From Theravada to Mahayana
In the centuries
following the death of the Buddha, the Sangha (Buddhist community) split
into various groups and subgroups; although these different traditions
generally maintained close contact with each other, the “first schism” between the Sthaviravada [Pali: Theravada] (Doctrine of the
Elders) and the Mahasangika (Great
Community) eventually hardened into a major division between two
significantly different approaches to Buddhism....In later centuries, the term Mahayana came to denote a movement self-consciously distinct from what some of its adherents called the Hinayana,
or Lesser Vehicle, their derogatory term for the mainstream that denied
the authority of the Mahayana sutras and continued to adhere to the
goal of arhatship. But evidence from [the first century BCE to the second century CE] shows that
the authors of the early bodhisattva sutras saw the Mahayana not as a
separate social or sectarian movement, but simply as one of three
soteriological options [i.e. to become an arhat, a pratyekabuddha, or a Tathagata], all well within the traditional fold.
Sariputra, let us suppose that somewhere...[there
was a householder who was] wealthy and enjoying life. Suppose
that he had a great mansion....And suppose that this mansion had a
single door....And suppose that all of a sudden the whole mansion burst
forth into flames, that the householder managed himself to get out, but
that he had several little boys who were still inside....So he called out to the little boys:
“Come, my children, get out! The house is ablaze with a mass of
flames! Do not stay there, or you will all be burned in the
conflagration and come to misfortune and disaster!”
But the little boys did not pay any attention
to the words of the man, though he desired only their well-being.
They were not perturbed, not afraid, not frightened....Instead, they
ran around playing here and there, occasionally gazing out at their
father. Why? Simply because of their being foolish children.
So then, Sariputra, the man thought:
“...I should by some skillful means [upaya]
cause these children to come out of the house.” Now the man knew
the mental dispositions of his children and understood their interests,
and he knew that there were many kinds of toys that pleased them....So
he said to them: “Children, all of those toys that are pleasing
to you—for instance, little ox carts, goat carts,
and deer carts—so dear and captivating; well, I
have put all of them outside the gate of the house! I will give
each of you whatever you need and want. Come quickly! Come
out for the sake of these playthings!”
Then the little boys...quickly dashed out of the
burning house at great speed....However, Sariputra, that man then gave
his children...ox carts only....And, Sariputra, that man
reflected: “I am very wealthy and have many treasures and
storehouses; I could give other vehicles to these children, but why
should I? All of these children are my children, and all of them
are dear and delightful to me. I should think of all of my
children as being equal and the same [and should give all of them the
best vehicle].”
 Most
simply, the word bodhisattva can be defined as meaning “a
being headed for Buddhahood,” that is, a being in whom the aspiration
for complete enlightenment has been roused. In Mainstream [i.e.
Theravada] Buddhism, the word refers primarily
to the Buddha Gautama prior to his enlightenment (in all of his past
lives as a bodhisattva), and to the future Buddha Maitreya,
who is presently a bodhisattva, awaiting his turn for Buddhahood.
In the Mahayana, however, every sentient being can be seen as
ultimately “headed for Buddhahood” and so is potentially or actually on
the bodhisattva path....The motivating force
behind the actual practice
of the bodhisattva path is the element of compassion, the desire to help
alleviate the sufferings of others, either by guiding them to
enlightenment or by assisting in more material ways. This factor,
it is sometimes claimed, is one of the things that differentiated the
bodhisattva from the arhat, and in some contexts, as we shall see, it
led to the notion of bodhisattvas who reject the option of arhatship in
order to continue to work in samsara for the welfare of all sentient
beings. [The Experience of Buddhism, 173] |
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From India to China
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The Huayan Sutra
Indra’s Net
The jeweled net of
Sakra is also called Indra’s Net, and is made up of jewels. The
jewels
are shiny and reflect each other successively, their images permeating
each
other over and over. In a single jewel they all appear at the
same time,
and this can be seen in each and every jewel. There is really no
coming
or going.
Now if we turn to
the
southwest direction and pick up
one of the jewels to examine it, we will see that this one jewel can
immediately reflect the images of all of the other jewels. Each
of the
other jewels will do the same. Each jewel will simultaneously
reflect the
images of all the jewels in this manner, as will all of the other
jewels. The images are repeated and multiplied in each other in a manner that
is
unbounded. Within the boundaries of a single jewel are contained
the
unbounded repetition and profusion of the images of all the
jewels. The
reflections are exceedingly clear and are completely unhindered.
If you sit in one
jewel, you will at that instant be
sitting repeatedly in all of the other jewels in all directions. Why is
this? It is because one jewel contains all the other
jewels. Since
all the jewels are contained in this one jewel, you are sitting at that
moment
in all the jewels. The converse that all are in one follows the
same line
of reasoning. Through one jewel you enter all jewels without
having to
leave that one jewel, and in all jewels you enter one jewel without
having to
rise from your seat in the one jewel. [Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene
Bloom (compilers), Sources of
Chinese Tradition, Second Edition, Volume 1 (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1999), 473]
Constantly Sitting
Constantly
Walking
 Chih-i identifies the
first of the four kinds of samadhi [the samadhi through constant
sitting] with the practice known as i-hsing
san-mei, rendered here as “one-practice
samadhi.”...As Chih-i describes it in the Mo-ho chih-kuan, one-practice
samadhi is to be performed in a quiet room or a secluded and
untrammeled spot. The essential requisite is that the immediate
environs be free of any disturbance, human or otherwise. Only a
single rope bed for meditation is to be placed in the hall; no other
seats or daises should be added. The practice itself lasts for a
fixed period of ninety days and may be performed alone or in a small
group. Over the entire duration of this three-month period the
meditator applies himself zealously to the practice of sitting
motionless in the traditional “lotus”
meditation posture. With the exception of brief stretches of
walking meditation and attending to such necessities as eating and
relieving himself, he vows never to sleep, lie down, stand, wander
aimlessly about, or lean against any object for support. For this
reason the practice is referred to as “constantly
sitting.”...
Chih-i
distinguishes two basic approaches to meditative practice in this
one-practice
samadhi: the radical approach of
directly contemplating the reality of the Dharma-realm (or the
Dharma-body of
the Buddha) and the more expedient approach of concentrating the mind
on the
name, idealized image, and merits (the body of form) of a particular
Buddha....
Constantly
walking samadhi
is identified with the practice known as...pratyutpanna samadhi, [shorthand
for] “the
samadhi wherein one finds oneself standing face to face with all the
Buddhas of the present age.”...Like the one-practice samadhi, the pratyutpanna samadhi is to be
performed in isolation. The  meditator selects and adorns a hall for
practice, prepares all the necessary accoutrements of offering, and
lays out various delicacies, fruit, incense, and flowers. Having
washed himself thoroughly, he changes into a new set of robes, which is
to be worn at all times in the inner sanctuary where the practice is
performed. Whenever he leaves this chamber to tend to
necessities, he changes once again into an older set. The
practice itself lasts for a fixed period of ninety days, over the
duration of which the meditator must continuously circumambulate an
altar to the Buddha Amitabha. He vows never to entertain worldly
thoughts or desires, never to lie down or leave the hall, and, aside
from the times when he eats his meals, never arbitrarily to sit down or
stop to rest until the three months are completed. [The Experience of Buddhism,
303-4] |
From Tiantai to Tendai
Saicho/Dengyo Daishi
Enryakuji on Mt. Hiei
Marathon Monks
VIDEO 294.30952 M32s
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