Dogen (1200–1253) grew up in the tradition of Japanese Tendai Buddhism. Tendai believes that since all sentient beings have innate Buddha-nature they are already Buddhas. Dogen did not quite agree with this because that would mean Tendai could have a small standing army and kill people which, in fact. it did. Dogen sought a new interpretation of innate Buddhahood (J., hongaku) without the violence and hedonism.
Dogen made a big trip to China, and after looking at five transmission documents, decided to study with a Ts’ao-tung (J., Soto) master by the name of Ju-ching. What made Ts’ao-tung unique is that it taught Silent Illumination. Silent Illumination stressed meditation to be an end in itself. Putting it simply, just sit and you are a Buddha. Nothing else is required.
After Dogen became supremely enlightened in a short period of time he returned home to Japan and taught Silent Illumination meditation, namely, shikan taza (just sitting). Dogen’s meditation, like that of Silent Illumination, believed meditational practice is enlightenment.
Prior to Silent Illumination, meditation in China was treated as a means of clearing away defilements which made it much easier to awaken; which is the intuition of the luminous Mind. All Chinese schools of Buddhism, including Zen, understood that meditation was not an end in itself.
Eventually, Soto Zen came to the West. It is quickie Buddhahood. Just sit and you are enlightened. In America and Europe Soto followers sit as much as possible. By sitting they are experiencing Buddhahood even though their common monkey minds (kapicitta) have never intuited the luminous Mind. Basically, this form of meditation produces a placebo effect which is very effective as long as you believe you’re a Buddha.
a little research reveals Ohta to be a virulent anti-Semite and Communist
Posted by: Bob Morris | July 21, 2011 at 01:10 PM
The famous Japanese revisionist historian and Buddhist Ryu Ohta passed away in 2009 at the age of 78. Before he passed away he wrote an open letter to the new age fanatic David Icke about the Mind. In this letter Mr. Ohta explains many things westerners have got wrong about Buddhism and especially the reality of nirvana versus the false realities of the senses.
Before you read this letter I have to ad that there are six different Japanese alphabets, with the most predominant being Kanji (old style from China), Hiragana (Japanese writing style when Kanji has no equivalent word or sentence structure), Katakana (when referring to something foreign and not Japanese), and Romaji when they spell using our alphabet. These are used in every day Japan and there are even older ones that are not even studied until high school or university, those being Hentaigana and Manyogana.
Suffice to say the Japanese are trained to think, act and speak precisely due to the complexities of their own culture and language.
http://www.pavc.ne.jp/~ryu/english/articles/openletter_to_davidicke.html
Posted by: minx | October 29, 2010 at 09:01 AM
So what is the method then? What is the aim? I cannot speak for Zenmar, but my lineage is Soto. Sitting, do not seek. The practice itself is Buddha Nature. There is no attainment and no attainee. That is the usual Soto mantra in my experience. I fail to see where Zenmar is incorrect, nor do I see implications of perfection. I do see some emotional clinging, per your defense of Soto. It is just a school. An immaterial and insubstantial conception is it not?
Posted by: Zenhg | October 29, 2010 at 05:03 AM
"Quickie Buddhahood" - are you kidding? Soto is the gradual school. Most of us convert Soto folks aren't walking around thinking we're Buddha, despite the repeated pointing to it in the teachings. Dogen isn't the perfect teacher too many Soto teachers and students hold him up to be, but your recent posts about him make me wonder how much you have actually studied of this guy's work.
Posted by: Nathan | October 28, 2010 at 12:44 PM