My history lesson

When interpreted retrospectively, the history of Buddhism is not so much about Buddhism as if we were looking at some archeological dig.  It is more about the interpretation of words and discourses.  I should back up and say that this is the case with all religions.  They don’t provide us with archeological artifacts like pottery shards.  The present us with linguistic artifacts such as words that appear on stone or clay, or on some form of paper or palm-leaf.  It is the words that have to be examined asking, “What do they mean?”

So the history of Buddhism is mainly about the meaning of certain words and what they imply for the one translating them who may or may not be in sympathy with Buddhism, itself.

Given this, when I first began my study of the history of Zen Buddhism it was through the works of D.T. Suzuki, a noted Japanese Buddhist scholar.  His interpretation of Zen Buddhism was satisfying, at least at the time.  Moreover, his translations were above average for the time.  But, overall, I learned from Suzuki’s historical representation of Zen Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism that the Buddha’s words and those of the great Zen masters were always alluding to something beyond the pale of ordinary human perception.  To be sure, this is not something an historical treatment of Buddhism can present as if it were an objective fact like a document.  It can only be alluded to because the subject is indefinite, although not unrecognizable in satori.  

However, to be fair, a Buddhist historian can treat Buddhism in a very spiritual way so as to present a history of Buddhism as a method by which individuals awaken to the living, eternal spirit within them.  But such a history can never present us with the living spirit itself.  Pages of words cannot do this.  They may excite us and this is all well and good.  

But also a Buddhist historian, by contrast, can lead us away from a spiritual interpretation of Buddhism presenting Buddhism as the history of religious nihilism that teaches us that all we do in this life is finite and ultimately worthless and empty; that accepting this, nevertheless, gives us some measure of peace before we die.  Observe also, that this seems to be the road modern history wants Buddhism to walk down—although it might be strongly denied by those scholars who harbor this viewpoint.

What is of interest to underscore, is that much of the history of Zen Buddhism and for that matter Buddhism, in general, which consists mainly of discourses, not only alludes to something mysterious beyond the pale of human thought, for example, nirvana, but also informs us that we must realize it in this lifetime; that without a proper realization of it we are little more than practitioners of “wild fox Zen” in which the bulk of our human will and intelligence is directed to various degrees of logomachy.

Thankfully, Zen Buddhism’s history offers very little room in which to engage in logomachy which, offhand, is refreshing in this day and age.  Perhaps this is why I found the history of Zen Buddhism so interesting whereas this is not always the case with Buddhism found in the Nikayas which is mainly studied by Theravadins (i.e., the elders).  The latter, in my opinion, tend to value dogma over the satorical acquisition of what the Buddha realized under the Bodhi-tree while placing, at the same time, a huge emphasis on the monastic life although living the life of a monk or a nun was never a prerequisite for the realization of nirvana or being an Arhat according to the Buddha. 

Comments

[Uku]

What is history anyway? Well, it's something that anyone can memorize from books. If a person can read, he can become a historian. It needs only intelligence, not wisdom.

And practicing Buddha's Way has nothing to do with intelligence.

Gautama Buddha taught something that has nothing to do with doctrines and histories and words etc. Gautama Buddha taught us how to live without attachments to doctrines and empty words.

And history is always irrelevant, it's always not true because it's past. And past is always not present.

Thank you for your great post, Mr. Zennist! :)

With palms together,
Uku