REVELATION OF THE CONTEMPLATION OF THE TATHAGATA MODEL OF CHAN

We have the best view of what Shenxiu's contemplations were by looking at the teachings and contemplations of Heshang Moheyan.

Moheyan taught the "all-at-once" sudden gate as "gazing-at-mind", ganxin, and "no examining", buguan... "no-thought no-examining", bu-su bu-guan... It is the original East Mountain Dharma Gate teaching.

The question is, if this is radically different than that which Shenhui was teaching.

Certainly the system was one of "Traditional Sitting" Contemplation, while Shenhui's was "Sitting of the mind". We must conclude then that the sitting preparation would also be included as part of the criticism as a "gradual" paradigm.

Moheyan, a Dharma Heir of Shenxiu, claimed that when one gave up all conceptions, an automatic, all-at-once attainment of virtue resulted. 

He taught that there were two independent practices, the direct and the gradual, a concession to human psychology and scriptural tradition.

The former was an “internal” practice to liberate the self of wisdom and the second an “external” practice to liberate others as expedient means.

Shenxiu believed that actually performing good or evil acts, as conceptions, led to transmigration rather than liberation. Now this puts his position on daily practice on first glance diametrically opposed to Huineng, who was imbued totally within the four sublime states.

But Huineng was not impulsed by concepts, but by his Buddha Nature.

Nevertheless he conceded that practices such as the “perfection of morality”, studying the sutras and teachings of the masters and cultivating meritorious actions were appropriate.

                    SUMMARIZING SHENXIU'S POSITION

Let us then conclude Shenxiu's position by re-affirming clearly that his Last Conceptualization, the immediate (liberation) access, was setting the Buddha Nature as being "Not thinking, not pondering, non-examination, non-apprehension of an object."

We can perhaps critically note that his approach was that of Vitakka-Vicara, that is, using REFLECTION to reach the ABSORPTION Experiences of Cognition. If that is the case then indeed an issue may be made of that point claiming that it was not Direct Access through experience, which is the Direct Chan approach.

For with political expediency, paranoic tendency and perhaps the strong passion of his temperament, Shenhui may have reached the correct conclusion for the wrong reasons.

                                   SHENHUI'S CONTEMPLATION

If it is correct that Shenhui's contemplation was not of the Vitakka-Vicara variety, then what was his approach to the Last Conceptualization that gave immediate access to the Last Cognitive Conceptualization experience of the Buddha Nature?

He stated: "Here in my school, to have no thoughts is meditation-sitting, and to see one's original nature is dhyana."

Shenxiu used "Not thinking, not pondering, non-examination, non-apprehenion of an object."

There is no substantial difference except that theoretically, at least, Shenhui did not REFLECT upon "No thought" but sought immediately the direct Cognitive Conceptualization of the Experience of the Buddha nature.

How did he accomplish this?

It would perhaps be better to ask, since his comportment does not suggest in any way that he had achieved awakening, how could one accomplish this?

When Huineng, according to the legend, left Hungjen after six years at hs East Mountain monastery, he arrived at the Fa-xing temple and met Master Yin-tsung, who lectured on the most important Nirvana Sutra. He studied the sutra there for one year before leaving.

It is this sutra which here forms the base for the understanding of the Contemplation of Function based upon Huineng's teaching.

Remember that this Contemplation of Function was not a formal practice of Huineng, who required no Last Conceptualization by virtue of his living and dwelling fully in that state.

Kasyapa said to the Buddha: "O World-Honoured One! Is there Self in the 25 existences or not?"

The Buddha said: "O good man! "Self" means "Tathagatagarbha". Every being has Buddha-Nature. This is the (True) Self."

So we can begin by declaring that the Buddha Nature is according to Buddha the TRUE SELF. Is that the Identity-free TRUE SELF of the "right hemisphere" that can be encountered by Essence Contemplations? It is a state of Observing?

On the Nature of the Tathagata

You may remember that 慧 遠 Huiyuan (523-592), a Dharma heir of Dao-an, became interested in the relationship between the Buddha-Nature as it was presented in the Nirvana sutra (涅槃經, Nièpánjīng) and the concept of an "originally pure mind", which now in Chan we know of as the ninth consciousness, not the eighth, with its source in the right hemisphere.

The first important step by Huiyuan was took the distinction he made between his "Buddha-nature that knows", and the "Buddha-nature that is known" in his  Essentials of the Mahayana (大乘要, Da cheng yi-chang).

The "Buddha-nature that knows" is the "mind of true consciousness" that is capable of awakening to Buddha-nature through the elimination of all Identity stains. 

The "Buddha-nature that is known" is that of the Nature of Dharma, which can be described as the Uncarved Wood, the direct access to which is attained through contemplations by way of the Ultimate Conceptualizations of Emptiness, Awareness and the Living Force, which correspond to access to the direct experiences on Undifferentiated Form, Essence and Function.

             Here we are concerned with entry by FUNCTION.

When the scriptures call the highest teaching "Buddha-nature," or when they call the middle-way "Buddha-nature," they are referring to the "nature that is known", which Huiyuan explicitly declares penetrates everywhere, both within and without.

The Function Contemplation then begins by establishing the Direct Cognitive Experience of the "Buddha-nature that knows", the "mind of true consciousness."

How can one directly estblish an experience of the "MIND OF TRUE CONSCIOUSNESS" without Shenxiu's REFLECTION?