Read a chapter from Dr.
Thien-An's book,
Zen
Philosophy, Zen Practice
Self-Power
and Other-Power
CHAPTER 12
Zen Buddhism emphasizes man's
ability to develop himself through his own inner strength and states
that by his determination and constant practice he can attain the state
of enlightenment and spiritual perfection known as Buddhahood. This
reliance upon one's own effort as the way to enlightenment is known as
"self-power," and the philosophy of self-power forms the basis for
practice in both the Rinzai and Soto schools of Zen. However, Buddhism
includes not only the conception of self-power, but also the conception
of an "other-power," the compassionate power radiating from the heart of
Amita Buddha, the glorified Buddha of the Great Vehicle. The philosophy
of the "other-power" provides the central conception of Pure Land
Buddhism, a devotional form of Buddhism which flourished in China,
Vietnam, Korea and Japan. But the concept of the other-power is not
altogether foreign to Zen. In Zen Buddhism there have been attempts to
fuse the concepts of self-power and other-power into a synthetic whole,
and the result of this synthesis has been very fruitful for both theory
and practice.
The union of self-power and
other-power runs throughout the practice of Zen in China and Vietnam,
and while the two main Japanese Zen sects, Rinzai and Soto, tend to
emphasize self-power exclusively, there is a third sect called Obaku
Zen, which takes the fusion of the two powers as its basic method of
cultivation. Some scholars, such as D. T. Suzuki, do not regard the
reliance upon the "other" as authentic Zen, but this author's viewpoint
is different. Any method which leads to the calming and purification of
the mind and the realization of our true nature can be considered as
Zen. Zen is the Japanese equivalent of the Sanskrit word dhyana,
"concentration" or "meditation." If the method of combining self-power
and other-power as practiced in the syncretic Zen schools leads to the
attainment of a concentrated mind and the opening of enlightenment, then
that method is legitimate Zen.
The methods of self-power and
other-power were both originally taught by Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder
of Buddhism. According to the teaching of the Buddha, every living being
has a Buddha nature. Therefore, it is within the potential of every man
to realize that Buddha nature and to become enlightened. But to reach
that state is a tremendously difficult task, calling for dauntless
courage and unflinching will power. Thus, very few people are capable of
reaching enlightenment by themselves; very few have the required
spiritual qualification. For the majority of people it is necessary to
rely upon the help of others, and here we find the germ of the
"other-power" schools. It is as if a boat were wrecked while floating
down a river. Those who are good swimmers would be able to save
themselves, but what are they to do who cannot swim as well! They must
call for help and rely upon a better swimmer to bring them to the safety
of the riverbank. In other words, they must rely upon someone else to
save them. Similarly, while we all have the potential to become Buddhas,
very few can accomplish Buddhahood through their own unaided striving.
Most must rely upon the help of others to reach the safe shore of
enlightenment.
In Obaku Zen and the Pure Land
schools, practitioners rely upon the compassionate power of Amita
Buddha. This may sound rather remote from orthodox Zen, but if we
consider the matter carefully, we will find that the difference between
Obaku Zen and Pure Land Buddhism on the one hand, and the Rinzai and
Soto Zen schools on the other, is only a difference of degree, not of
kind. Practice in Rinzai and Soto requires the Master to teach the
student how to sit, how to discipline his mind, how to work with the
koan or practice shikantaza, and he depends upon the wisdom and
spiritual skill of the Master to guide him to enlightenment.
Without the constant prodding of
the Master, how many people would reach satori! True, the Zen master
cannot give enlightenment, but still he stands as a hand reaching to the
disciple from the "other shore," ever ready to extend to him whatever
help he requires. Now if the Zen master is able to assist in the
struggle to reach enlightenment, then how much more help can we expect
from the Master who has reached Perfect Enlightenment, the Buddha! The
Zen master can help because he has realized a certain amount of wisdom
and compassion. And so the Buddha can provide us with inexhaustible help
because he has reached the state of perfect wisdom and infinite
compassion. Even the very existence of the path of self-power is in a
sense due to the "other-power" of the Buddha. For it was the Buddha who
in his compassion taught the path to enlightenment and thereby made that
path accessible to mankind. The Buddha is the person who helps us by
showing us the Way, and we are the persons who work and practice it by
ourselves. That is a union of self-power and other-power. If the
self-power and other-power work together to assist each other, then we
can go anywhere, reach anywhere we wish. By fusing these two powers in
our daily practice, we can enter the gates of enlightenment and abide in
the city of Nirvana.
According to the Buddha, there
were in the past other Buddhas who were his predecessors, and there will
be in the future other Buddhas who will be his successors. The Buddha
who is the primary focus of devotion in the Pure Land schools and in
Obaku Zen is a Buddha of the remote past called Amita Buddha. Many aeons
ago, the story told by Sakyamuni Buddha goes, there lived a Bodhisattva
named Dharmakara, who practiced the meditations of compassion and
loving-kindness. In his meditation he saw that all living beings are
subject to suffering, to the sorrows of birth, old age, illness and
death. Witnessing this suffering aroused in him a great compassion, and
out of this compassion he vowed that when he attained Buddhahood he
would create a special paradise in the Western region where there would
be no more suffering. Through the power of his vow he would enable any
living being recollecting his name and calling upon his help to be
reborn in the Western paradise. Since the Bodhisattva Dharmakara, after
several long aeons of self-cultivation, did attain Perfect Enlightenment
and become the Buddha Amita, this means that his Great Vow is now a
reality. The paradise has been established and is accessible to all who
with a mind of sincere faith take refuge in the compassion and grace of
Amita Buddha.
The Western paradise is not,
however, the final goal for the Pure Land Buddhist, not even for those
who seek rebirth there. Rather, it is an intermediary abode where the
most favorable conditions for self-cultivation have been set up and
secured. While there are some men who by practicing can reach
enlightenment in this world, many find difficult obstacles confronting
them along the path. The necessity for work, the attractions of the
senses, the threat of illness and infirmity and the gross entanglements
of materiality all stand as barriers across our path. In the Western
Paradise none of these barriers are present. Everything there is
radiant, peaceful and beautiful. No defilements can be found, for all
shines with purity. Therefore, the country of Amita Buddha is called the
Pure Land. Those who are reborn into the Pure Land dwell in the midst of
lotus flowers. They are always in the presence of Amita Buddha and the
assemblies of Bodhisattvas presided over by the Bodhisattva Kwan-Yin,
the embodiment of universal compassion. In the midst of these pure
conditions it is easy to develop concentration and wisdom and attain
Perfect Enlightenment.
The way to attain rebirth in the
Western Paradise is by devotion to Amita Buddha. This devotion is
expressed by reciting the sutras that teach about Amita, by chanting His
Name, by meditating upon His Image and by calling to mind His Wisdom,
Virtue and Compassion. Those who are capable of placing single-minded
faith in the Great Vow of Amita will enter the Pure Land where they will
meet all favorable conditions for practice and never again fall into
this world of suffering. This way is called the "easy path" (Jap. igyo)
in contrast to the "difficult path" (nangyo) of self-power. The practice
of the "easy path" is very popular in China, Vietnam, Korea and
Mongolia, and also in the Pure Land schools of Japan, the Jodoshu and
the Jodoshinshu. Belief in the "otherpower" of the Buddha also helps us
to develop our selfpower. Therefore, in the Far East a form of practice
was developed by Mahayana Buddhists which combines formal meditation
with the chanting of the Buddha's name.
In this method the practitioners
sit before an image of the Buddha and chant the Buddha's name, quietly
and calmly, while at the same time meditating upon the Buddha image or
an internalized visualization of the Buddha. As the mind deepens in
meditation, a point is reached where subject and object become one. No
longer is the Buddha the object and the meditator the subject, but the
meditator becomes one with the Buddha. When this happens, this is the
state of "One Mind Samadhi," and here there is no longer any distinction
between Zen and Pure Land, self-power or other-power, wisdom or
compassion, for all has become merged into the brightness of the
Infinite Light.
According to a popular Buddhist
belief, whenever a person aspires to become a Buddhist, a lotus-flower
blossoms in the Pure Land. When a person becomes a Buddhist, this means
that he is beginning to practice the way of wisdom, compassion and
virtue, so by the operation of the law of cause and effect, in the
perfect world created by the compassion of Amita Buddha, a lotus flower,
the symbol of inner spiritual awakening, awaits his rebirth into the
realm of spiritual perfection. The Western paradise is called the Pure
Land because it is the land of purity, and all who are reborn there are
pure. Everything in the Pure Land teaches the Dharma. Even the birds
sing the songs of the Dharma, the rivers hum sutras as they go flowing
by and flowers blossom in harmony with the blossoming of wisdom. In the
Pure Land everything is a stepping stone on the way to Perfect
Enlightenment.
This concept is similar to the
teaching of Zen. In Zen we do not learn only from a book or teacher, but
from everything, and we do not learn only in a temple or a meditation
center, but everywhere. For Zen is experience itself, the truth of life
as it is ever flowing by and encompassing us on all sides. So if we
approach life with an open mind, everything can be our teacher. The way
of Zen is not a withdrawal from life, but the realization of truth in
all the activities of everyday life. We can learn from our fellow men,
from the arts. This is why Zen developed the cultivation of such arts as
gardening, poetry, painting, tea ceremony and flower arrangement -- as
expressions of and keys to the attainment of enlightenment. Zen has even
found a vehicle in the martial arts. The first supporters of Zen when it
was introduced from China to Japan were the samurai, the warrior class,
who found in Zen's emphasis on self-control and equanimity of mind a
method of discipline conducive to their own ends. Zen has also
influenced the development of techniques of self-defense like judo and
karate. The principle underlying these different applications of Zen is
that any field of activity can serve as a means for realizing the truth
of Zen. In the same way, according to the Pure Land teaching, everything
in the Paradise of Amita Buddha is a teacher of the Dharma.
There are three methods of
meditation practiced in the combined Zen-Pure Land schools. The first is
the chanting of the Buddha's name. The second method is the meditation
upon the form of the Buddha. The follower chooses a particularly
appealing image of the Buddha and begins by focusing upon that image
until he can picture it clearly for himself; then he closes his eyes and
tries to visualize the form of the Buddha internally. The third method
is to meditate upon the virtues of the Buddha. The Buddha is the
embodiment of perfect wisdom and infinite compassion. Either one or both
of these virtues together may be taken as the subject of practice. If we
choose the compassion of the Buddha, we reflect that the Buddha's
compassion makes no distinction between subject and object or between
enemies and friends, but pours down upon all equally.
This compassion is different from
ordinary love. Ordinary love works according to various discriminations:
we love ourselves, but not others; our relatives, but not strangers; our
friends, but not enemies. However, the compassion of the Buddha extends
equally to everyone. Like the Buddha, we should extend our love and
compassion outward to all alike, to everyone everywhere, without making
any distinctions. Again, if we choose to meditate on the Buddha's
wisdom, we imagine the light of wisdom radiating from the figure of the
Buddha and growing larger and larger and brighter and brighter until it
merges with our own inner light. At this point we and the Buddha become
one. When this stage is reached, then this world will become transformed
into the Pure Land, this Samsara become Nirvana, and all the bliss and
purity of the Western paradise become realized in the here and now of
everyday life. Here the Zen and Pure Land schools meet in that common
center from which they both emanate, the One Mind of Buddha, which is
our own true and permanent Essence of Mind.
---o0o---
Source:http://www.ibmc.info/ibmc2/zpzp.html
Update :
01-04-2003
