Sosan – The 3rd Zen Patriarch (a.k.a. Seng-ts’an) November 27, 2007
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Courses, Meditations, Philosophy, Psychology , 1 comment so farThis is another exceprt from my new Oriental Psychology Distance Learning Course
About Sosan
There is little information about the life of the Third Patriarch. His birthplace and birth date are unknown. According to the Denko-roku (”The Transmission of the Lamp”), written by Keizan Zenji (1268-1325), he was a layman over forty years of age suffering from leprosy when he met the 2nd Patriarch, Hui-k’o (Japanese: Eka), for the first time in 551 AD. Being deeply impressed with this layman’s capacity for the Dharma, Hui-k’o shaved the future 3rd Patriarch’s head and named him Sengts’an (Jewel of the Community). He was gradually cured of his illness and, after they had been practicing together for two years, Hui-k’o gave him the traditional robe and bowl signifying the
transmission of the Dharma.
Note
In Module 5, students will explore the metaphysical causes of disease. Do not forget to reflect on this when contemplating Sosan’s leprosy and his cure.
It is said that during the infamous Buddhist persecution in 574, Sosan was forced to feign mental illness in order to escape execution, and that finally he went into hiding for ten years on Mount Huankung. His mere presence there is said to have pacified the wild tigers, which until that time had caused great fear among the local people. The authorship of Hsin-Hsin-Ming (Japanese – Shinjinmei) is attributed to Seng-ts’an (Sosan). It is one of the earliest Ch’an writings. It expounds on the basic principles of Chan Buddhism (Zen) in poetic form and suggests a strong Taoist influence.
The Hsin-Hsin-Ming begins with a famous sentence, which comes up again and again in Ch’an Buddhism (Zen) literature (for instance, in Pi-Yen-Lu): “The venerable way is not difficult at all; it only abhors picking and choosing.” In this early Ch’an poem, the fusion, typical for later Ch’an (Zen), of the mutually congenial teachings of Mahâyâna Buddhism and Taoism, appears for the first time (The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion, page 311).
A Few Comments on Hsin-Hsin Ming (a.k.a ‘The Book of True Faith’)
The title of the Hsin-Hsin Ming may be explained in the following way:
Hsin means “belief” or “faith.”
This is not faith in the ordinary sense. It is an understanding that comes from firsthand experience, a faith that arises out of supreme knowledge and the wisdom of enlightenment. This understanding is an affirmation that all existence or reality is essentially the Buddha mind, which is our true nature.
Hsin is also the conviction that at the root of all phenomena lies the One Mind, the Buddha Mind, which is one with our real nature, the Buddha-nature.
Hsin literally means heart.
It means Mind, not the delusional mind, but the Buddha-Mind. Hsin is the mind that merges with the all-encompassing One Mind.
Ming literally means ‘inscription’.
It also means written expression or record and infers the meaning of warnings or admonitions.
The famous Hsin Hsin Ming (Japanese: Shin Jin Mei) is known as the first Zen poem. It consists of 146 four-word lines, directly and vividly expressing the Zen spirit in a simple, compact form. An outstanding characteristic of the poem is that it is written in genuine Chinese without using any Sanskrit or Pali Buddhist terms.
The main themes expressed in the Hsin Hsin Ming derive from Two Entries and Four Acts, one of the few authentic writings of the great Zen Patriarch Bodhidharma, who brought Buddhism from India to China in the sixth century. The roots of Bodhidharma’s work can be traced to the Vimalakirtinirdesa Sutra, written sometime before the 3rd century AD in India.
Translation of the ‘Book of True Faith’ (Hsin Hsin Ming)
The following translation of Sosan’s masterpiece is by Richard B. Clarke.
The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When love and hate are both absent
everything becomes clear and undisguised.
Make the smallest distinction, however
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.
If you wish to see the truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything.
To set up what you like against what you dislike
is the disease of the mind.
When the deep meaning of things is not understood
the mind’s essential peace is disturbed to no avail.
The Way is perfect like vast space
where nothing is lacking and nothing is in excess.
Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject
that we do not see the true nature of things.
Live neither in the entanglements of outer things,
nor in inner feelings of emptiness.
Be serene in the oneness of things
and such erroneous views will disappear by themselves.
When you try to stop activity to achieve passivity
your very effort fills you with activity.
As long as you remain in one extreme or the other
you will never know Oneness.
Those who do not live in the single Way
fail in both activity and passivity,
assertion and denial. To deny the reality of things
to assert the emptiness of things is to miss their reality.
The more you talk and think about it,
the further astray you wander from the truth.
Stop talking and thinking,
and there is nothing you will not be able to know.
To return to the root is to find the meaning,
but to pursue appearances is to miss the source.
At the moment of inner enlightenment
there is a going beyond appearance and emptiness.
The changes that appear to occur in the empty world
we call real only because of our ignorance.
Do not search for the truth;
only cease to cherish opinions.
Do not remain in the dualistic state
avoid such pursuits carefully.
If there is even a trace of this and that, of right and wrong,
the Mind-essence will be lost in confusion.
Although all dualities come from the One,
do not be attached even to this One.
When the mind exists undisturbed in the Way,
nothing in the world can offend,
and when a thing can no longer offend, it ceases to exist in the old way.
When no discriminating thoughts arise, the old mind ceases to exist.
When thought objects vanish, the thinking-subject vanishes,
as when the mind vanishes, objects vanish.
Things are objects because of the subject (mind);
the mind (subject) is such because of things (object).
Understand the relativity of these two
and the basic reality: the unity of emptiness.
In this Emptiness the two are indistinguishable
and each contains in itself the whole world.
If you do not discriminate between coarse and fine
you will not be tempted to prejudice and opinion.
To live in the Great Way
is neither easy nor difficult,
but those with limited views
and fearful and irresolute: the faster they hurry, the slower they go,
and clinging (attachment) cannot be limited;
even to be attached to the idea of enlightenment is to go astray.
Just let things be in their own way
and there will be neither coming nor going.
Obey the nature of things (your own nature),
and you will walk freely and undisturbed.
When thought is in bondage the truth is hidden,
for everything is murky and unclear,
and the burdensome practice of judging brings annoyance and weariness.
What benefit can be derived from distinctions and separations?
If you wish to move in the One Way
do not dislike even the world of senses and ideas.
Indeed, to accept them fully
is identical with true Enlightenment.
The wise man strives to no goals
but the foolish man fetters himself.
This is one Dharma, not many: distinctions arise
from the clinging needs of the ignorant.
To seek Mind with the (discriminating) mind
is the greatest of all mistakes.
Rest and unrest derive from illusion;
with enlightenment there is no liking and disliking.
All dualities come from
ignorant inference.
They are like dreams of flowers in the air:
foolish to try to grasp them.
Gain and loss, right and wrong:
such thoughts must finally be abolished at once.
If the eye never sleeps,
all dreams will naturally cease.
If the mind makes no discriminations,
the ten thousand things are as they are, of single essence.
To understand the mystery of this One-essence
is to be released from all entanglements.
When all things are seen equally
the timeless Self-essence is reached.
No comparisons or analogies are possible
in this causeless, relationless state.
Consider movement stationary and the stationary in motion,
both movement and rest disappear.
When such dualities cease to exist
Oneness itself cannot exist.
To this ultimate finality
no law or description applies.
For the unified mind in accord with the Way
all self-centered straining ceases.
Doubts and irresolution’s vanish
and life in true faith is possible.
With a single stroke we are freed from bondage;
Nothing clings to us and we hold to nothing.
All is empty , clear, self-illuminating,
with no exertion of the mind’s power.
Here thought, feeling, knowledge, and imagination
are of no value.
In this world of Suchness
there is neither self nor other-than-self
To come directly into harmony with this reality
just simply say when doubt arises, ‘Not two.’
In this ‘no two’ nothing is separate,
nothing excluded.
No matter when or where,
enlightenment means entering this truth.
And this truth is beyond extension or diminution in time or space;
in it a single thought is ten thousand years.
Emptiness here, Emptiness there,
but the infinite universe stands always before your eyes.
Infinitely large and infinitely small;
no difference, for definitions have vanished
and no boundaries are seen.
So too with Being
and non-Being.
Don’t waste time in doubts and arguments
that have nothing to do with this.
One thing, all things:
move among and intermingle, without distinction.
To live in this realization
is to be without anxiety about non-perfection.
To live in this faith is the road to non-duality,
Because the non-dual is one with the trusting mind.
Words! The Way is beyond language,
for in it there is no yesterday, no tomorrow, no today.
For more information click here!
Body, Breath, Mind
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Articles, Courses, Meditations, Philosophy, Psychology , 1 comment so farThis excerpt is taken from my new Oriental Psychology Distance Learning Course
Taoist meditation exerts a profound influence on the ‘Three Treasures’: Essence (the body), Energy (the breath), and Spirit (the Mind). Essence is associated with not only the reproductive and generative power responsible for development (the Kidneys), but also drive and determination. Energy is equivalent to the Post-Natal Qi derived from food, drink and the air that we breathe (the Spleen and the Lungs). Spirit is the Mind and though it resides in the Heart, each organ is nonetheless affiliated with its own mental-spiritual aspect. In other words, Spirit is a complex of inter-connected and interdependent relationships.
There are several simple steps to follow when embarking on the journey of discovery that is learning the art of meditation. They are easy to implement and sustain, especially with practice and dedication.
1) Adopt a comfortable posture, balance your weight evenly, straighten the spine, and pay attention to physical sensations such as heat, cold, tingling, trembling, or whatever else arises.
2) When your body is comfortable and balanced, shift attention to the second level, which is breath and energy. You may focus on the breath itself as it flows in and out of the lungs through the nostrils, or on energy streaming in and out of a particular point in harmony with the breath.
3) Focus attention on thoughts and feelings forming and dissolving in the mind, your awareness expanding and contracting with each breath, insights and inspirations arising spontaneously, visions and images appearing and disappearing.
Eventually you may come upon (and perhaps randomly discover) intuitive flashes of insight regarding the ultimate nature of the mind: that in essence it is open and empty as space; that it is clear and luminous as a cloudless sky at sunrise; that in terms of its true nature, it is infinite and fundamentally unencumbered (this is called the original mind).
There are also some more specific instructions regarding posture:
Floor Position
Sit cross-legged on the floor in ‘half-lotus’ position (the foot of one leg placed to rest on the calf of the other), with the buttocks slightly elevated on a cushion or pillow. The advantages of this method are that this position is quite stable and encourages energy to flow upwards towards the brain.
Chair Position
Sit erect on a low stool or chair, feet parallel and a shoulder width apart, knees bent at a 90 degree angle, and spine erect. The advantages of sitting on a stool are that the legs do not cramp, the soles of the feet are in direct contact with the energy of the earth, and internal energy tends to flow more freely throughout the lower as well as the upper torso.
Cautions and Warnings
Most practitioners who follow Taoist Meditation techniques use both methods, depending on conditions (such as availability of chairs). When sitting cross-legged, Western practitioners, whose legs tend to cramp more easily than Asians, are advised to sit on thick and firm cushions, perhaps with a phone book or two underneath, in order to elevate the pelvis and consequently take pressure off both the legs and the knees. This also helps to keep the spine straight, without putting any strain on the lower back.
Placement of the hands is also quite important. The most natural and comfortable position for many is to rest the palms lightly on the thighs, just above the knees, with palms facing up. However, some experienced practitioners find it more effective to use one of the traditional ‘mudras’, or hand gestures (for example, thumb and index finger touching with other fingers outstretched). Experiment with different combinations of both posture and mudra until you find a style that is most suitable.
The Medicines of Fire and Water
Taoist meditation masters teach and demonstrate three basic ways to control Fire (the mind of emotion) with Water (the mind of intent), so that the student’s goals in meditation may be cultivated, refined and ultimately realized.
Stop and Observe
The first method is called ’stop and observe’. This involves paying close attention to how thoughts both arise and fade in the mind, learning to let them pass like a freight train in the night, and certainly without clinging to any particular one. This develops awareness of the basic emptiness of all thought, as well as non-attachment to the rise and fall of emotional impulses. Gradually one learns simply to ignore the intrusion of abrasive and discursive thoughts, at which point they cease to either come and go if only for the sheer lack of attention.
Observe and Imagine
The second technique is called ‘observe and imagine’, which of course refers to the technique of visualization. Put simply, the student employs intent to visualize an image – such as a dignified and glorified spiritual giant like Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, a sacred symbol, the moon, a star, or whatever – in order to shift mental focus away from thoughts and emotions and stabilize the mind in one-pointed awareness.
You may also visualize a particular energy centre in your body, or listen to the real or imagined sound of a bell, gong, or cymbal ringing in your ears. The point of focus is not important: what counts is shifting the focus of your attention away from idle thoughts, conflicting emotions, fantasies, and other distracting antics of the ‘monkey mind’ (fire) and concentrating attention instead on a stable point of focus established by the mind of intent, or ‘wisdom mind’ (water).
Intent
The third technique in cultivating the ability to control the mind is called ‘using the mind of intent to guide energy’. When the emotional mind is calm and the breath is regulated, focus attention on the internal energy. Learn how to guide it through the meridian network in order to energize the vital organs, raise energy from the sacrum to the head in order to nourish the spirit and brain, as well as exchange stale energy for fresh energy derived from the external sources that are heaven (the yang sky) and earth (the yin ground).
Begin by focusing attention on the Lower Elixir Field (the area below the abdomen), and then moving energy from there down to the perineum, up through the coccyx, and up along the spinal centres into the head, at which point the attention shifts to the Upper Elixir Field (between the brows).
Though this may sound vague and perhaps veer on the strangely esoteric side of things (at least to the uninitiated), a few months of practice, especially in conjunction with Qi Gong exercise and balanced dietary habits, usually is sufficient to expose the subtle worlds of energy and awareness that are hidden within our physical bodies and minds. All one has to do is sit still and shut up long enough, for the mind to fall into line.
For further information on the new Oriental Psychology Certificate Course click here http://www.artofhealth.com.au/more_info2.html