If Mahakashyapa was first Zen/Chan patriarch..

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himalayanspirit
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If Mahakashyapa was first Zen/Chan patriarch..

Post by himalayanspirit »

If Mahakashyapa was the first Chan/Zen patriarch, then isn't Chan/Zen a Sravakayana school considering that all the disciples of historical Buddha were Arhats?
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Astus
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Re: If Mahakashyapa was first Zen/Chan patriarch..

Post by Astus »

Besides that the whole succession of patriarchs, especially the Indian part, is a fiction, one of the Mahayana interpretation of the major disciples of the Buddha is that they were actually bodhisattvas under cover.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
Jinzang
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Re: If Mahakashyapa was first Zen/Chan patriarch..

Post by Jinzang »

The point of the list of patriarchs was not that each patriarch in the list was a Zen Buddhist, but that there was an unbroken succession of enlightened teachers from the Zen teachers of China back to Buddha. This was important in Chinese culture, where filial respect for one's ancestors was so emphasized.
"It's as plain as the nose on your face!" Dottie Primrose
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LastLegend
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Re: If Mahakashyapa was first Zen/Chan patriarch..

Post by LastLegend »

Zen is Buddhism and Buddhism is Zen. You cannot meditate without understanding Buddhist teachings.
It’s eye blinking.
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booker
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Re: If Mahakashyapa was first Zen/Chan patriarch..

Post by booker »

himalayanspirit wrote: then isn't Chan/Zen a Sravakayana school
Nope it's not. 1) Sravakas know no buddha nature concept 2) Sravakas do not meditate, method is to listen to teachings and reflect upon them and that creates conditions for sati to arise and with it, they can have an insigth into the reality directly.

In Zen 1) introduction to buddha nature 2) meditation / enquiry into it.
"Be Buddhist or be Buddha"
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Kare
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Re: If Mahakashyapa was first Zen/Chan patriarch..

Post by Kare »

booker wrote:
himalayanspirit wrote: then isn't Chan/Zen a Sravakayana school
Nope it's not. 1) Sravakas know no buddha nature concept 2) Sravakas do not meditate, method is to listen to teachings and reflect upon them and that creates conditions for sati to arise and with it, they can have an insigth into the reality directly.

In Zen 1) introduction to buddha nature 2) meditation / enquiry into it.
Sravakas do not meditate?!!!!!
Kåre A. Lie
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Kare
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Re: If Mahakashyapa was first Zen/Chan patriarch..

Post by Kare »

Astus wrote:Besides that the whole succession of patriarchs, especially the Indian part, is a fiction, one of the Mahayana interpretation of the major disciples of the Buddha is that they were actually bodhisattvas under cover.
I love this concept of the major disciples as undercover agents! :spy:
Kåre A. Lie
Kai
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Re: If Mahakashyapa was first Zen/Chan patriarch..

Post by Kai »

himalayanspirit wrote:If Mahakashyapa was the first Chan/Zen patriarch, then isn't Chan/Zen a Sravakayana school considering that all the disciples of historical Buddha were Arhats?
He was not...........really.....although many Chan and Zen practitioners prefer to think that He was so as to increase their personal faith in Zen methods. If anything, the founder of Chan or Zen was Bodhidharma, before Him, no such school or method existed......
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booker
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Re: If Mahakashyapa was first Zen/Chan patriarch..

Post by booker »

Kare wrote:Sravakas do not meditate?!!!!!
Perhaps I was overgeneralising, there are streams where meditation is performed but is regarded as a method for a very advanced practitioners only.

If you read some modern interpretations, like from Sujin Boriharnwanaket clearly the base is on listening and reflecting only.
"Be Buddhist or be Buddha"
Kai
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Re: If Mahakashyapa was first Zen/Chan patriarch..

Post by Kai »

Kare wrote:Sravakas do not meditate?!!!!!
They do but the Zen methods differ a lot from the Thervadins' one........
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