HY2206: China's Imperial Past

Hi guys! Sharing my quick thoughts after watching this week’s media component! The usual view of Buddhism is that the goal is enlightenment, and to attain that, one must be as far away from routine daily life as possible. However, it was interesting that when the nun was asked by the host if the goal for her was enlightenment, she answered that it was simply to live a good life in the present. So we can see that Buddhism is not just about leaving our world behind and becoming a hermit.

One thing I would like to point out is the difference between Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, in terms of the extent of sectarianism. In this case, the Chan school of Buddhism (Zen in Japanese, Seon in Korean) is being depicted. Chan, as explained by a nun, was first brought to China from India (ostensibly by a monk called Bodhidharma), and later transmitted to Japan as Zen Buddhism. Chan/Zen Buddhism stress on meditative practices for cultivation, and transcendent transmission beyond mind and body. The big difference here is that in Japan, Buddhism is VERY sectarian. Zen Buddhists strictly partake in seated silent meditation, minimising the amount of words they speak. Hence, many Zen monks only speak out of necessity. Meditative practices are also given precedence over scriptures in Zen Buddhism. On the other hand, in Chinese Buddhism, practising Chan Buddhism does not preclude the practice of other schools. For instance in the video, we see the nuns circumambulating the Buddha and chanting Amituofuo. Amituofuo (Amida Butsu in Japanese, Amitabha Buddha in Sanskrit) is a key figure in Pure Land Buddhism, and the chanting of his name is greatly associated with the Pure Land school. While Chan Buddhists practice this as a form of meditation, Zen Buddhists are dismissive of this practice. This practice is instead found in the Jodo or Jodo Shinshu schools of Japanese Buddhism.

Even Chan/Zen itself is not a monolithic school, for we have schools such as Linji (Rinzai in Japanese) Zen and Caodong (Soto in Japanese) Zen, which often compete against one another.

I ramble here because I have a strong research interest in Mahayana/East Asian Buddhism, but I hope to hear your views on the video as well (perhaps more relevant than my nonsense)!

Hi Clarence, thanks for sharing more about the differences between Chan and Zen Buddhism (it’s really far from nonsense)! I didn’t know that Zen Buddhists were dismissive of Chan Buddhists’ meditation practices! I wonder if they ever try to convince the Chan Buddhists to “correct” their practices or make a conscious effort to dissociate themselves from the Chan Buddhists (though I doubt so because of how Buddhism seems to focus on the individual more so than the collective).

You mentioned about the goal of Chan Buddhism and how the nun answered that it was just “to live a wonderful life” (3:04). After watching the documentary, it seemed to me that the method to reach this goal was to be fully present in each moment, free from distractions (28:50). I was slightly confused about the relation between enlightenment and achieving this best life though. It seemed as though some of the Chan Buddhists were focused on attaining this enlightenment through their tasks such as preparing food (10:34). This question then came to my mind: is enlightenment the means by which one lives “a wonderful life” or another goal altogether (though perhaps not the primary one). The answer I came to was that enlightenment seems to be one of the means by which Chan Buddhists live fully present in each moment and is thus part and parcel of living a wonderful life. I’d love to hear your views on this question or any other observations!

Hello Clarence,

Thank you for your interesting sharing about the differences between Chinese and Japanese Buddhism. The documentary on China’s Zen Nuns and this week’s reading on China’s religious landscape allowed me to better understand how Buddhist principles, practices and scriptures has been adapted to suit its environment.

What I found most captivating about the Zen Buddhism is similar to your reflection — that Buddhism consist of being fully present in the moment and cultivating Zen while performing daily routines. As mentioned in the documentary, practitioners of Chan does not need to be a monk or nun and I find this appealing to people of the lay community who wants to infuse Zen into their daily living without having to join the clergy. It is hence easy to understand why Chan remains as the dominant school of Buddhism in China.

Another concept in the documentary that stood out to me was the idea of practicing Zen with the aim of serving others. From preparing food for the clergy to learning acupuncture to help others, practitioners strive to cultivate oneself through the service of others. The idea of helping other sentient beings is similar to that of Mahayana Buddhism where one can attain enlightenment by having compassion for all sentient beings. This helps me relate back to this week’s reading where Kumarajiva and other pilgrims brought both the foreign teachings of the Great Vehicle (Mahayana) to China. The schools of Zen Buddhism in China today might be derived from Mahayana Buddhism, which shows how Mahayana Buddhism has played a crucial role in shaping the course of Chinese civilization.

Thank you everyone for the wonderful insights shared. Allow me to share some of my thoughts on this topic, particularly on how the nuns lead their lives by a sense of fulfillment.

From performing religious practices to the simple act of gardening, it truly amazes me as to how the nuns appreciate the time and effort spent on fulfilling each activity. Instead of seeing them as required tasks or chores, each activity fulfills a different purpose in their lives. In fact, one of the nuns saw gardening as another place of solace. With the “many distractions in daily life” (13:56), one wouldn’t be able to ease his or her own heart. She hints at the fact that one does not necessarily have to go to far in search of peace. Therapy for one’s mind and soul can be cultivated even in the many different activities that we have already been doing and that it’s only a matter of perspective.

Humans do have the tendency to dwell on some of their problems in life. Encountering a minor inconvenience could even trigger a person to whine just about how unfair his or her entire life is. After all the ranting, one may begin to say things like “Oh how I’d be more content with the state of my life only if I was given (so and so that is favourable to me) just so that my life can be a tad happier.” Alternatively, a few would also indulge in in less meaningful stuff as a means of getting away from reality when the solution is within their own reach.

Hi Clarence,

Your insights into the differences and nuances between Chan and Zen, as well as their own different branches, got me thinking about modern forms of Zen practice!

Since mindfulness, which is a central tenet of Zen, has become increasingly popular in the modern world, Zen too has been brought back into the spotlight. Particularly in the Western world, practices of meditation and mindfulness have newly been adopted as a way of relaxation, focus or for maintaining mental wellness. Mindfulness has even become a key technique in 3rd wave CBT in clinical psychology.

This new wave of interest has given rise to a movement called Secular Buddhism, whose followers interpret traditional Buddhist doctrines and practices in an agnostic/atheist/secular way. Aka believing in karma and meditation eg. without worshipping or believing in supernatural entities (eg. hell, bodhisattvas). It sounds like pretty New Age stuff!

I wonder what devout Buddhists, especially in traditional regions of worship such as India, China and Japan, think about secular Zen Buddhism? As a Buddhist in Singapore, I personally haven’t heard much about any conflicts (if they indeed exist), so I’m curious!

Hi Lixin, as a Buddhist myself, I don’t find any conflict between practising secular Buddhism and Buddhism at all! In fact, the Buddha himself told his followers to not follow his teachings blindly, and to engage in practice that best suits them. From a broad view, this means the freedom to decide between meditation vs nianfo (chanting the Buddhas name) for instance. From a more specific view, this also allows one to choose the most comfortable way to rest their hands (mudra) while meditating, rather than having one fixed and mandated position. I believe this applies to secular Buddhism as well. If one already has a different religion e.g Christianty but still wishes to pursue mindfulness activities, one can adopt secular Buddhism!

I think besides secular Buddhism, I would also like to point out Reformist or Humanistic Buddhism, which a recent phenomenon, where monks and nuns engage in various secular welfare activities. For instance, many Buddhist organisations in Singapore today give out bursaries to the residents staying near the temple regardless of race or religion. I believe this also links to Esther’s point below on doing good as a practice rather than because it is morally good. Many monks believe that these activities are part of cultivation of the bodhi heart 菩提心, or metta (compassion,) 慈悲心. Monks such as Venerable Sheng Yan have coined the aim of their activities as creating a Pure Land in this world. note: a pure land is a Buddhist Pure Land sect concept, whereby people reborn there have a higher chance of obtaining nirvana (enlightenment) because they are directly taught by Amitabha Buddha and numerous bodhisattvas.

Thanks everyone for the well-thought-out comments!

One concept that stood out to me in the media component was how the practice of self-cultivation is not distinct from daily life and that the practice is more simple than often perceived (although a life dedicated to living in a temple is not easy). It goes to show Chan is being incorporated in daily life, or rather how their daily lives are being conducted in line with the aim of achieving Chan or “living a wonderful life” as Bhikkhuni Dr. Yang Li puts it. When one thinks of people going to live in a nunnery or monastery, it often involves having to renounce one’s way of life as a layperson, and devoting one’s life solely to practicing Buddhism without distraction. However, that is not the case with the nuns practicing Chan Buddhism. Therefore, I was intrigued by how one of the nuns mentioned that some people gained Chan even when working in the kitchen.  While I do not want to oversimplify the concept of Chan and its nuances, I think this idea of the blending of mutual incorporation of Chan into daily life and vice versa, really helps to essentialize my understanding of what ‘Chan’ is.

Another aspect that I found interesting was how the nuns’ self-cultivation and focus on the inner self can be seen in the influence the temple has on the communities that surround it. The manifestations of self-cultivation through Chan took many forms, like cultivating crops and sharing it with the communities around as well as creating designs on tangible, physical objects… One can clearly see the impact of the Chan Buddhism on the nuns and by extension the temple on the locals around it, as seen in the interview with one of the locals.

I am prompted to think a bit deeper about how various religious groups give back to society not just because it is something that is morally good, but perhaps it IS the key essence of their practice of Chan, rather than as a secondary or added moral obligation.

(I hope this isn’t overthinking too deeply into something that is obvious/’duhh’ to those who practice Buddhism, please forgive my lack of knowledge!)

Wonderful discussion, everyone! Thanks，Clarence! Your post is very helpful for the class to appreciate the differences between Chinese Chan Buddhism and their Japanese counterpart of Zen. 

A fun fact related to Lixin’s points about Chan/Zen concept of mindfulness being used in modern clinical psychology as well as the Secular Buddhism movement: Japanese monks, especially of those in the Jodo Shinshu school I think, today have a cool new career option: bartender! If you have a chance to visit Tokyo, it will be an eye-opening experience to visit a Zen bar, where Zen monks serve you drinks but also free therapy! Monk bartenders use their Buddhist wisdom–such as the exact ideas of mindfulness and emptiness as you guys mentioned–to help their customers deal with their mundane-life troubles, such as depression, toxic work environment, spouse infidelity, and etc. 

Hi Esther!

  Might be kind of late to the discussion but i was just reading the comments and I thought you point on the applicability of self-cultivation was really interesting! I think it does have parallels to the new reformist and humanist Buddhist movements, which are much more engaged with society and daily life, as part of their practices. While they are distinct in origin and purpose –  Chan/Zen Buddhism is more about maintaining and cultivating the self, and to be able to obtain a state of mental calmness or mastery of the self, reformist Buddhism is about engaging with the community as a key means of alleviating the problems of day-to-day life. However, both are similar in that they are tangibly practiced with results in the real world, I just felt that maybe the reformist Buddhist movements would align closer to your question about religious groups giving back to society as a key essence of their practice, even if it is not about the practice of chan.

  As an aside though, the idea of self-cultivation seems to me similar to the Taoist ideals of cultivating the self to transcend ones’ physical limits and seek immortality through the Tao. I can’t help but wonder if this idea is a product of a mutual interaction and intermingling of both religious doctrines?

Thank you everyone for providing interesting insights! I personally am not religious so I know close to nothing about Buddhism. I really liked how Clarence pointed out the difference between Chinese and Japanese Buddhism especially in regards to sectarianism. Since Zen Buddhism originated from China as according to the documentary, I was wondering if there was any explanation for the differences between Chan and Zen Buddhism? Why did Japan choose to omit some practices?

After watching the documentary, I thought that it was interesting that they believe that philosophical concepts can be expressed through physical objects and the practice of mindfulness will help one to find the inner beauty of life. I even tried to mirror their way of walking and realise that it is not as easy as it looks!  The main takeaways that I got from the documentary were that Zen Buddhism focuses on simplicity, awareness and focus. Given the complexity of city life, I thought was rather difficult the aforementioned. Perhaps I could start by learning how to meditate but I can barely even sit still for a good 5 minutes without thinking about anything so do drop some tips if you know how to!

Furthermore, although the documentary was rather insightful, it left me with more questions regarding their practices such as why there was a need to strike the board and bell 333 times? Do feel free to drop a reply if you could give some form of explanation!

Hello Haley, 

After watching the documentary, I feel that the difference between Chan and Zen Buddhism stems from their focus and understanding of the religion. Japan’s understanding of Buddhism is “more focused on the ceramic”, following the theory side of Buddhism and withdrawing from the desires of the world. On the other hand, Chan Buddhism is more about incorporating Chan into their daily lives. China’s understanding of religion is about disciplining the mind, living a better life through following Chan. Their government also ensures that religion does not take precedence over the government’s rulings. Hence, I am guessing when Chan Buddhism is spread over to Japan, Zen Buddhism chose to omit the daily lives practices and focus on one aspect that makes them sectarist. 

For the choice of 3, I am guessing its relations to Taoism as they localise the religion, “道生一，一生二，二生三，三生万物。“ Hence, chose to use the sacred number 3 in their practice of the religion. 

Just my two cents!

Hi Clarence! Thanks for highlighting the differences between Chan and Zen Buddhism! Your insights were really well explained, and it helped me to understand the documentary much better! i would like to add on to your point of how practicing Chan Buddhism does not preclude the practice of other schools – could this be due to a decline of Chan Buddhism during the Ming Dynasty? During that period of time, the Amitabha set of recitation became more popular; as seen in the video, could the incorporation of such recitation of Buddhas’ names (which is more associated with Pure Land Buddhism) with Chan Buddhism reflect an attempt to preserve Chan Buddhism? (before the revival in the 20th c)

Hi Clarence! I’m super glad to hear another fellow fan of Mahayana Buddhist research, and I’m even gladder you connected the differences between Chan and Zen Buddhism, which I did not know before! 🙂

You mentioned in a reply comment before about how Chan Buddhism focuses a lot more on application in daily life compared to Zen Buddhism, which finds more philosophy in meditation and aesthetics. I cannot help but find this fascinating, since Japanese culture as a whole strikes me as very “aestheticized” if that makes sense, trying to fulfill certain beliefs or philosophies in certain expressions like art and meditation. Chan Buddhism being more about application of beliefs in daily life is a very different approach to similar ideas (and sort of reminds me of my own Protestant Christian faith), and I wonder how these big differences in beliefs happened? Could there be some cultural explanations for how Chan Buddhism was adopted and interpreted differently as Zen in Japan? I know Zen became widely practiced by the samurai for its meditation practices helping them overcome fear of death on the battlefield, but I’m not aware yet of how it started.