From zazen to samadhi

In the early history of Zen, monks practiced zazen in the form of "constant sitting" (常坐) as a means to hopefully achieve samadhi.  Zazen was not done for its own sake which, incidentally, is the practice of Soto Zen, but as a means to achieving samadhi.

Other routes to samadhi, however, could be taken such as "constant walking," or "walking and sitting," and finally samadhi could possibly be attained through "neither walking nor sitting."  Much later, answering a koan might also effectively bring about both samadhi and prajñâ (= wisdom in the sense of distinguishing absolute reality from finite reality).

In the Vedic dictionary, the Niruki says that samadhi occurs "When the mind is fixed for understanding the self."  Put into a Buddhist context, samadhi occurs when we, as intrinsically pure Mind, directly cognize ourself.

To get more of an idea of samadhi, a commentary to the Avatamsaka Sutra, describing the "Ocean Seal Samadhi" goes as follows:

 "The 'Ocean Seal' is the fundamental mental awareness of true Thusness (tathata).  When delusion ends, Mind is clear and myriad forms simultaneously appear.  It [Mind] is like the ocean.  Due to wind there arise waves [Mind phenomena]; if the wind stops the [Mind] ocean is calm and all images can reflect in it."

Zen’s Fourth Patriarch, Tao-hsin (580-651 ) speaks of a “one mode samadhi” (I-hsing san-mei) in his Ju-tao an-hsin yao fang-pien men 入道安心要方便 門 (Door for Entering the Path and Calming the Mind). (Below, Wen shu shuo po jo ching refers to the Manjusri Sutra.)

"The fundamental teachings of mine are [1]  the mind of all the Buddhas is the First Principle, based on the Lankavatara Sutra, and [2] I-hsing san-mei means that the mind which is aware of the Buddha is the Buddha, whereas [the mind which] does false thinking is the ordinary person, based on the Wen shu shuo po jo ching.

The Wen shu shuo po jo ching says:

   Manjushri asked the World Honored One the meaning of i-hsing san-mei.  The Buddha replied:  “Ultimate reality (dharmadhatu) has a unified form (i-hsing).  Fixing your awareness on ultimate reality is called i-hsing san-mei.  If sons and daughters of noble families want to enter i-hsing san-mei, they should first listen to the Perfection of Wisdom [teaching] and cultivate their practice in terms of what it says.  Later they will be able to enter i-hsing san-mei, and their awareness will be like ultimate reality: free from retrogression, indestructible, inconceivable, lacking obstructions and without form.  Sons and daughters of noble families who want to enter into i-hsing san-mei but cannot, should stay in an enclosure empty of distractions, and give up all chaotic thoughts.  Without grasping onto outward appearances, they should concentrate their minds on a particular Buddha and exclusively recite his name.  By properly facing in the direction of the Buddha, having an upright body, and being able to continuously think on one Buddha thought after thought, means that in this contemplation they are able to see all Buddhas of the past, present, and future.  Why?

    “Contemplating the measurelessness and boundlessness of the merit of one Buddha is the same as the merit of countless Buddhas since they are non dualistic and inconceivable.  The Buddha’s Dharma is without distinctions.  Everything conforms to the One True Suchness to achieve the most perfect realization.  [Therefore,] everyone will attain unlimited merit and unlimited abilities [by contemplating the merits of one Buddha].  Those who would enter i-hsing san-mei in this way exhaustively know ultimate reality and the undifferentiated forms of Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.”

   Every aspect of the mind and body, even lifting a foot and putting it down, always is a place of enlightenment.  All of your behavior and actions are enlightenment" (trans. David W. Chappell).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Bob Morris]

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[Java Junkie in Miami]

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[Bob Morris]

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[Java Junkie]

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