This week we continued our study of “Records of the Transmission of the Lamp”
https://terebess.hu/zen/textindex.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denkoroku
Roshi reminded us that this koan collection allows us to explore what it means to achieve realization and to understand how this realization passes from student to teacher down throughout time to this very day. This week Roshi explored case 32 – Daoxin, who is considered the fourth patriarch of Zen and was active in seventh century China. Case 32 is quite brief and is provided below …
Daoxin: I ask for the Master’s compassion. Please instruct me on how to achieve release.
Sengcan: Is there someone who constrains [binds] you?
Daoxin: There is no such person.
Sengcan: Why then seek release when you are constrained by no one?
The story is that Daoxin met Sengcan and had this exchange when he was only fourteen years old. After this experience, Daoxin spent the next nine years with Sengcan as his student.
Roshi continued pointing out that seventh century China was not a favorable time for Buddhism. This made it difficult and sometimes dangerous for traveling monks. There is a story where Daoxin was traveling with a group of monks and they were set upon by bandits. They managed to escape to a temple but the bandits followed in close pursuit. Instead of preparing a defense with weapons, the monks entered the main hall and began to chant the Heart Sutra over and over. This was not normal rote daily chanting, but more like “chanting for their life!” Apparently, the combined power of the monks chanting the Heart Sutra unnerved the bandits and they scattered.
Roshi also shared another story which illustrates the power and confidence of Daoxin’s practice. In that time in China, it was common that when an accomplished monk entered a kingdom the ruler would summon the monk for an interview. The story goes that the in 643 the emperor Tai Zong invited Daoxin to the capital, but Daoxin refused to appear. The emperor took this as an insult and eventually sent soldiers to compel Daoxin to attend him. If the master did not accompany the soldiers to the capital, they were instructed to decapitate him on the spot. When this was related to Daoxin, he simply and quietly exposed and stretched out his neck to accept the killing blow. This act of bravery impressed the emperor. If someone is so strong and confident in practice, they must be honored and respected.
Roshi next mentioned that Daoxin practiced intensively. It is said that Bodhidharma sat facing a way for nine years. However, much of that is speculation and legend. What is known, is that Daoxin’s practice was truly intense with many of his Zazen sessions lasting overnight. This intensity of practice influences our entire lineage. Roshi mentioned that his teacher, Ban Roshi, adhered to this strict training discipline. Many great masters in our lineage adhere to this strict Zazen discipline – some even passing away in the sitting posture.
At this point, Roshi came back to the koan itself. He noted that we trap ourselves in our own mental processes. We generate our own misery in our mind. Moving to a different place or buying some shiny new “thing” will never change it. The question of happiness and peace is determined right here and now and only within the mind. As an example, Roshi brought up a recent discussion at the Yorktown Interfaith Council on the topic of “drag queens” telling stories – potentially to children. There was a heated debate in the group. Some thought it was a matter of empowerment and equity and others through it was a corrupting influence on children. When it was Roshi’s turn to talk, he mentioned that this had nothing to do with the event – rather the “story hour” is a symbol of the values which each person holds dear. We all assign value to everything – even ourselves. These values become our prison. We have so much attachment and investment in them that it is impossible to look at them in different ways. Roshi repeated the koan here …
Daoxin: I ask for the Master’s compassion. Please instruct me on how to achieve release.
Sengcan: Is there someone who constrains [binds] you?
Daoxin: There is no such person.
Sengcan: Why then seek release when you are constrained by no one?
Who is holding you back? Who is causing your misery? Daoxin, realized, that it is nobody external to himself constraining him. If this is the case, then the way to release is obvious. It is all up to you and what you have in your mind.
Roshi asked the group to imagine what would happen if we simply changed the definition of our values. What happens if we consider our adversary as a teacher instead? What happens if we consider a “drag queen” as a person simply trying to express their story? What happens if we think of a politician as just someone trying to promulgate what they think is the right path? This is not blind acceptance of everything – rather it is loosening our internal grip of abstract values. It is a flexibility of mind and a willingness to explore different possibilities. Roshi noted that this is the “revolutionary” idea of Zen. The mind is everything. Nothing has an absolute and enduring meaning. This means we can redefine how we react to things and this can really lessen our suffering.