What makes Chan Buddhism?
Chan was founded by the Indian monk Bodhidharma (short: Damo)
about 500 AD in the Song Shan Shaolin Temple. Chan became known
in the West under the Japanese term Zen.
The meditating Buddha as a statue or effigy is today often
equated with Chan. Damo's philosophy was based on the teachings
of Buddha. Damo also rejected the worship of statues and images
established after the Buddha's passing.
According to Damo, the central element of the teaching of the
historical Buddha is the enlightenment to be sought, which is to
be achieved through meditation and reflection. Damo rejected the
study of scriptures of any kind.
According to him, the transmission of Buddhism should take place
exclusively "personally" (today called "Dharma talk"). In this
process, a master does not instruct his disciples on the content
of scriptures, but directly guides the followers in conversations
by repeating the core statements (mainly "enlightenment").
According to Damo, an important element in this process is
meditation, in which the students immerse themselves in a form of
"spiritual emptiness" in order to make room for the "true
teachings" of Buddha.
However, meditation (even more so in the lotus position) is more
than difficult for the average European, since in the West the
tradition of eating, drinking or conversing cross-legged on the
floor does not exist. Just to hold the cross-legged position
calmly and relaxed, "Westerners" usually need years of practice,
while Asians are used to this sitting position from early youth.
So to find enlightenment, Europeans would first have to learn
"sitting" over a long time, and then practice meditation for more
years.
According to Damo, the goal should be the unity of the mind with
the "Buddha nature", which can only be achieved in existence.
According to this view, every human being is a Buddha, only that
the realization has been "buried" and must first be rediscovered.
From the Chan culture of Damo two different schools developed,
the northern and the southern view. The southern doctrine
prevailed, which understands enlightenment as an "event coming
towards one", while the northern one was mainly based on
meditation.
Probably the most important representative of the "Chan doctrine"
was Hui Neng, a successor of Damo.
If you look at the life story of Buddha, you start to wonder.
The Indian prince left his palace to find the "meaning of life".
In the process, he met several important masters who shaped his
views and gave him a certain direction.
For many years, however, Buddha meditated without experiencing
enlightenment. Half-starved and in a kind of trance state for
months, he had actually already given up on his goal when a woman
handed him a bowl of rice soup.
YOU AND I - WE ARE ONE. I CAN'T HURT YOU WITHOUT HURTING MYSELF
- MAHATMA GANDHI - INDIAN LAWYER - 1869 TO 1948
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