Transcript Zen Koan

Buddhism in Japan: Zen Koans
Berger
Intro to Asian Religions
The Japanese Reception of Buddhism
and Zen
 Buddhism
introduced from Korean court in 552
 Empress Suiko sends envoys to China in 607
 Scholastic Buddhism of Nara Period (710-784)
 Kamakura Period (1185-1333) schools of Zen
 Soto
(Sitting Meditation) brought by Dogen in 1227
 Rinzai (Lin-chi) brought by Eisai in 1191
 Zen
a self-styled response to Buddhist corruption
The Koan (公案) in Rinzai Zen
Collections of “precedents,” pivotal dialogues or “oneliners” from great Zen teachers
 Rinzai’s (d. 866) method of “dharma combat,” a
confrontational example of “encounter dialogue”
 Koans and commentaries collected and studied by Zen
masters and given to students as tests and meditational
guides
 Not “unansweable questions” or “riddles,” but cues for
responses that reveal level of enlightenment

The
st
1
Koan on Buddha Nature from
Mumankan (無門關) of 1228
Joshu’s answer to the question: 無 mu: “no-’ 361)
 The need to reject the precedent (362(
 A rejection of dualistic thinking (363)
 The living negation of oneself and reality and yet the
grasping of it (Hakuin’s initiation) (364)
 Differing interpretations ending in negation (365)
 The fundamental contradiction of human existence,
having and not having Buddha-nature (365-66)

A Visual Koan: Hakuin
From Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768)
Can you guess the title and meaning of this painting?
for Next Class
 Prepare
Questions for Exam Review