January 1963

　　Originally offered: January 1st, 1963 | Modified October 27th, 2009 by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

　　COMMENTARY BY MASTER SUZUKI ON MODEL SUBJECTS NO. 14 & 15 FROM THE BLUE CLIFF RECORD, UMMON ZENGI AND THE TEACHING GIVEN BY SHĀKYAMUNI DURING HIS LIFETIME

　　January 1963

　　First Question:

　　A traveling monk asked Ummon-zenji: “What is this first teaching [the Teaching told by Buddha during Buddha”s own lifetime]

　　”

　　Ummon replied: The teaching confronts each.

　　(Model Subject No. 14.)

　　Commentary:

　　The teaching given by Shākyamuni Buddha during his lifetime was accommodated to each disciple”s particular temperament, and to each occasion”s particular circumstances. For each case there should be a special remedy. According to the circumstances there should even be teaching other than the teachings which were told by Buddha. In the light of this, how is it possible to interpret and pass down an essential teaching which can be applied to every possible occasion and inpidual temperament

　　Second Question:

　　The same monk asked Ummon a second question: What would Buddha have done if there had been no one to hear the teaching and no occasion on which to apply the teaching

　　Ummon replied: Topsy-turvy idea. (Model Subject No. 15.)

　　Background: the Founding of Sects

　　These questions and answers are quite interesting. This questioning monk had a preconceived idea of Zen Buddhism as an esoteric Dharma transmitted through the Zen Patriarchs which is different from the teachings of other schools of Buddhism based on supposedly “dead” scriptures. Ummon”s answer points out the monk”s misunderstanding of the real nature of the sects of Buddhism. (Ummon”s way of Zen was quite rough, but it was rough and strong enough to support Buddhism during the severe persecutions of his time).

　　During Ummon”s time, so-called Daruma Zen (Bodhidharma”s Zen) was becoming known as Soshi Zen (Patriarchal Zen): an esoteric school claiming special transmission outside the scriptures from Buddha to Mahakasyapa to Bodhidharma and the Zen Patriarchs. The school was popular in South China because of these claims of special transmission and because of the rough and whimsical methods of instruction used by the Zen Masters of the period. Eventually this school slighted scriptures and ignored precepts on the ground of Buddha”s reported statement that “words are not the first principle.”

　　All the Sects Are One:

　　The first principle of Buddhism is called by many names: buddha-nature; dharma-nature; reality; voidness; dao; one phrase of the pre-voice; great light; universal-nature; Buddhatathagata; Saddharma: wonderful law or truth as revealed in the Lotus Sūtra (Tendai Sect); the one vehicle which contains final complete law (Kegon Sect); True Words (Shingon sect); Anuttarasmyaksambodhi (or Anubodhi): unexcelled, correct, complete, universal wisdom of Buddha (a term often used by Dōgen).

　　However, according to the most authentic tradition, the first principle, Buddha”s teaching (as attained by Buddhas) in its pure and formless form, is not expressible by word or idea. Hence, the contribution of each sect to Buddhism is to give system to the scriptures, to set up the true words of the Tathāgata (Buddha”s highest title) in a consistent way so that people may understand and follow Buddha”s way of life. The fundamental philosophy of Mahāyāna Buddhism affirms the absolute character of all phenomena and the possibility for ordinary people to attain Buddhahood.

　　The leading two Mahāyāna schools, Tendai, Kegon, applied Zen practice (Shikan) in order to attain thorough and deep insight into the Dharma. For the Shingon sect, the pure and genuine teaching is in the Dainichi Sutra because it was supposedly told by Buddha in his samadhi to himself and not to an audience. The ori…

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