Kensho
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kenshō (見性) (C. Wu) is a Japanese term for enlightenment experiences—most commonly used within the confines of Zen Buddhism—literally meaning "seeing one's nature"[1] or "true self."[2] It generally "refers to the realization of nonduality of subject and object."[3] Frequently used in juxtaposition with satori (or, "catching on"),[4] there is sometimes a distinction made between the two in that some consider satori to be qualitatively deeper.[2] Kenshō itself has been said to be "...a blissful realization where a person's inner nature, the originally pure mind, is directly known as an illuminating emptiness, a thusness which is dynamic and immanent in the world."[4] Kenshō experiences are tiered, in that they escalate from initial glimpses into the nature of mind, on to an experience of emptiness, and then perhaps on to Buddhahood.[4] In fact, Hakuin Ekaku has written, "It is an unparalleled ignorance to believe one can become a buddha without seeing into one's own nature."[5]
Contents |
[edit] Rinzai
In the Rinzai school of Zen, kenshō is used to describe the original breakthrough experience had in kōan study.[1] The Rinzai roshi Yamada Mumon has said, "When you have been able to achieve the samadhi of Mu in zazen and have got some understanding of Jōshū's Mu, we provisionally call this kenshō. But kenshō achieved while sitting on a zazen cushion is weak in action. Through contact with the outside world, you must also grasp the life that throbs there. The power that you've built up through samadhi in zazen is smashed to pieces by the sounds of the outside world. At that point, suddenly our self-nature externalizes and throbs into life. Is the sound me, or am I the sound? The sound and I are one; the sound and I go "Gong!" When subject and object are one, there the ox comes trotting along. Buddha-nature is not a precious antique to be wrapped in brocade and packed away in a wooden box. Our buddha-nature reveals itself clearly in our daily work. That is because buddha-nature is act, activity."[6]
It would appear that the scholar Steven Heine would agree with Yamada Mumon. In reference to the kōan, "How did you kenshō this?", Heine writes, "...the term kenshō is being used as a transitive verb taking an object. One does kenshō and does it with a particular object, event, or situation. To some people, the very idea of kenshō applied to a particular context will seem a self-contradiction, but it does so only because kenshō is presumed to be a totally blank state of mind without cognitive content. This is not what kenshō means in Rinzai practice."[3] He goes on to state, "...kenshō as a transitive verb denotes a total pouring of oneself into some particular object, event or situation. This 'becoming one' in particular contexts has two aspects: formal kōan training, and the daily activities of monastic life."[3] In the Ta-po Nieh-p'an-ching Chi-chieh there is a phrase contained within a commentary on the Nirvana Sutra called kenshō jōbutsu which goes, "Seeing one's nature and attaining buddhahood." This phrase is part of a well-known verse in Zen attributed to Bodhidharma, and according to Nyogen Senzaki it roughly indicates a "realization that we are enlightened from the very beginning. In the Sōtō school, zazen is seen as the revelation of original enlightenment; in the Rinzai tradition, even though it is acknowledged that all beings are primarily buddhas, kenshō is considered indispensable."[7]
[edit] Sōtō
In the Sōtō school, shikantaza takes precedence and those sitting zazen are not encouraged to actively seek out kenshō experiences. Because of this, the Sōtō and Rinzai school have often been termed the gradual (Sōtō) and sudden (Rinzai) schools, for in Sōtō practice kenshōs "are allowed to occur naturally, as a by-product of practice, or meditative training is seen as the unfolding of one great 'kenshō'."[4] Wong Kiew Kit has written that, "According to the tradition of Soto Zen, although working on a koan is one way of attaining kensho, the best way is zazen. Indeed, Dogen, the founder of Soto Zen, expounded that zazen itself is enlightenment, and as long as the adept maintains a pure state of non-thinking in Zen, he is a Buddha."[8] Also of interest is that Katsuki Sekida advocated the use of Jōshū's Mu to achieve kenshō. Kiew Kit writes, "It is significant that this zazen method, greatly valued in Soto Zen, is similar to that of the Rinzai master Hakuin, suggesting that although Rinzai Zen and Soto Zen may superficially appear different in their approach to enlightenment, fundamentally they are similar. The methodology of both may be expressed as 'diligently working on zazen'—directly to attain awakening in Soto Zen, or supplemented with koans to trigger off awakening in Rinzai Zen."[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Baroni, Helen J. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Zen Buddhism. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.. ISBN 0823922405.
- Harvey, Peter. An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices. 1990: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521313333.
- Heine, Steven; Dale S. Wright (2000). The Koan: Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195117484.
- Kiew Kit, Wong. The Complete Book of Zen. ISBN 0804834415.
- Kraft, Kenneth (1988). Zen: Tradition and Transition. Grove Press. ISBN 080213162X.
- Satomi, Myodo; King, Sallie B. (1993). Journey in Search of the Way: The Spiritual Autobiography of Satomi Myodo. State University of New York Press. ISBN 0791419711.
- Senzaki, Nyogen; Shimano, Eido (2005). Like a Dream, Like a Fantasy: The Zen Teachings and Translations of Nyogen Senzaki. Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0861712803.
- Yamada, Mumon; Victor Sōgen Hori (2004). Lectures on the Ten Oxherding Pictures. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0824828933.
|
||||||||
