I considered a long time before I decided to actually put this theme in the webpage. It was not an easy decision, for I am well aware of the peril of putting a loaded gun in the hands of a child.
On one hand I did not want to rock, once more, the Buddhist raft making its way across a small and insignificant lake to the other side, where the world is identical to that which they have left.
On the other hand, the revelation concerning this particular model is most important, although it really is almost impossible as a practice for three reasons.
1. The person will have to break away from traditional poppycock, rejecting traditional Buddhist history.
2. The person will require favorable conditions and a unique temperament.
3. If such a person were to stand forward early enough in his life then the probability that he or she would have the guts to dedicate themselves to this very special Dharma Path which requires great apparent sacrifice is remote.
It will, of course, require an initial teaching, which is rather more like an introduction to the greatest truth.
Then the adept will have to make his way upon the path without the requirement of Contemplation or other formal Meditation and without the requirement of elaborate teachings or perusal of texts.
Of course, if the adept wishes to delve into this world of Contemplation and teachings more as a confirmation of his path than as a guide then he or she may do so without losing the trajectory or the least experience.
Our model is Huineng, the legendary figure about whom much has been written that has no substance or utility.
In most graphic representations of him you see him resplendent in his robes or actively tearing down the theoretically incorrect poems from the wall of the monastery. This ink painting, though not as serious or stately as others, is more in keeping with his character and his life.
Now what we are interested in here is to explain precisely what Huineng's path was, in terms of his very special contemplation that was no contemplation at all.
Why do we say it was no Contemplation at all? It is not that he did not sit at all, but that his meditation was "sitting with his mind" not his body.
We know that sitting with the mind is Chan Contemplation which entails developing the Vicara Last Conceptualization.
What we have discovered is that Huineng was such an extraordinary person that his entire life was a "Last Conceptualization". That may not be easy to understand, but what is clear is the slim probability that most men and women, either then or today, could or can reproduce that state.
For the sake of those whose temperament cannot easily capture the Last Conceptualizations of the other models it is essential to build one from the evidence available from Huineng's disciples. When we do so it is found that we can develop the Huineng Contemplation, which is the Function of Function.
EXAMINING HUINENG'S THEORETICAL HEIRS
As we follow the path of information we must look at Huineng's Dharma heirs.
Dajian Huineng, 大鑒惠能, died in 713
For us his important Dharma heirs were:
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HEZE SHENHUI (Ho-tse Shen-hui), 神會神会, 670-762
It was he who put himself forward as the Seventh Ancestor in China. He accused JINGZHONG SHENXUI,
浄衆 神会, of being a usurper of the title of Sixth Ancestor.
* * *
GUIFENG ZONGMI, 圭峰宗密, 780-841
GUIFENG ZONGMI, 圭峰宗密, 780-841. A claimed Dharma Heir of Heze Shenhui.
But he states that it was the Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment (Yüan-chüeh ching) which led him to enlightenment, when his "mind-ground opened thoroughly". At that time he was with Suizhou Daoyuan, 遂州道圓.
* * *
QINGYUAN XINGSI, 青原行思, 660-740.
Another Dharma-heir of Huineng. His posthumous title was Hongzhi (Hung-chi, Gusai), “Helping Others.”
Very little is known about his biography. In view of his honorific title we must look and see if he is a candidate for the inheritance of potential wisdom of the Master Huineng and the possibility of that being transmitted to YUNMEN WENYAN, 雲門文偃 (d. 949), FAYAN WENYI, 法眼文益 (885-958) and the CAODONG 洞 (Soto) Path, which questionable history tells us follow from this fount through Shitou Xiqian.
SHITOU XIGIAN, 700-790
Shitou Xiqian (700-790) was accepted as a student by Huineng in 713, the year of his death. After Huineng died, we know very little about what happened next until he was ordained at Lofu-shan in 728, after which he went to study with Qingyuan in Zhihzhou. He was the sole Dharma-heir of Qingyuan Xingsi.
Dongshan Liang-chieh, 洞山良价 (807-869), and Caoshan Benji, 曹山本寂 (840-941), founded the CAODONG model.
* * *
NANYUE HUAIRANG, 南嶽懐譲, 677-744
A Dharma-brother of Qingyuan Xingsi. Mazu Daoyi, 709-788, was the sole Dharma-heir of Nanyue Huairang, and the other two models, LINJI YIXUAN 臨済義玄 (Rinzai) and GUIYANG 溈仰, questionable history tells us follow from this line.
Guishan Lingyu, 沩山灵佑 (771-854) and his disciple Yangshan Huichi, 仰山慧寂 (813-890) founded the Guiyang model.
OTHER DHARMA HEIRS WERE:
Nanyang Huizhong 675-775.
Yongjia Xuanjue 永嘉玄覺 d. 665-713.
Forever mysterious auspicious awareness
Da-xiao Ling-tao 666-760
Biandan Xiaoliao 7-8th C.