In early Zen the Sanskrit term, ‘siddhanta’ was mistakenly translated by the Chinese character ‘tsung’ which generally refers to ‘school’. Siddhanta, however, means ‘realization’—not school. To speak of a Zen school is to miss the boat of Zen. Zen is only about realization.
So what is realized? According to the Buddha, speaking in the Lankavatara Sutra, the Sutra that Bodhidharma is reported to have transmitted, it is “Buddhahood” that “is a stage of imageless, unborn, and to be inwardly experienced by one’s self (pratyatma), when the mind becomes fully controlled and purposeless (or spontaneous) deed are accomplished.” This, to be sure, is a mouthful of words and ideas. But it is easier than you think to comprehend.
If you can see your real mind as being totally devoid of images, that is, devoid of vibrations or wave formations; realizing that such vibrations emanate right from you (who is also devoid of images and vibrations)—then you are hot on the trail of genuine Buddhahood.
But before you can even get this far (and this is pretty far), you have to be introduced into the pure Mind by either a great guru (Tib., lama) or some great Zen master (the ones in Japan are far and few between--recently one just died). Short of this you have to ask Buddha Dipamkara (light-maker) for help. I can only tell you he is here.
Dipamkara was there for the Buddha before he became enlightened, and he is there for you if your heart is sincere and you don’t care about anything except surrendering your carnal thoughts and body to his compassion. One day it happens, a huge dynamic light hits you like a thunderbolt. All you can say is, “Awesome!” For those with a Christian background, it is when Paul saw Jesus on the road to Damascus. He was dead sure this power was Jesus and you will be dead sure this is Dipamkara Buddha, the light maker.
After this, the road to real Zen opens. But it is along road because you, yourself, still don’t know how to generate the pure light of compassion. This is what separates the Buddha from the Arhat. The latter can’t generate any pure light of compassion.
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