Chinese mahayana meditation

Discussion of meditation in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.
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Ervin
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Location: Melbourne

Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by Ervin »

Can someone give me some guidance on Chinese Mahayana meditation. Like what are the main points, etc.

Thanks
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Huifeng
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by Huifeng »

Hi,

Noting you are from Melbourne (Australia, I assume...), if I may be so bold:

The Mind and its Cultivation
Saturday, 11:00-12:30, 17 Aug, 2013

Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery
141 Queen Street, Melbourne 3000, Australia
Tel: 61-3-9642 2388, Fax: 9642 3288
Email: [email protected]

http://www.ibcv.org.au/trial/news.asp?id=27

~~ Huifeng
White Lotus
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by White Lotus »

in the Mahayanasradhotpadasastra, two types of meditation are reccommended. Shamatha and Vipashyana. sometimes called tranquilization or absorption and insight. Shamatha is just to sit or lie down and to watch your breath, or to watch nothing at all. keeping a clear mind. keeping a clear mind is very difficult without practice. watching your breath just means to observe your breathing: if a thought comes you observe... a thought and then you let it go. to begin with your mind behaves like a naughty monkey. its all over the place and so you try to observe this chaotic mind. every time you realise that you have become distracted you return to the concentration of the breath. you must try not to try. just accept your meditation for however it is. one minute, five minutes, half an hour or for however long you practice. dont judge your medition. just watch your breath. you can do this anywhere at any time your attention is not needed for other things.

Vipashyana requires that you see objects or things with your attention. you can form a judgment about what you see. this is mindfulness and can be practiced whatever you are doing. vipashyana and shamatha merge into what you see right before you... some say THAT is it, but thats not enough. when not aware, for the large part of the day, where is the awareness then, or what when you are asleep. the MIND is all states and conditions.

what do you see right now? that is meditation. you see, you hear, you taste, you smell, you feel. all of this is meditation when you are conscious of it. when not, then is formless and is your natural mind. naturally just as it is. you mind is the Buddha, just as it is. no defilements or imperfections. you see, hear, taste, smell and feel.

if we attach to the name or concept... this is mind, we are still relying on a name, a form. we are still attached to an understanding and we limit ourselves. one should take ones stand in nothing whatsoever. to say i abide in nothing at all is still a position and is not yet emptiness.

going beyond emptiness, this is just a computer. that is meditation. if i am saying the computer is not, or it is empty. i am attached to the name emptiness. this is a computer will do just fine. that is that. but not to attach to that.

going beyond the form zen, which is just zen, we say that everyone is a buddha. we say tiles have it, rooves have it, dogs have it, plants have it. what is to be had? emptiness? no. awareness? no. nothingness? no. anything at all? no and yet yes to all things at their appointed time.

words take away freedom, no matter how beautiful a name it is let go. and yet going beyond the emptiness of Prajnaparamita, one is free to attach to any name or form. what are you lacking. Huang Po Hsi Yun said all things have been free from blemish from the very beginning... why this talk of seeing into your own nature. Donkeys have it, oxes have it, foxes have it. you have it. it is not a thing and yet is all things.

hope this is helpful. i dont know what im talking about.

best wishes, Tom.
in any matters of importance. dont rely on me. i may not know what i am talking about. take what i say as mere speculation. i am not ordained. nor do i have a formal training. i do believe though that if i am wrong on any point. there are those on this site who i hope will quickly point out my mistakes.
lawrence
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by lawrence »

White Lotus wrote:in the Mahayanasradhotpadasastra, two types of meditation are reccommended. Shamatha and Vipashyana. sometimes called tranquilization or absorption and insight. Shamatha is just to sit or lie down and to watch your breath, or to watch nothing at all. keeping a clear mind. keeping a clear mind is very difficult without practice. watching your breath just means to observe your breathing: if a thought comes you observe... a thought and then you let it go. to begin with your mind behaves like a naughty monkey. its all over the place and so you try to observe this chaotic mind. every time you realise that you have become distracted you return to the concentration of the breath. you must try not to try. just accept your meditation for however it is. one minute, five minutes, half an hour or for however long you practice. dont judge your medition. just watch your breath. you can do this anywhere at any time your attention is not needed for other things.

Vipashyana requires that you see objects or things with your attention. you can form a judgment about what you see. this is mindfulness and can be practiced whatever you are doing. vipashyana and shamatha merge into what you see right before you... some say THAT is it, but thats not enough. when not aware, for the large part of the day, where is the awareness then, or what when you are asleep. the MIND is all states and conditions.

what do you see right now? that is meditation. you see, you hear, you taste, you smell, you feel. all of this is meditation when you are conscious of it. when not, then is formless and is your natural mind. naturally just as it is. you mind is the Buddha, just as it is. no defilements or imperfections. you see, hear, taste, smell and feel.

if we attach to the name or concept... this is mind, we are still relying on a name, a form. we are still attached to an understanding and we limit ourselves. one should take ones stand in nothing whatsoever. to say i abide in nothing at all is still a position and is not yet emptiness.

going beyond emptiness, this is just a computer. that is meditation. if i am saying the computer is not, or it is empty. i am attached to the name emptiness. this is a computer will do just fine. that is that. but not to attach to that.

going beyond the form zen, which is just zen, we say that everyone is a buddha. we say tiles have it, rooves have it, dogs have it, plants have it. what is to be had? emptiness? no. awareness? no. nothingness? no. anything at all? no and yet yes to all things at their appointed time.

words take away freedom, no matter how beautiful a name it is let go. and yet going beyond the emptiness of Prajnaparamita, one is free to attach to any name or form. what are you lacking. Huang Po Hsi Yun said all things have been free from blemish from the very beginning... why this talk of seeing into your own nature. Donkeys have it, oxes have it, foxes have it. you have it. it is not a thing and yet is all things.

hope this is helpful. i dont know what im talking about.

best wishes, Tom.
Very nice "not knowing
Gassho
Lawrence
Jinzang
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by Jinzang »

"It's as plain as the nose on your face!" Dottie Primrose
Ervin
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by Ervin »

Thank you all.
JKhedrup
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by JKhedrup »

Does anyone know of any resources on how meditation was practiced in the Hua Yen tradition?
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Astus
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by Astus »

JKhedrup wrote:Does anyone know of any resources on how meditation was practiced in the Hua Yen tradition?
This is the only work I know in English: On The Meditation of Dharmadhātu by Master Tu Shun. It's also found in Cleary's collection plus commentary.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
JKhedrup
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by JKhedrup »

thanks so much Astus!
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Astus
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by Astus »

In the Collected Works of Korean Buddhism there are two volumes on Huayan, although by Korean authors, but Uisang's seal is known throughout East Asia and it can also be used for meditation. Also, in the second Hwaeom volume it has a treatise on the Ocean Seal Samadhi.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
JKhedrup
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by JKhedrup »

Master Tu Shun's style reminds me of Tsongkhapa in some ways!
Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

JKhedrup wrote:Does anyone know of any resources on how meditation was practiced in the Hua Yen tradition?
I have a PDF of Cleary's collection of HuaYen texts Entry into the Inconceivable. Send me a PM with your email and I will send it to anyone.
May all seek, find & follow the Path of Buddhas.
JKhedrup
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by JKhedrup »

Will I sent you a PM with my email so please do send the text when you have a moment! I am looking forward to reading it.
Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

JKhedrup wrote:Will I sent you a PM with my email so please do send the text when you have a moment! I am looking forward to reading it.
I did yesterday- look in your spam folder for a 'gmx' address, with 'Cleary's Huayen book' in Subject line.
May all seek, find & follow the Path of Buddhas.
JKhedrup
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by JKhedrup »

Thanks so much! It is indeed there.
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rory
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by rory »

Dear Will;
I just sent you a pm for the Cleary pdf if you do have it, I would be very grateful. Also I believe this page has Uisang's diagram.
http://www.san-shin.org/Uisang-Haeindo.html
gassho
rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
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rory
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Re: Chinese mahayana meditation

Post by rory »

Thank you Will:) and I found this if people don't have it:

This thesis is a translation, with notes and introduction, of the Commentary to the Hua-yan Dharma-realm Meditation, This text is a commentary to the Dharma-realm Meditation, which is incorporated into the former. The core text is by the first patriarch of the Hua-yan school of Buddhism in China, Du-shun (557-64-0); the commentary is by the fifth patriarch of the Hua-yan school, Zong-mi (780-841), The text is both philosophical and meditational in nature, and is a concise statement of the key doctrines of the school. The introduction to this text prepares the reader for the translation by providing the information and concepts necessary for an understanding of the text. This includes material on the translation of technical terms, a brief sketch of some Buddhist texts referred to by the authors, biographical information on the authors, historical and philosophical background to the Hua-yan school, a comment on the literary and meditational aspects of the text, and a general summary of the text by chapters.

https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/19489

gassho
rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
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