Transcript Review—evolution of 禪Chan/Zen

Buddhism in China
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Madyamica and Yogacara influence
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Schemes of intellectualization of Buddhist achievement
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Madyamika positive to Yogacara Negative
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Realize something = enlightenment –usually not speakable
Buddha nature (Nirvana) as substantive nothing
Merge into Major Chinese Schools
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天台 Tiantai and 華嚴 Huayan for theory
禪 chan/sim/zen for practice
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Meditation school without meditation (and lots!)
Internal & External Stories
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Hui Neng symbolizes the simplicity
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Activity and enlightenment
No “dust” (no illusions) only pure Buddha-nature
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Paradox of desire final conclusion
External story of rebellion
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Intellectualized (metaphysical), impractical
Shift of culture to the South
Rejects authority (official recognition)
 Politics and taxes
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Daoist painter/poet as author
Questions
Last Quiz
Final test in prep—question to
Cathy
Daoism and Desires
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Desires caused by distinctions
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Like Nietzsche—give up the contrast together
Reject other contrasts (meditation, enlightenment)
Positive about life & skill-transcendence goals
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Reject distinction of these and the metaphysical
other—transcending world
Not quite “this is nirvana;” more like do not
conclude “there is only the apparent world”
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Just stop talking that way and get back to savoring your
sandwich
Great Liberation
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Rush to claim descent from Hui Neng
Wide variety but Feng's 5 common doctrines:
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No (expressible) highest truth
Spiritual cultivation cannot be cultivated
In the last resort nothing is gained
There is nothing much in Buddhist teaching
In carrying water and chopping wood lies the
wonderful dao
Iconoclastic Stories
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Function: like koans?
Burning or spitting on the Buddha
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Just wood (everything is Buddha)
No temples, praying, bowing, shaving,
begging, ritual, chanting
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Chan as Buddhist atheism
Survival in persecutions
Every Moment Zen
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Umbrella to left or right of clogs?
Doctor Story
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Begs release from fear of death
A Koan – meaningless
Absorbed in care for patients and lost
fear of death
Zen is care for patients
The Strawberry
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Values of eating, drinking, sleeping
Tiger and strawberry
Teaching Techniques
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Interview time—anti-metaphysical
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Spit, beat, shout, awaken!
Koan—give up
Walking Zen
Never tell too plainly
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Envy of Confucians
Final Jump
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Modern scientific philosophy
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With a social model of language
Social cooperation rather than
picturing the world
 Closer
to Chinese/Nietzsche
conception
 Reality in the back door
 Science as a dao
Evolution and Utility
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Some ways of talking dominate, others
die out
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Science with the Nietzsche twist
A social way to survive and thrive
Science: a system of "useful" beliefs
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Natural framework—also anti-Plato and
anti-Descartes
Belief Analysis
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Habits of action
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not internal pictures
Practical (practice) focus
Successful or not: utility and survival
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Different interpretations of “success”
Peirce, Dewey, James
First Formulation: Peirce
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Hard time finding a job and publisher
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Popular mechanics for “The Fixation of
Belief" and “How to Make Our Ideas
Clear."
Radical new analysis of belief/doubt
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An "irritation,"
Belief as a comfortable "habit of action"
Not a picture of a fact!
Practical Problem
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How to achieve that comfort?
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Stability and "constancy"
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Fixed beliefs allow smooth, efficient action
Requires less of the "disruption" of doubt
Four candidates: tenacity, authority, a
priori, science/reality