[Buddha-l] Pai-chang Huai-hai (was Re: there he goes again (samharris))

[Vicente Gonzalez]

Joy wrote:

JV> Sakya Pandita qualified as merely "Chinese Dzogchen" or "Chinese
JV> ch'an" have indeed a lot in  common with Chinese Ch'an. Sapan's
JV> observation was correct IMO,  although it was meant to be a
JV> denigrating one.  I am currently reading the treaty on Sudden
JV> Enlightenment by  Pai-chang Huai-hai and I am struck by its
JV> similarity with  Gampopa's and other's texts on "Mahamudra" and
JV> with some teachings  by the Kadampa and Zhi byed lineages. The
JV> Chinese influence on  Tibetan Buddhism (early second propagation)
JV> seems much greater  than is commonly admitted.  I am aware of the
JV> research being done  in that field.

a very good book in this topic is "Enlightenment By a Single Means
(Tibetan Controversies on the Self-Sufficient White Remedy)"
David Jackson. Verlag Der Osterreichischen, 1994.


JV> Also when Pai-chang Huai-hai talks about Jhaana I
JV> don't find it much different from Lance's explanations. 

I think the Lance Cousins comments are interesting because although
one can see  similarities in practical terms, there are differences in
the understanding of the process.
Chinese Chan observe the existence of a "no-dhyana" which is a final
dhyana, and they support this notion by means several Mahayana works
like the Vajrasamadhi Sutra. They observed this state as something of
immediate access, as a "direct door" for the samadhi previous to
awakening. The related practice it's more a position to live and
understand our immediate reality than the developing of a body-mind
technique more related with postures and jhana progression.

In this point, it is when one can find strong similarities with these
Theravada comments from some modern masters and several episodes
inside Pali Canon. Specially when we read about that Chan previous
to the preeminence of the seated meditation in the Sung dinasty.
The practice of that people was not mainly focused in seated
meditation but their understanding of body and mind in reference to 
postures, etc... was surprisingly similar of those practical comments
of Buddhadhasa or A.Chah.

A more deeper explanation in this line it's what one miss in books
as "Buddhadasa" of Peter Jackson, in where he devote the chapter "Chit
Wang and Zen" to explain the Buddhadasa coincidences although with an
insufficient knowledge about Zen. Rest of book it's very good, btw.


best regards,