While the Buddha was alive he had heretics. One was Yamaka who strongly believed that one whose taints are destroyed is annihilated and perishes with the breakup of the body and does not exist beyond death (param marana). Then there was the heresy of Sati. Sati believed that consciousness is autonomous and thus transmigrates unchanged (anañña).
I am sure there were other less known heresies mainly put forth by those who didn’t fully understand the Buddha’s teaching.
Today, we don’t like to use the word heresy. It brings up extremely negative mental images. Some of us might recall the horrible deeds of the Catholic Church that when they executed a heretic, such as a witch, for example, they might first strangle her then tie her body to a stake and set it afire.
Buddhist heresy is quite different. The Buddhist heretic was one who harbors and spreads an evil wrong view (ditthi pâpika/pâpakam ditthigatam) which had the power to mislead one on the noble path. Because of being misled, the adept cannot attain nirvana. It would be, in fact, impossible. From the Buddha's perspective there is no wiggle room. The noble path is straight and narrow. Being nice and cheerful or working for world peace do not get one to yonder shore of nirvana. But these are not heresies. They only become such when someone believes that taking in stray cats, for example, is nirvana or more apt, “If you live with a difficult person, that’s nirvana” (this was said by the late Zen master Joko Beck).
Today we still have Buddhist heretics although we aren’t supposed to call them that. What they put forth as Buddhism ain’t real Buddhism. If one were to follow the path these heretics have laid out they wouldn’t reach nirvana. To provide one popular example of a modern heresy, besides Joko Beck’s nirvana, it has to be the view that “just sitting” (J., shikantaza) is synonymous with Buddhahood.
...shouldn't that be, the bland leading the blind?
Posted by: Hugh Mussbejokin | August 02, 2011 at 01:31 PM
@Java Junkie
Please - stop wasting time.
Posted by: Ginkgo | August 02, 2011 at 07:58 AM
lets talk heresy coot Turner, ... to wit that zen has any connection to Brahmayana ( "path to Brahman"...sn 5.4 ; the only time gotama named his teachings).
this is the heresy. Pardon my French, but F zen right in the. A
lux et veritas
Posted by: Java Junkie | August 01, 2011 at 07:38 PM
You are correct - heretics abound.
As for many of these western zen teachers, they are just worthless shit. The blind leading the blind.
Posted by: Ginkgo | August 01, 2011 at 06:52 PM