Essays in Zen Buddhism : $b First seriesSuzuki, Daisetz Teitaro
Religion
Essays in Zen Buddhism : $b First series
Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro
Zen Buddhism
[f73] Samyutta XII., 65, Nagara; cf. also one of the _Prajñā-pāramitā
sūtras_ which is known as one preached by Mañjuśrī (Nanjo Catalogue,
No. 21). In the Sutra we find that the Buddha, after mentioning the
simile of a gem-digger, makes reference to a man who feels overwhelmed
with delight when people talk pleasantly about the old towns and
villages once visited by himself. The same sort of a delightful feeling
is expressed by one who will listen to the discourse on Prajñāpāramitā
and understand it; for he was in his past lives present at the assembly
which was gathered about the Buddha delivering sermons on the same
subject. That the understanding of the doctrine of Prajñāpāramitā is a
form of memory is highly illuminating when considered in relation to
the theory of Enlightenment as advanced here.
That the ushering of Enlightenment is accompanied with the feeling of
return or remembrance is also unmistakably noted by the writer of the
_Kena-Upanishad_ (VI., 50):
“Now in respect to the Atman:
It is as though something forces its way into consciousness
And consciousness suddenly remembers—
Such a state of mind illustrates the awakening of knowledge of the
Atman.”
Sonadanda the Brahman had the following to say when he grasped the
meaning of the Buddha’s discourse on the characteristics of the true
Brahman (Rhys David’s translation): “Most excellent, oh Gotama, most
excellent! Just as if a man were to set up that which has been thrown
down, or were to reveal that which has been hidden away, or were to
point out the right road to him who has gone astray, or were to bring a
light into the darkness so that those who had eyes could see external
forms—just even so has the truth been made known to me, in many a
figure, by the venerable Gotama.”
[f74] _Buddhacarita_, translated by E. B. Cowell, pp. 131–132.
[f75] Lefmann’s edition, p. 289.
[f76] _Ariyapapariyesana-sutta_, Majjhima-Nikāya, XXVI., p. 167.
[f77] Used to designate the school which upholds the doctrine of
enlightenment (_sambodhi_).
[f78] This translation is not at all satisfactory.
[f79] Jōshu (778—897) was one of the early masters of Zen in the T‘ang
dynasty when it began to flourish with its vigorous freshness. He
attained to a high age of one hundred and twenty. His sermons were
always short and to the point, and his answers are noted for their
being so natural and yet so slippery, so hard to catch.
[f80] _Six Essays by Bodhi-Dharma_[4.25] is the book in which the
so-called writings of Bodhi-Dharma are collected. See also the Essay
“On Satori” which follows.
[f81] For Tao-hsüan‘s edition in the original Chinese, see Note 4.28 in
the Appendix.
[f82] This is the most significant phrase in Dharma’s writing. I have
left it untranslated, for later this will be explained fully.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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