Chinese Buddhism 中国佛教

1. 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 Prof. Haiming Wen, School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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 ?

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Attainment of Non-Attainment Nothing further than Enlightenment The mountain is the mountain, the river is the river The story of riding the ass

13. Prof. Haiming Wen, School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China