Before delving into the study and sharing of the “Sutra of Contemplating the Infinite Life of Buddha”, there is a very important Buddhist concept that needs to be thoroughly discussed, which will aid in the understanding of the scriptures. This concept is Zen meditation (Chán dìng).We often mention “Zen meditation” when discussing the three studies of precepts, meditation, and wisdom, but the concept has not been explored in depth. Today, we will dedicate a session to clarify this concept as much as possible.The approaches to practice in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism differ. The fundamental teachings of Theravada are established on the understanding and overcoming of karma, with its practice focusing on the Four Noble Truths (suffering, origin, cessation, path); while the fundamental teachings of Mahayana are based on Prajñā, with its practice focusing on the Six Perfections (dāna, śīla, kṣānti, dhyāna, vīrya, prajñā).Both the Four Noble Truths and the Six Perfections can be encompassed within the three studies, which belong to the path of the Four Noble Truths, thus referred to as the three unconditioned studies.Zen meditation is the study of meditation within the three studies.The core of the study of precepts is the precepts themselves, aimed at stopping evil and cultivating good, and controlling the mind through precepts.The study of meditation is Zen meditation, aimed at calming the mind and generating concentration through the precepts.The purpose of the study of wisdom is to generate wisdom, dispel ignorance, and realize the truth.It has been repeatedly mentioned that when the Buddha entered Nirvana, he left behind his final teaching: “Make precepts your teacher”, which emphasizes the importance of maintaining precepts. However, the “precepts” that the Buddha referred to are not merely about the superficial observance of precepts, but rather about controlling the actions of body and mind based on the precepts; achieving the secret realm of Zen meditation; and developing supreme enlightenment and wisdom from that secret realm.When wisdom is fully developed, the three studies are also fully realized. Those on the path of Theravada can attain the Four Noble Truths and escape personal life and death; while those practicing Mahayana can cultivate the Six Perfections, achieving self-enlightenment and helping others to escape the cycle of life and death.The most fundamental practice of Buddhism is the three studies (precepts, meditation, wisdom). Regardless of any sect or knowledge, as long as one is a Buddhist, all Buddhist practices revolve around the three studies of precepts, meditation, and wisdom.Practicing the three studies is the fundamental program for realizing Buddhist teachings. The path of Theravada ultimately leads to personal liberation from life and death; while Mahayana leads to liberation from the life and death of all beings, highlighting that humanity’s greatest and most fundamental issue is indeed the problem of life and death.It has been repeatedly introduced that from the perspective of Buddhist understanding, beyond life and death, there is no greater matter. The sutras often say, “The Buddha comes for one great matter”, referring to the great matter of liberating beings from life and death. The purpose of Buddhism is to teach us to seek enlightenment and liberation from the cycle of life and death. Since beings have various different roots, there will be corresponding methods for each, and with 84,000 afflictions, there are 84,000 methods to counter them.Regardless of which method you follow, the three studies of precepts, meditation, and wisdom remain unchanged; the purpose of learning Buddhism (to seek enlightenment and liberation from life and death) remains unchanged, whether for self-benefit or for the benefit of others, self-enlightenment and helping others is the most fundamental.The six sequential steps of practice are: faith, learning, practice, realization, action, and certification.Thus, the process of learning and practicing Buddhism begins with “faith”; without faith, everything else is invalid. After faith comes understanding, as faith without understanding is superstition, and understanding without practice is externalism. “Understanding” includes three points (learning, practice, realization), whether self-studying in the scriptures or learning with a teacher, “learning” is very important; after learning, one must “practice”, which means applying the learned theory into practice for verification; the purpose of practice is “realization”, to gain insight through practice. After realization comes “action”, which is not a personal matter, but to widely practice the Dharma, following the Buddha’s aspirations and the guidance of the Dharma, and the spirit of Bodhisattva practice. Finally, one must “certify”, achieving supreme enlightenment and realization.Regardless of any method or sect, the faith is fundamentally about these steps, and the sequential order is also these steps. Each step involves the practice of precepts, meditation, and wisdom, indicating that “Zen meditation” is very important. For now, we will set aside the discussions on precepts and wisdom, as meditation is the key method for learning, understanding, and practicing Buddhism, ultimately realizing the teachings of Buddhism.The common misunderstanding of Zen meditation in the secular world
Is Zen meditation merely what we understand as sitting in meditation? Must one achieve a certain state or supernatural powers through sitting? Must sitting involve specific sensations? Is sitting a form of qigong that must result in sweating and a feeling of vitality? Let’s pose these questions here and answer them through the following study.
The terminology of Zen meditationFirst, the term “Zen meditation” is a compound word from Sanskrit and Chinese. “Zen” is derived from the Sanskrit word Dhyana, which combines with the Chinese term for “stillness and concentration” to form Zen meditation. The old translation referred to it as “thought cultivation” (where “thought cultivation” is not the same as our common term “thinking”). The new translation also refers to it as still contemplation, abandoning evil, and has another familiar name: “forest of merits”.Forest of meritsWe often say, “When a thought of anger arises, it burns down the forest of merits”. In relation to the concept of Zen meditation, we find that this saying means that as soon as the thought of anger arises, Zen meditation is disrupted, and the corresponding concentration is broken. Therefore, the “forest of merits” refers to Zen meditation, still contemplation, and dhyana.Thought cultivationThe specific meaning of thought cultivation is the understanding of the object of contemplation, which means “using a single-minded contemplation to cultivate understanding as the cause, and achieving a concentrated mind as the result”. This is a causal relationship (Note: “thought” is not “maintain”, as “thought cultivation” refers to a kind of sacred and virtuous contemplation, not the mundane thinking of ordinary people. “Thought cultivation” can be replaced by the “contemplation” of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva in the Heart Sutra, specifically manifested as the “seeing that the five aggregates are empty”, which is very close to “thought”).Still contemplationStill contemplation means “the mind is tranquil and can discern”. “Discern” means to assess the situation and understand. Together, it means that the mind is so tranquil that it can discern, contemplate, and think. This “contemplation” has a certain direction, referring to wisdom, so still contemplation is also called equal shadow observation, which is why Zen meditation is referred to as “Zen observation”.DhyanaDhyana is essentially a method of concentrating the mind, and is often simply referred to as concentration. The term “concentration” has many synonyms, such as Samadhi, Samabody, etc., all referring to concentration. This “concentration” is described in detail as “the mind is fixed in one place and does not move”.The synonyms for “concentration” are numerous, including right concentration, right absorption, straight concentration, one-pointedness of mind, right mindfulness, and we often say right mindfulness (right mindfulness is non-thought). Today, it is clear that right mindfulness is “the mind fixed in one place and does not move”, which is concentration, which is non-thought.In the “Great Wisdom Treatise”, it is described as “a good mind dwelling in one place without moving, is called samadhi; all actions combined are called samadhi; all Zen meditations are also called concentration, which is called samadhi; all Zen meditations that capture the mind are called samatha” (“good mind” refers to the mind of the path, not a kind heart; “good” refers to the “path”). “The mind has been curved and unstraight since the beginning of time (“curved” means bent, “straight” means upright), obtaining this right mind, the mind becomes straight, just like a snake that always curves when entering a bamboo tube, it becomes straight”.This means that all Zen meditations capturing these contemplative processes are called Samadhi, which can be directly understood in Chinese as “right mind action”. Since time immemorial, our thoughts have often been scattered, and our minds have been disordered and impure. If we use the method of Zen meditation to capture our thoughts, they will become quiet and simple, just like a snake that crawls into a straight bamboo tube, thus becoming straight. This is a regulation of the mind.All of the above content defines Zen meditation, including descriptions of its terminology. Of course, due to the different purposes and contexts of various schools practicing Zen meditation, the internal observations differ, and the corresponding methods of practice also vary, leading to different starting points for practice. Therefore, there are many interpretations of Zen meditation from various schools. However, its function, or the effect that Zen practice aims to achieve, remains unchanged, which is to focus the mind and thoughts, specifically to “let the mind settle in one place”, which does not change. Thus, regardless of the expression, we must understand what the unchanging core meaning is.The forms of Zen meditationHaving introduced the terminology of Zen meditation, let’s now look at its forms. Zen meditation can “invoke various merits”, which can trigger various merits, and its by-products can stimulate so-called supernatural powers and extraordinary abilities.Equal holding and equal invokingIn Zen meditation studies, there are two phrases: “equal holding leads to concentration and dispersion, equal invoking leads to a concentrated mind”. “Concentration and dispersion” refer to concentrated and scattered minds, as mentioned in the “Great Wisdom Treatise” where it says “always harmonizing and curving”. “Concentrated mind” means the mind remains in one state; “scattered mind” refers to the mind being scattered and often clinging to the six dusts, namely form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma, following the six dusts and changing thoughts constantly. “Concentrated mind” is the achievement of sages; “scattered mind” is the nature of ordinary people. Concentrated mind can be divided into conditioned and unconditioned; scattered mind can be divided into good, evil, and indeterminate.Thus, the previous statement means: equal holding can connect the two minds of concentration and dispersion, meaning that equal holding Samadhi can connect both concentrated and scattered minds, allowing for tranquility; equal invoking Samahita can only exist in a concentrated mind, meaning that only in a concentrated mind can the distinctions of conditioned and unconditioned be made. The “equal invoking” in a concentrated mind can trigger supernatural powers, while a scattered mind cannot achieve supernatural powers in Zen meditation, which is key.Equal arriving, equal operating, cessation, observation, and letting goAfter understanding the previous concepts of “equal holding and equal invoking”, let’s look at the other names of Zen meditation forms. The most familiar should be “breath control”. Breath control is the Sanskrit term Anapana, which is transliterated as Anāpanā, abbreviated as Anapan, meaning holding the in-breath and out-breath.Anapanā (Anapana) is actually a preparatory work before entering Zen meditation, belonging to the initial stage, which is the method of breathing before entering concentration (the way of breathing).To enter concentration, but not yet in concentration, this state is called equal arriving (meaning arriving, the Sanskrit term is somepatti); while in the state of concentration is called equal operating (the Sanskrit term is Samapana); when the mind is one-pointed, it is called equal holding (which is Samadhi); when the function of concentration is present, it is called equal invoking (which is Samahita); then the cessation in concentration is called cessation (this is the familiar shamatha); the observation in concentration is called observation (this is vipashyana); and the letting go in concentration is called letting go (this is upaśama). This is the entire sequence of Zen meditation.The sequence of Zen meditationFrom the entry into Zen meditation through breath control (Anapanā) to the equal arriving (desiring to enter concentration); during concentration, it is equal operating; when the mind is one-pointed, it is equal holding; when the function of concentration is present, it is equal invoking; during cessation in concentration, it is cessation; during observation in concentration, it is observation; and during letting go in concentration, it is letting go. This is a complete process from Zen to Samadhi.In this process, the content introduced, the contexts, and the methods differ, forming various methods of Zen practice. As previously mentioned, samadhi is concentration, which is an infinite state of concentration. We can observe emptiness samadhi, living samadhi, non-thought samadhi, non-wish samadhi, and so on, such as the Lotus Samadhi, the Shurangama Samadhi, etc. These are various different Zen practices.Classification of Zen meditationIn the “Mahayana Treatise on the Six Perfections”, it is stated that “due to the various roots of beings, corresponding methods to counter these afflictions will differ, thus the methods of Zen meditation will have different openings, terminologies, and forms”, which is what we refer to as non-common practices. Non-common practices are essentially what we call secret practices, hence Zen meditation is considered a secret method due to its non-common practice characteristics.In addition to these different Zen practices, or the different main deities of these methods, such as the often mentioned Avalokiteśvara meditation, Medicine Buddha meditation, Amitabha meditation, etc.; there are also the practices of Theravada Zen such as the contemplation of bones, contemplation of impurity, etc. Besides these, there are also the systems and corresponding classifications of methods.The four classifications of Zen in the Lankavatara SutraFirst, the Zen of foolish beings;Second, the Zen of observing meaning;Third, the Zen of clinging to true suchness;Fourth, the Zen of all Tathagatas.Classification of stopping and observing in Tiantai SchoolTiantai School classifies stopping and observing into three types of stopping and observing and four types of samadhi.Three types of stopping and observing:First, complete stopping and observing;Second, gradual stopping and observing;Third, non-fixed stopping and observing.Four types of samadhi:First, constant action samadhi;Second, constant sitting samadhi;Third, half-action half-sitting samadhi;Fourth, neither action nor sitting samadhi.This is just to give everyone a general impression of these classifications. Due to the vast content involved, it is impossible to elaborate further.The three schools and five flavors of Zen in TangmiThe three schools of Tangmi:First, the school of extinguishing delusions and cultivating the mind, which speaks of purposeful Zen;Second, the school of extinguishing all attachments, corresponding to empty Zen;Third, the school of directly revealing the nature of the mind, which is the middle way Zen.The five flavors of Zen in Tangmi:First, externalist Zen;Externalist Zen refers to many Daoist and immortal sects that practice Zen, but their purpose is not to seek the Dharma within, but to seek tranquility externally and to manifest supernatural powers, which is considered heretical and contrary to the entire Buddhist concept, hence called externalist Zen.Second, the Zen of ordinary beings;It speaks of the right understanding of cause and effect, practicing Zen within the framework of cause and effect, with the aim of doing good and gaining blessings.Third, Theravada Zen;It aims to realize the truth of “selflessness”. Realizing selflessness but not realizing the emptiness of phenomena is Theravada Zen. Fundamentally, Theravada Zen is about countering various thoughts and desires.Fourth, Mahayana Zen;It aims to understand the emptiness of both self and phenomena, and the greatest difference between Mahayana and Theravada Zen is that Mahayana not only counters but also establishes (which is often said as not only to refrain from doing something but also to do something).Fifth, the supreme Zen;It speaks of “sudden realization of the inherent purity of nature”, which extinguishes afflictions and possesses the inherent wisdom that is always present, also referred to as the one-practice samadhi or the true suchness samadhi.The Zen practices unique to Tibetan BuddhismFirst, the Zen of ordinary beings;Second, externalist Zen;Third, the Zen of the two vehicles;Fourth, the Zen of ultimate reality.The four unique Zen practices in Tibetan regions:First, the great perfection of wisdom Zen;Second, the great power of virtue Zen;Third, the great hand seal Zen;Fourth, the great completeness Zen.The Zen practices of esoteric and exoteric teachingsWhether in Tangmi or Tibetan Buddhism, secret Zen practices are relatively less encountered. Secret Zen has a secular saying called “the Zen of becoming a Buddha in this very body”.The exoteric Zen meditation primarily aims to realize the emptiness of breath, form, and mind; while esoteric Zen meditation aims to manifest the non-empty use of breath, form, and mind. Therefore, the “principle” and “phenomena” must be unified; without the “principle”, having only “phenomena” is insufficient, and without “phenomena”, having only “principle” is also difficult to achieve. Thus, esoteric teachings can achieve “becoming a Buddha in this very body” and manifest the non-empty phenomena because they utilize the six elements (water, fire, earth, wind, space, consciousness) as their essence, and the three secrets (body, speech, mind) as their function.The six elements and three secrets are all non-empty phenomena, and the non-empty phenomena serve as the essence and function, naturally leading to non-empty results, which is the foundation of “becoming a Buddha in this very body”.The most important practice in esoteric teachings is the practice of offerings, which uses secret Zen meditation (not the usual offerings of fruits, flowers, and incense). In the practice of offerings, the hand seals formed are called body secret; the mantras recited are called speech secret; and the visualizations performed are called mind secret, which is the three secrets in action.In the practice of offerings, whether taking refuge, protecting oneself, establishing boundaries, adorning, or making offerings and praises, all these preparatory actions are merely conveniences before practicing the methods of concentration. The “body secret” corresponds to the exoteric “observing forms”; the “speech secret” corresponds to the exoteric “observing breath”; and the “mind secret” corresponds to the exoteric “observing the mind”.The exoteric Zen meditation only requires realization of the emptiness of breath, form, and mind. However, the esoteric Zen meditation must manifest the non-empty use of breath, form, and mind, thus the methods of secret Zen and exoteric Zen differ significantly.The classic we are about to study and share is a significant text of exoteric Mahayana Zen teachings. This text is directly related to the Zen practices of the Pure Land School. The Zen practice system of the Pure Land School has two types: one is called the Zen of reciting the Buddha’s name, focusing on the recitation of the Buddha’s name; the other is called Pure Land Zen, where the first is the sixteen contemplations, corresponding to the three secrets of body, speech, and mind, which requires the contemplation of forms (the sixteen contemplations).This classic is the last of the three important sutras in the Pure Land, the “Sutra of Contemplating the Infinite Life of Buddha”.Today, this brief section has introduced the foundational knowledge of Zen meditation, including its terminology, boundaries, and forms. At the same time, it has also led to the study and sharing of the “Sutra of Contemplating the Infinite Life of Buddha”. In the next section, we will begin our study of the sutra.
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Audio｜Transmission by Master Fayao
Text｜Transcribed by Zhide
Edited｜Xu Lu