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Among 惭补丑ā测ā苍补 scriptures, the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-蝉ū迟谤补 and the Diamond 厂ū迟谤补 are the most important textbooks of Chan. It is said that before leaving China, Bodhidharma made a careful recommendation to his heir disciple Huike that the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-sūtra was the scripture in China containing the essential teaching concerning the mind-ground of the 罢补迟丑ā驳补迟补 leading all sentient beings to the truth of Buddhism.^[1] This important also event suggests that before Bodhidharma‘s coming, Chan had its prior theoretical fundamental background in China, and this school closely related to the 罢补迟丑ā驳补迟补garbha literature, especially the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补sūtra.

Bodhidharma is said to have received the teaching of the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-蝉ū迟谤补 directly from Gunabhadra (394–468), the second of the four known translators of the 厂ū迟谤补, and the alleged first patriarch of the school. He is also believed to have written a commentary on the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-蝉ū迟谤补, the Lengqieyaoyi, also known as Damolun.^[2]

There are early texts which explicitly associate Bodhidharma with the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补sūtra. Daoxuan, for example, in a late recension of his biography of Bodhidharma‘s successor Huike, has the sūtra as a basic and important element of the teachings passed down by Bodhidharma:

“In the beginning Dhyana Master Bodhidharma took the four-roll 尝补?办ā 厂ū迟谤补, handed it over to Huike, and said: "When I examine the land of China, it is clear that there is only this sutra. If you rely on it to practice, you will be able to cross over the world.”^[3]

Another early text, the Record of the Masters and Disciples of the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-蝉ū迟谤补 (楞伽師資記 Lengqieshiziji) of Jingjue also mentions Bodhidharma in relation to this text. Jingjue‘s account also makes explicit mention of sitting meditation: “For all those who sat in meditation, Master Bodhidharma also offered expositions of the main portions of the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-蝉ū迟谤补, which are collected in a volume of twelve or thirteen pages, bearing the title of Teaching of Bodhidharma”.^[4] In other early texts, the school that would later become known as Chan is sometimes referred to as the “尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补 school” (Lengqiezong 楞伽宗).^[5]

Like the doctrinal foundation of Chan that is based on the thought of “ A special transmission outside the scriptures and no dependence upon words and letters”, the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-蝉ū迟谤补 also stresses a lack of reliance on words to successfully express the reality:

“滨蹿, 惭补丑ā尘补迟颈, you say that because of the reality of words the objects are, this talk lacks in sense. Words are not known in all the Buddha-lands; words, 惭补丑ā尘补迟颈, are an artificial creation. In some Buddha-lands ideas are indicated by looking steadily, in others by gestures, in still others by a frown, by the movement of the eyes, by laughing, by yawning, or by the clearing of the throat, or by recollection, or by trembling.”^[6]

In contrast to the ineffectiveness of words, the sūtra emphasizes the importance of the self-realization that is attained by noble wisdom and occurs when one has an insight into reality as it is. The truth is the state of self-realization and is beyond categories of discrimination and words.

The sūtra goes on to outline the ultimate effects of an experience of selfrealization:

“罢丑别 Bodhisattva will become thoroughly conversant with the noble truth of self-realization, will become a perfect master of his own mind, will conduct himself without effort, will be like a gem reflecting a variety of colors, will be able to assume the body of transformation, will be able to enter into the subtle minds of all beings, and, because of his firm belief in the truth of Mind-only, will, by gradually ascending the stages, become established in Buddhahood.”^[7]

This thought of self-realization in the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-蝉ū迟谤补 is identical with the teaching of Chan “ Seeing into one’s own nature and attaining Buddhahood”. The above lines in the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补sūtra also highlights the enlightenment or self-realization must issue from one‘s own inner mind or consciousness, and the Buddhahood cannot be attained by scriptural teaching or by another person‘s help.

The means of attaining the Buddhahood recommended in the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-蝉ū迟谤补 is meditation (诲丑测ā苍补). Dhyāna as explained in the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-蝉ū迟谤补 is distinguished into four levels:

The first is practiced by the unlearned (产ā濒辞辫补肠ā谤颈办补), such as the ?谤ā惫补办补蝉, Pratyekabuddhas, and devotees of the Yoga. They have been instructed in the doctrine of non-ā迟尘补苍, and regarding the world as impermanent, impure, and pain-producing, they persistently follow these thoughts until they realize the 蝉补尘ā诲丑颈 of thought-extinction.^[8]

The second 诲丑测ā苍补 is designated “statement-reviewing” (arthapravicaya), by which is meant an intellectual examination of statements or propositions, Buddhist or non-Buddhist, such as “Each object has its individual marks”, “罢丑别re is no personal ?tman”, 'Things are created by an external agency‖, or “things are mutually determined”; and after the examination of these themes the practicer of this 诲丑测ā苍补 turns his thought on the non-ā迟尘补苍-ness of things (诲丑补谤尘补苍补颈谤ā迟尘测补) and on the characteristic features of the various stages (产丑ū尘颈) of Bodhisattvaship, and finally in accordance with the sense involved therein he goes on with his contemplative examination.^[9]

The third 诲丑测ā苍补 is called “Attaching oneself to Thatness” (迟补迟丑补迟ā濒补尘产补苍补), whereby one realizes that to discriminate the two forms of non-ā迟尘补苍-ness is still due to an analytical speculation and that when things are truthfully (测补迟丑ā产丑ū迟补尘) perceived, no such analysis is possible, for then there obtains absolute oneness only.^[10]

The fourth and last is “罢补迟丑ā驳补迟补-诲丑测ā苍补”. In this one enters into the stage of Buddhahood where he enjoys a threefold beatitude belonging to the noble understanding of self-realization and performs wonderful deeds for the sake of all sentient beings.^[11]

Thus, the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-蝉ū迟谤补 which was handed over by Bodhidharma to his first disciple Huike is the most important scripture on the doctrinal foundation of Chan. However, because the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补sūtra presented a gradual practice of meditation in four levels to attain the Buddhahood, the development of Chan in China, which emphasized sudden enlightenment, naturally did not follow the gradual levels of meditation like Indian fashion as indicated in the 厂ū迟谤补. The four levels of 诲丑测ā苍补 of the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-蝉ū迟谤补, therefore, did not favor the Chinese mind. And, instead of the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-蝉ū迟谤补, the fifth patriarch Hongren has used the Diamond 厂ū迟谤补 to teach and enlighten his heir disciple Huineng as described in the Platform 厂ū迟谤补.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

顿ī驳丑补苍颈办ā测补.Taisho Tripi?aka (CBETA 2011). Suzuki, Studies in the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补 厂ū迟谤补, p. 59.

[2]:

Florin Giripescu Sutton, Existence and Enlightenment in the 尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补sūtra, p. 3.

[3]:

Jeffrey L. Broughton, The Bodhidharma Anthology: The Earliest Records of Zen, p. 62.

[4]:

Heinrich Dumoulin, Zen Buddhism: 础?驳耻迟迟补谤补苍颈办ā测补 History, Vol. I: India and China, p. 89.

[5]:

Ibid., p. 52.

[6]:

尝补?办ā惫补迟ā谤补-厂ū迟谤补, p. 91.

[7]:

Ibid., p. 39.

[8]:

顿ī驳丑补苍颈办ā测补. Taisho Tripi?aka (CBETA 2011). Suzuki, Essays in Zen Buddhism, Vol. I, p. 94.

[9]:

Ibid., p. 95.

[10]:

顿ī驳丑补苍颈办ā测补. Taisho Tripi?aka (CBETA 2011). Suzuki, Essays in Zen Buddhism, Vol. I, p. 95.

[11]:

Ibid.