural framework—also anti-Plato and anti-Descartes

23. Belief Analysis • Habits of action • not internal pictures • Practical (practice) focus • Successful or not: utility and survival • Different interpretations of “success” • Peirce, Dewey, James