Robin Beck

Nichiren, Zen, Pure Land, & Mettawaves

Traditionally, Zen has been considered a school that teaches ji-riki, self-power, which means that you attain enlightenement through your own efforts. Pure Land has traditionally been seen as teaching ta-riki, other power, the idea that we cannot attain Buddhahood through our own efforts, but do so only through the intervention of an external agent, specifically Amida Buddha" -- Brian

This is a tad tangential, but I believe Zen and Pure Land represent off-shoots from the Buddha's teachings about Samatha Bhavana Samadhi-Dhyana, or in English, the Calming Meditations. In the provisional teachings, the Calming meditation is viewed as separate from Vipassana or Insight Meditation. The purpose of Samatha is/was to overcome the 5 Hindrances so one can/could enter into the deeper state of Dhyana-Samadhi. In Samatha, the Klesha are 'calmed' or 'quieted', but not eradicated.

In Vipassana, the Kleshas are eradicated and one attains direct insight into the 3 marks of existence. As I see it, the Prajna Paramitta is a type of Vipassana, in which the 3 marks are restated as Emptiness. It appears to me that the Prajna Paramitta has a parallel in Theravada as Vipassana-Prajna Bhavana, or Insight-Wisdom Meditation.

The Theravadin Parallel to Zen might be the Samatha-Smrti Bhavana, or in English, the Mindfulness Meditation. In think the errors of Nonin* and Eisai* were to confuse Satori with Jobutsu. I believe that Satori is likely a transliteration of Smrti or in Pali, Sati, so it is another word for 'Nen', or mindfulness. I may be wrong on that, but I still think the Satori that Nonin achieved was actually mindfulness. And while a good thing, that is not Full & Complete Awakening.

And, I suspect that the Theravadin parallel to Pure Land is found in the Samatha-Metta-Karuna Bhavana, or the Cultivation of Loving Kindness and Compassion. Perhaps Honen invoked Amida, entered a deep Jhana Absorption, and stopped there? Certainly, Nena* and, later on, Ippen*, were teaching jhana absorptions. (As are the modern Krishnas and some Christians groups that go into ecstatic trances and talk in tongues).

At any rate, our Nichiren practice is based upon syncretic 'Shikan' (Samatha-Vipassana) and is inclusive of all of the above. The self power and other power analysis is actually a way of viewing the Mindfulness and Metta Samatha practices as separate. Depending on how we look it, this sells both/either short and/or exaggerates what they are.

From what little I have read, it is really hard to pigeon-hole the modern Pure Land and Zen Schools. They all seem fairly syncretic-eclectic to me. Some 'Zenners' might confuse Mindfulness with Insight, and Some Pure Landers may confuse a deep Jhana Absorption with the goal. But we see the same errors among those who practice Theravada, Vajra, and other schools. Maybe that is not as bad as confusing winning a new Corvette with Jobutsu?

metta

robin
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*Dainichi Nonin, circa mid 1100s. A Tendai monk who founded the Daruma-Zenshu based upon his reading of Zen texts. Nonin received his transmission by correspondence from Fuzhao Dequang, by sending two students to China to look for a Chan Master willing to do this.

*Myoan Eisai(April 20, 1141–July 5, 1215) was a Japanese Buddhist priest, credited with bringing the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism and green tea from China to Japan. The Rinzai school; Chinese: Linji Zong or Lin-chi Tsung is one of the two major Japanese Zen sects. It is known for its emphasis on sudden enlightenment, and the use of methods such as the koan to achieve this end.

Kenchoji was founded by Hojo Tokiyori in 1253. It is one of the oldest Rinzai Zen temples of Japan, and the first one built in Kamakura. Its first head priest was Rankei Doryu, a Zen priest from China. Kenchoji is the main temple of the Kenchoji school.

Kamakura Jôrakuji was founded by Gyôyû, under the patronage of Regent Hôjô Yasutoki, in 1237, for the combined practice and study of Zen, Tendai, and Shingon. When Dôryû came to Kamakura, the Shikken Hôjô Tokiyori offered him Jôrakuji as his temporary residence, and began to build him a new temple. Kenchôji was completed in 1253, the same year Rench0/Nichiren returned from Kyoto.

The Rinzai Zen Sect had already been introduced to Kamakura, by Eisai in 1200. Masako, widow of Minamoto-no-Yoritomo, had built Jufukuji Temple for Eisai, but did not allow him to use it exclusively for Zen.

Nichiren returned to Kamakura from Awa in 1268. The whole nation of Japan was astonished that a Mongolian invasion, as pedicted by Nichiren, before his flight to Awa, was actually pending. Nichiren's followers were, instead, proud of their master's foresight and his followers increased in number. He subsequently sent eleven letters of remonstration to top-ranking officials, including the regent, Hojo Tokimune; the deputy chief of military and police affairs, Hei no
Saemon; and the two most influential priests in Kamakura **Rankei Doryu** & Ninnsho Ryokan.
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*Nena The founding Priest of Kamakura Komyoji, Nena Ryochu (1199-1288), was a third generation disciple of Jodo Shu founder Honen. His teacher was a direct disciple of Priest Honen (1133-1212). Ryochu came to Kamakura in 1240, to propagate the exclusive Nembutsu practice. Tsunetoki Hojo (1214-1246), the fourth Kamakura Regent (1242-1246), was the founding sponsor of Nena's Temple.

Rather than repenting and reforming themselves, the followers of Nena were taught to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land, known as Sukhavati, or Jodo. Daia was a disciple of Nena. When Rencho (Nichiren) heard about the tragic death of Daia, he is said to have rejected Honen's teaching. Highly trained Pure Land Priests like Daia were expected to pass blissfully.

Ippen (1239-1289): According to the Jodo School, Amida Nyorai (Amitabha in Sanskrit) and 2 Bodhisattvas would appear at the moment of one's death and one to the Western Paradise. Ippen advanced the Pure Land concept further, saying that reciting the name of the Amida Buddha, called nembutsu, give salvation to the faithful while they are alive, not after death. Later in 1279, he combined Nembutsu with dancing. This ecstatic dancing and nembutsu mix became quite popular.
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Posted by rbeck at March 30, 2005 12:41 AM