Buddhism in China: Ch’an Berger Intro to Asian Religions

The Legendary History of Ch’an ( 禪 ) Buddhism  The culminating “flower sermon” of Buddha  Bodhidharma’s (d. 532) “four features”  Chan is a special transmission outside the scriptures,  not founded upon words or letters;  By pointing directly to one’s own mind ( 心 hsin ),  one sees into one’s inner Buddhahood.  The patronage of Shen-hsiu’s (d.706) Ch’an

The Biography of Hui-neng ( ) in the Platform Sutra  The illiterate child’s awakening (p. 508)  The initiation of Hung-jen (pp )  The poem contest with Shen-hsiu ( )  Shen-hsiu’s assertion of need for mental cultivation; mind as mirror ( 镜子 jing tzu), needs constant cleaning  Hui-neng’s assertion of “original enlightenment” in the brightness nature ( 明 性 ming hsing) of Buddha-nature  Second awakening, transmission from Hung-jen

Teachings of Hui-neng’s Platform Sutra  The oneness of meditation and awakening (511)  The dao ( 道 ) or movement of “no-thought” and the warming against clinging to thoughts (512)  Meditation as realizing the purity of one’s “original nature” ( 本 性 ben hsing ) (513)  Original “bright nature” ( 明 性 ming hsing) covered up by evil deeds that cling to “environments” (514)

Reading for Next Class  Sourcebook, ,  Response Paper 2 Due