..续本文上一页m Silent Illumination, or Mozhao, is associated with the Song dynasty Master Hongzhi Zhenjui (1091-1157), although the practice itself can be traced back at least as far as Bodhidharma and his concept of entry through principle. Five generations later, the great Master Yongjia (665-713) wrote about “clarity and quiescence” in his Song of Enlightenment. Quiescence refers to the practice of silencing the mind, and clarity refers to contemplation, illuminating the mind with the light of awareness.

　　Hongzhi himself described the “silent sitting” as thus: “your body sit silently; your mind is quiescent, unmoving. This is genuine effort in practice. Body and mind are at complete rest. The mouth is so still that moss grows around it. Grass sprouts from the tongue. Do this without ceasing, cleansing the mind until it gains the clarity of an autumn pool, bright as the moon illuminating the evening sky.”

　　In another place, Hongzhi said, “In the silent sitting, whatever realm may appear, the mind is very clear to all the details, yet everything is where it originally is, in its own place. The Mind stays on one thought for ten thousand years, yet does not dwell on any form, inside or outside.”

　　To understand Silent Illumination Chan, it is important to understand that while there are no thoughts, the mind is still very clear, very aware. Both the silence and the illumination must be there. According to Hongzhi, when there is nothing going on in one”s mind, one is aware that nothing is happening. If one is not aware, this is just Chan sickness, not the state of Chan.

　　So in this state, the mind is transparent. In a sense, it is not completely accurate to say that there is nothing present, because the transparent mind is there. But it is accurate in the sense that nothing can become an attachment or obstruction. In this state, the mind is without form or feature. Power is present, but its function is to fill the mind with illumination, like the sun shining everywhere. Hence, Silent Illumination is the practice in which there is nothing moving, but the mind is bright and illuminating.

　　A gongan is a story of an incident between a master and one or more disciples that involves an understanding or experience of the enlightened mind. The incident usually, but not always, involves dialogue. When the incident is remembered and recorded, it becomes a “public case”, which is the literal meaning of the term. Often what makes the incident worth recording is that, as the result of the interchange, a disciple had an awakening, an experience of enlightenment.

　　Master Zhaozhou was asked by a monk, “Does a dog have Buddha-nature

　　” The Master replied, “Wu”, meaning nothing. This is a basic gongan, possibly the most famous on record. Here is another gongan, also involving Zhaozhou. Zhaozhou had a disciple who met an old woman and asked her, “How do I get to Mt. Tai

　　” She said, “Just keep going!” As the monk started off, he heard the old woman remark, “He really went!” Afterward, the disciple mentioned this to Zhaozhou, who said, “I think I will go over there and see for myself.” When he met the old woman, Zhaozhou asked the same question and she gave the same response: “Just keep going!” As Zgaozhou started off, he heard the old lady said as she had last time, “He really went!” When Zhaozhou returned, he said to the assembly, “I have seen through that old woman!” What did Zhaozhou find out about that old woman

　　 What is the meaning of this lengthy and obscure gongan

　　Around the time of the Song dynasty (960-1276), Chan masters began using recorded gongan as a subject of meditation for their disciples. The practitioner was required to investigate the meaning of the historical gongan. To penetrate the meaning of the gongan, the student has to abandon knowl…

《In the Spirit of Chan》全文未完，请进入下页继续阅读…