PHIL 104

(ASIA 104/RELS 104)

San Jose State University

Instructor: Bo Mou
HANDOUT 21

Buddhism

6.4

Chan/Zen Buddhism: A Synthesis of Mahayana Buddhism and Philosophical Daoism

The Chinese term Chan (its Japanese reading is Zen) is the Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit term Dhyana,
meaning Meditation. Indeed, the Chan Buddhism is known for its unique characterization of meditation.
Chan/Zen Buddhism is a synthesis of the School of Empty (the Madhyamika school) in Mahayana Buddhism and
Philosophical Daoism. The Chan/Zen Buddhism has been described as a radical reformation or revolution in
Buddhism for the following reason. Zen is one of the products of the Chinese mind, largely philosophical Daoism,
after its contact with Indian thought, which was introduced into China in the first century A.D. through the medium
of Buddhist teachings. As Suzuki, a contemporary authority on Zen, characterized: in Zen the Chinese mind
completely asserted itself, in a sense, in opposition to the Indian mind. Zen could not rise and flourish in any other
land or among any other people. For example, Buddhist meditation changed its character in China via Chan/Zen
almost from the very beginning of the inception of Buddhism in China: it was mixed up with Daoist thought and
method; meditation was not understood in the Indian sense of concentration but in the Daoist sense of the direct
enlightenment through conserving vital energy, breathing, reducing desire, preserving nature, and so forth.
The major points of Chan/Zen Buddhism
Cf., Course Package, Part I, 6.2

The Inexpressible First Principle

In our last class meeting, we discussed the theory of double-truth proposed by the Middle Way School or School of
Emptiness (Kong Zong in Chinese) and its being kindred in spirit with Daoism in some aspect and to some extent.
Chan/Zen combines the Mind Way School with Daoism in this aspect; what is called higher sense truth on the
third level is called by Chanists the First Principle. On this level, according to the Middle Way School, one cannot
affirm anything regarding the higher sense truth---one characteristic state of Emptiness or Wu; in Chanist terms, the
first principle is inexpressible: (i) the external Dao as a whole cannot be exhausted by any expressions; and (ii) any
conceptualization with distinction and definiteness would distort the first principle. In a paradoxical way, the
knowledge of the first principle is characterized as knowledge that is non-knowledge; or, in a non-paradoxical way,
the knowledge of the first principle is knowledge that is beyond the knowledge that is conventionally characterized
as consisting of definite concepts and categorized distinctions.
Note that some dualistic character in Indian Buddhism influences the point here. What is interesting is the relation
between what can be expressed and what cannot be expressed

Method of Cultivation

By the same token, in a paradoxical way, the Chanist method of cultivation is characterized as cultivation that is
non-cultivation or cultivation in terms of non-cultivation; in a non-paradoxical way, it is cultivation without
deliberate effort and purposeful mindto cultivate oneself naturally. Note the relation between initial deliberate
and conscious cultivation and cultivation without deliberate and conscious efforts and the distinction between
original naturalness as gift of nature and cultivation through non-cultivation as product of the cultivation.

Sudden Enlightenment

The practice of cultivation is in itself, only a sort of preparatory work; to achieve Buddhahood, this cultivation must
be climaxed by a Sudden Enlightenment, which is a psychological leap in quality to reach comprehension of the
Dao (being one with the Dao). In such Enlightenment, all distinctions are gone (Emptiness) to the effect that

knowledge and truth become undifferentiable, objects and spirit form a single unity, and there ceases to be a
distinction between the experiencer and the experienced (like one who drinks water knows by oneself whether it is
cold or warm).

The Attainment of Non-attainment

The attainment of Sudden Enlightenment does not imply the attainment of anything further or something else. If
there be Enlightenment, everything pertains to Buddha and everywhere there is Buddha. What is different is the
person himself who is enlightened, although what the person does is no different from what everyone else does and
from what the person did before.

Questions to Think About

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(1) What are major distinction between Hinayana Buddhism and Mahayana (the Great Vehicle) Buddhism?
(2) Give a comparative examination of Chan/Zen Buddhism on cultivation and Laozi on Wu-wei.
(3) Give a comparative examination of the Yin-Yang, Hegelian, and Buddhist transformational models and explain
how these three models could make some joint contribution to our understanding of transformation and
development. (Cf., CACP, pp.60-68)

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