Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

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jikai
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by jikai »

Queequeg wrote: Sat Feb 03, 2018 4:10 pm I wanted to thank you Jikai. It is clear that you are putting a lot of thought and effort to this and I am very appreciative of this opportunity to study the MHCK with you and the rest of the community.
:smile:
No problem at all Queequeg, I hope the notes are of some help. I too am excited about being able to discuss all of this with everyone. You never know what ideas and angles might come out of it all. :anjali:

Gassho

Jikai
"止觀明靜前代未聞"
(摩訶止觀)

"此妙法蓮花經者本地甚深之奧藏也"
( 法華玄義)

"觀心者空觀是般若假觀是解脫中觀是法身"
(法華文句)
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by jikai »

rory wrote: Sat Feb 03, 2018 11:00 pm Okay I've picked up my volume: Rev. Jikai could you please discuss the modern Tendai view of this passage: p. 103
What does it mean to hear the perfect Dharma? To hear that samsara is indivisible from the Dharma body. that passionate afflictions are indivisible from prajna-wisdom, that the bonds of karma are indivisible from liberation.
This is a very famous quote, certainly used later in hongaku to justify that we are enlightened just as we are; but of course that doesn't mean we don't have to practice...

My other question: would you discuss the Lotus zammai - the practice as it is done today in Tendai?

It was wonderful reading the quote on p. 77 " if you do not climb a high mountain you will not comprehend the highness of heavens" ; I hope I am like those indigo leaves.
gassho
Rory

And let me again thank you Rev. Jikai for your kindness and compassion in holding this study group with us!
Good question Rory. I will be discussing this passage in some depth very soon, so I hope you'll forgive me for treating it summarily here. I promise though, that I will discuss it at length in the notes as we go. In very brief terms then: As you mention, some later Tendai thinkers would go as far as suggesting that passages such as this one imply a total identification between Dharma-Nature (法性) and ignorance etc. When you read Zhiyi extensively though, I think we can say that Zhiyi leaves the door open somewhat, most likely intentionally. However, it is generally fairly clear that Zhiyi is careful not to go quite so far as to claim complete and perfect identification as such. Zhiyi says for example that they are neither one nor different(不一不異). They share the same "thusness" but that does not mean that passionate afflictions are prajna for example.

In regards to the second question you had, the Hokke Zanmai is still a central part of our practice. Today it happens in a number of forms. To understand how this works, we need to remember that the Hokke Zanmai is intrinsically linked with the Hokke Senbo or Lotus Repentance rite. So today, the Hokke Zanmai and Hokke Senbo can be performed as traditionally, in a lengthy and continuous fashion in which a Monk or Nun is secluded in a hall, and all mundane tasks are undertaken by support-monks. Every Tendai Monk and Nun however, performs the Hokke Senbo as their morning service. The practice was very important to Saicho, and it is what he meant concretely though not exclusively, when he commanded his disciples to practice the Lotus everyday without fail. He also meant for them to study, read, recite and so forth. But the commentary and tradition make referene to this particularly. The Service is performed everyday, although some of the ritual 'movements' are paired down when done on a daily basis. When it is performed properly it requires a number of participants, with different roles and a great deal of circumambulation and so forth. All Tendai Monks and Nuns learn the rite, even if they don't regularly perform its more complex form (remembering as I said, that it requires many participants- it can't then be performed by a single practitioner in a country temple).

The practice was important to Saicho, although there is some disagreement about whether or not he transmitted the full rite to Japan. Those who suggest this, credit Ennin with the full transmission. In my opinion, Saicho probably did in fact transmit the rite in full. His writings seem to suggest that. What the records do say however, is that Ennin introduced a more complex version which he brought back from Mt Wutai. This version is probably the complex rite we practice today, as there is a simpler version (perhaps Saicho's). At the time, Mt Wutai was quite a stronghold of Tiantai practices by the looks of it, and so the more complex version may have been what evolved there, through extensive practice of the original.

Gassho

Jikai
"止觀明靜前代未聞"
(摩訶止觀)

"此妙法蓮花經者本地甚深之奧藏也"
( 法華玄義)

"觀心者空觀是般若假觀是解脫中觀是法身"
(法華文句)
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by jikai »

narhwal90 wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2018 1:08 am I had been dreading trying to read the miniscule print, so used my brain for once and grabbed the binocular magnifiers from the repair bench and got busy. This is one of those reads that seems to turn the lights on as it goes... :)
Glad to have you with us :thumbsup:

Gassho

Jikai
"止觀明靜前代未聞"
(摩訶止觀)

"此妙法蓮花經者本地甚深之奧藏也"
( 法華玄義)

"觀心者空觀是般若假觀是解脫中觀是法身"
(法華文句)
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by jikai »

Queequeg wrote: Wed Feb 07, 2018 7:25 pm "This Zhiguan is the Dharma Gate of Practice which Tiantai Zhizhe practiced in his own mind."

This statement in the Introduction reminded me of these quotes from the Lotus Sutra, referring to the Buddha's own bodhisattva practices.

我於無量百千萬億阿僧祇劫修習是難得阿耨多羅三 画像藐三菩提法
"For immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of incalculable kalpas, I practiced this Dharma of highest, complete enlightenment, which is hard to attain."
From Chapter 22

名妙法蓮華教菩薩法佛所護念
"This Mahayana sutra called the Lotus Sutra, the instruction for bodhisattvas and treasured lore of the buddhas."
A standard phrase that appears throughout the first half of the text.

I was wondering if there is any commentary relating this statement from the Introduction to these phrases from the LS?
None of the four canonical commentaries make adirect correlation with those passages. Although as we discussed, they do point out that this Dharma Gate of Practice is a reference to the Perfect Teachings in particular (圓教.
"止觀明靜前代未聞"
(摩訶止觀)

"此妙法蓮花經者本地甚深之奧藏也"
( 法華玄義)

"觀心者空觀是般若假觀是解脫中觀是法身"
(法華文句)
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by jikai »

Queequeg wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2018 6:06 pm Presently re-reading the intro to Swanson's translation by Donner and Stevenson.

Relevant to the present discussion of Guanding's introduction and recitation of lineage, Donner & Stevenson discuss how the Western tradition (Indian lineage) represents the doctrinal tradition while the Chinese sages represent the wisdom gained through practice. I thought this passage they quoted from the MHCK is something that might be helpful to keep in mind -
Understanding [that is, learning] purifies practice, and practice promotes understanding. Illuminating and enriching, guiding and penetrating, they reciprocally beautify and embellish one another. They are like the two hands of a single body, which, working together, keep it clean. [Yet this synthesis of learning and practice] is not just a matter of clearing away impediments and overcoming obstacles in order to inwardly advance one's own enlightenment. One must also achieve a thorough comprehension of the sutras and treatises so that one can outwardly reveal to others what they have not heard before. When one combines one's own training with the training of others, benefit is then complete. If on such as this is not the teacher of all humankind and the jewel of the nation, then who is?
***
Growing up, I was exposed to the, "blue dye" teaching. Nichiren's interpretation of this passage conforms to the implication of the Xunxi, ie. "Blue dye derives from the indigo plant, and yet is bluer than the plant. Ice comes from water and yet it is colder than water... "
T’ien-t’ai states, “From the indigo, an even deeper blue.” This passage means that, if one dyes something repeatedly in indigo, it becomes even bluer than the indigo leaves. The Lotus Sutra is like the indigo, and the strength of one’s practice is like the deepening blue.
The quote attributed to Zhiyi (T'ien-t'ai) seems to be an interpretive translation conveying the Xunxi. We can also set aside Nichiren relating the Lotus Sutra to the indigo plant. Notwithstanding, Nichiren's interpretation seems to conform with the Xunxi and Guanding. I think its relevant to note Guanding's remark in Fahuaxuanyi, praising Zhiyi, “Even the great scholars of India were not in a class with him, and the Chinese teachers—well, one need hardly mention them. This is no idle boast—the doctrine he taught was indeed of such excellence.” (I don't have Swanson's translation with me, so I am quoting a translation of this passage as it is found in a translation of Nichiren's Kanjin no Honzon sho.

Zhiyi remarked in MHCK - "Vasubandhu and Nāgārjuna internally had insight and were enlightened, and externally each responded appropriately to the needs of their times on the basis of tentative means. However, some [Buddhist] teachers have a one-sided understanding, and some scholars are carelessly attached [to their own limited interpretation], so that they [argue and fight uselessly,] like shooting arrows at a rock. They each maintain one extreme, and thus pervert the noble path." (I don't have the text in front of me and am quoting from one of Swanson's drafts of the section, "Objects as Inconceivable" From the Perspective of Contemplating the Middle: Beyond all Dualities (Including "Non-duality")"

So before people get excited, my understanding of these passages is not that Zhiyi was considered categorically superior to everyone who had appeared since the Buddha's parinirvana, but that the insight he had and his spontaneous exposition on the Dharma surpassed any of his contemporaries in China or India.

All this is to make the point, my understanding of the reference to the indigo dye is that by immersing ourselves in the teachings, we surpass the teachings. I'm not sure that this should be considered particularly controversial - the real proving ground of dharma is not found in textual analysis or even its exposition, but in the sublime realization and the profound relations with others as a conduit of the buddha wisdom. In other words, there is a reality beyond the particular textual teachings that is greater than its means of conveyance. I think this comes into focus when the rest of the MHCK, particularly the Sudden & Perfect, is taken into account. Zhiyi himself refers to the actual teachings as "Inconceivable".

It would be interesting to see the rest of the context of Zhanran's comments on this subject. FWIW, I don't think Nichiren was introducing a novel view, and suspect it was at least a minority interpretation within the Tendai in the 13th c.?
I don't see anything on first glance objectionable in your thinking here, except I might very cautiously ask what exactly you mean by "surpass the teachings"? If you simply me that by putting them into practice, the teachings are more truly themselves, than if they were limited to the words on the page, then yes. I provided Zhanran's complete comment on this section, as it is quite brief. He doesn't draw out things here.

Gassho

Jikai.
"止觀明靜前代未聞"
(摩訶止觀)

"此妙法蓮花經者本地甚深之奧藏也"
( 法華玄義)

"觀心者空觀是般若假觀是解脫中觀是法身"
(法華文句)
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by jikai »

Hi all,

I have uploaded the next lot of study notes. I am sorry for the quite lengthy delay. As some of you are aware, I help out with English teaching, and the English curriculum at the Tendai High School here in Tokyo. Given that it has been the end of the School year here, I have been rather busy with exams, grading, and designing and preparing the curriculum for the coming year. This has taken a great deal of my time over the last few weeks, but It appears that the worst is behind me now. So I will be getting around to all of the comments left here, and hope now I can get back into the discussion. My apologies for the inconvenience, and I hope the new notes are of some help in placing the discussion:

http://tendaiaustralia.org.au/documents/Guandingpt2.pdf

Gassho,

Jikai
"止觀明靜前代未聞"
(摩訶止觀)

"此妙法蓮花經者本地甚深之奧藏也"
( 法華玄義)

"觀心者空觀是般若假觀是解脫中觀是法身"
(法華文句)
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by Queequeg »

jikai wrote: Sun Mar 04, 2018 6:48 am Mt Wutai
I visited about 15 years ago. As I was walking around the terrace of the stupa (not circumambulating per se, just being a tourist), I was surprised to find a poster explaining the ten worlds. I thought this remarkable as I don't think that ten world formulation is significant outside the Lotus schools... Unable to speak and very limited in reading kanji at the time, I couldn't really gather what type of teachings were prevalent at the complex.

Do you know if Tiantai teachings are still continued there?
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by Queequeg »

jikai wrote: Sun Mar 04, 2018 6:48 am Hokke Senbo or Lotus Repentance rite.
Is there any indication that this was practiced outside of monastic/ordained circles in the medieval period? The reason I ask is because there is a letter by Nichiren in which he instructs a daily practice that, though paired down, very closely follows the structure of the Lotus Repentance ritual. It seems to me that even among laity in the medieval period, their knowledge of teachings was considerably more robust and their practices considerably more developed than the sort we associate with laity in Japan now. Sorry this is a little off topic, but seems a little too minor to break off into a separate thread. If it picks up, maybe we can take it up in the Practice for Who? thread that is currently active in the sub.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by jikai »

Queequeg wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 5:53 pm
jikai wrote: Sun Mar 04, 2018 6:48 am Mt Wutai
I visited about 15 years ago. As I was walking around the terrace of the stupa (not circumambulating per se, just being a tourist), I was surprised to find a poster explaining the ten worlds. I thought this remarkable as I don't think that ten world formulation is significant outside the Lotus schools... Unable to speak and very limited in reading kanji at the time, I couldn't really gather what type of teachings were prevalent at the complex.

Do you know if Tiantai teachings are still continued there?
There is still a Tiantai presence there. Ara Sensei used to visit them quite a lot as he painted many of their statues and icons for an exhibition at one point. Since the Qing period though, many of the temples have been converted for use by Tibetan Schools (The Manchu considered themselves ethnic kin of the Tibetans and Mongolians, so Tibetan Buddhism was in vogue to some extent).
"止觀明靜前代未聞"
(摩訶止觀)

"此妙法蓮花經者本地甚深之奧藏也"
( 法華玄義)

"觀心者空觀是般若假觀是解脫中觀是法身"
(法華文句)
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by jikai »

Queequeg wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 12:05 am
jikai wrote: Sun Mar 04, 2018 6:48 am Hokke Senbo or Lotus Repentance rite.
Is there any indication that this was practiced outside of monastic/ordained circles in the medieval period? The reason I ask is because there is a letter by Nichiren in which he instructs a daily practice that, though paired down, very closely follows the structure of the Lotus Repentance ritual. It seems to me that even among laity in the medieval period, their knowledge of teachings was considerably more robust and their practices considerably more developed than the sort we associate with laity in Japan now. Sorry this is a little off topic, but seems a little too minor to break off into a separate thread. If it picks up, maybe we can take it up in the Practice for Who? thread that is currently active in the sub.
Certainly there were aristocrats who participated in the Lotus Repentance Rite. Whether or not they led their own practice of it, or had a Monk lead for them, might be the question. I couldn't say for sure, but I'll look into it. Tentatively though, I would think it fairly likely that they did indeed do what might have been an abridged Hokke Senbo practice. There are a lot of accounts of people performing 'repentance rites' as such, and this was perhaps premier among such rights in the late Heian.

Lay practice was certainly more substantive in the past. Although we should remember that requiring the ability to read restricted much of practice to the upper echelons. For the average peasant, it may have actually resembled modern lay practice in Japan. Often the 'levelling out' that occurs when traditional social structures are dismantled favours the larger of the groups. And so naturally, in a country which favours known duties with little to surprise, the quality of practice on the whole, would have been determined by what was the norm for the masses.
"止觀明靜前代未聞"
(摩訶止觀)

"此妙法蓮花經者本地甚深之奧藏也"
( 法華玄義)

"觀心者空觀是般若假觀是解脫中觀是法身"
(法華文句)
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by ItsRaining »

jikai wrote: Tue Mar 06, 2018 12:12 am
Queequeg wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 5:53 pm
jikai wrote: Sun Mar 04, 2018 6:48 am Mt Wutai
I visited about 15 years ago. As I was walking around the terrace of the stupa (not circumambulating per se, just being a tourist), I was surprised to find a poster explaining the ten worlds. I thought this remarkable as I don't think that ten world formulation is significant outside the Lotus schools... Unable to speak and very limited in reading kanji at the time, I couldn't really gather what type of teachings were prevalent at the complex.

Do you know if Tiantai teachings are still continued there?
There is still a Tiantai presence there. Ara Sensei used to visit them quite a lot as he painted many of their statues and icons for an exhibition at one point. Since the Qing period though, many of the temples have been converted for use by Tibetan Schools (The Manchu considered themselves ethnic kin of the Tibetans and Mongolians, so Tibetan Buddhism was in vogue to some extent).
According to Chinese Wiki in 1956 there were 99 Chinese temples and 24 Tibetan Temples on Mt Wutai.
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by markatex »

There is a version of Hokke Senbo in Nichiren Shu. I don't know how far back it goes.
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by Queequeg »

Rev. Jikai,

First, I want to congratulate you and thank you for the latest study guide - you address some really big subjects. It was a good, challenging read. It definitely stimulated the mind and I'm going to let it percolate for a little. Impressive that you we able to put that together with all your other responsibilities and obligations. Its going to be something when we get into the text!

I hope that others following along are not daunted, and I would say to them, this was a tough read even for someone familiar with the underlying subjects, covering a lot of ground.

QQ
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by Queequeg »

For the first time I browsed the appendix volume of Swanson's MHCK. Wow. That volume itself is amazing.

Reading Swanson's intro. Its really nice to read how meaningful this was for him. I can only hope to have a life work that is so meaningful personally and significant for others. It's fair to say the MHCK is his practice for self and practice for others.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by rory »

Queequeg wrote: Thu Mar 08, 2018 7:37 pm Rev. Jikai,

First, I want to congratulate you and thank you for the latest study guide - you address some really big subjects. It was a good, challenging read. It definitely stimulated the mind and I'm going to let it percolate for a little. Impressive that you we able to put that together with all your other responsibilities and obligations. Its going to be something when we get into the text!

I hope that others following along are not daunted, and I would say to them, this was a tough read even for someone familiar with the underlying subjects, covering a lot of ground.

QQ
I'm reading too, I'm plowing ahead! So forgive my silence while I work on this!
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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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by narhwal90 »

I'm reading too, and the commentary pdf as well... think this is well above my paygrade at present :)
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by jikai »

Queequeg wrote: Thu Mar 08, 2018 7:37 pm Rev. Jikai,

First, I want to congratulate you and thank you for the latest study guide - you address some really big subjects. It was a good, challenging read. It definitely stimulated the mind and I'm going to let it percolate for a little. Impressive that you we able to put that together with all your other responsibilities and obligations. Its going to be something when we get into the text!

I hope that others following along are not daunted, and I would say to them, this was a tough read even for someone familiar with the underlying subjects, covering a lot of ground.

QQ
You're most welcome, I hope it is helpful. I dare say my lack of erudition made it a more difficult read than it need be, and for that I apologise. Nevertheless, I hope even now in these early stages that it is clear why the Mohe Zhiguan was chosen as the 'textbook' for Tiantai/Tendai Monks over the centuries.

Most people who read Tiantai material are aware that it asks a lot from the reader. But the reason Tiantai/Tendai Monk scholars have been so highly regarded in the East, is precisely because of these heavy demands. This trend continues to this day, for any ordained individual who goes beyond the base requirements. The Four Bodhisattva Vows have always been of great importance within the school, and this has led to fairly high standards of Dharma Study. Eshin Sozu Genshin for example, is famous for his Pure Land Treatise, the Ojoyoshu. But in Tendai he is also well known for his monumental work on the Abhidharma. It's a fantastic work which tries to square Abhidharma against Lotus Buddhism. I've only studied portions of it myself, but I'm convinced the man was a genius from those parts I have learnt.

My teacher Ara Sensei, has always been very serious about the two gates of Learning and Practice. I'll never forget when he sat me down one day and said 'you need to understand Hosso (Faxiang- East Asian Yogacara) doctrines better'. He pulled out the Trimsika and lectured on it for hours from memory, while I furiously scribbled out notes. He is just as serious about practice, although he laments often that contemporary practitioners seem to leave doctrine up to scholars. My own knowledge is still comparatively meagre. But if I can offer anything here that is of use I'll be more than happy to.

Gassho,

Jikai.
"止觀明靜前代未聞"
(摩訶止觀)

"此妙法蓮花經者本地甚深之奧藏也"
( 法華玄義)

"觀心者空觀是般若假觀是解脫中觀是法身"
(法華文句)
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by jikai »

Queequeg wrote: Fri Mar 09, 2018 4:32 pm For the first time I browsed the appendix volume of Swanson's MHCK. Wow. That volume itself is amazing.

Reading Swanson's intro. Its really nice to read how meaningful this was for him. I can only hope to have a life work that is so meaningful personally and significant for others. It's fair to say the MHCK is his practice for self and practice for others.
It is a great companion. Hopefully it sets a new standard for major translation works from now on! Don't hold your breath though :thumbsup:
"止觀明靜前代未聞"
(摩訶止觀)

"此妙法蓮花經者本地甚深之奧藏也"
( 法華玄義)

"觀心者空觀是般若假觀是解脫中觀是法身"
(法華文句)
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jikai
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Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by jikai »

rory wrote: Sun Mar 11, 2018 2:27 am
Queequeg wrote: Thu Mar 08, 2018 7:37 pm Rev. Jikai,

First, I want to congratulate you and thank you for the latest study guide - you address some really big subjects. It was a good, challenging read. It definitely stimulated the mind and I'm going to let it percolate for a little. Impressive that you we able to put that together with all your other responsibilities and obligations. Its going to be something when we get into the text!

I hope that others following along are not daunted, and I would say to them, this was a tough read even for someone familiar with the underlying subjects, covering a lot of ground.

QQ
I'm reading too, I'm plowing ahead! So forgive my silence while I work on this!
gassho
Rory
Let me know if you guys have any ideas for how to make future materials better, or easier to work with.

Gassho,

Jikai.
"止觀明靜前代未聞"
(摩訶止觀)

"此妙法蓮花經者本地甚深之奧藏也"
( 法華玄義)

"觀心者空觀是般若假觀是解脫中觀是法身"
(法華文句)
User avatar
jikai
Posts: 200
Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 12:52 pm
Location: Tokyo, Japan.
Contact:

Re: Mohe Zhiguan Study Thread 摩訶止觀 Part 1

Post by jikai »

narhwal90 wrote: Sun Mar 11, 2018 3:20 am I'm reading too, and the commentary pdf as well... think this is well above my paygrade at present :)
Don't count yourself out too early. We all start at different levels, but its the challenge that lets you know you're learning something important. The next set of notes shouldn't be too difficult. Although the ones after that...I can't make any problems.

By the way, for all following this who have an interest in Tiantai, Tendai, Zhiyi, Lotus Buddhism more generally: I heard through the grapevine that FGS intends to publish a complete translation of Nagarjuna's Dazhidulun! (Maha Prajna Paramita upadesa). Forgove me if this has already been announced here somewhere, but I can't emphasise enough how very important this would be for us. If you have any interest or connection to Lotus Buddhism, or even East Asian Buddhism in general, please support and patronise this project. They have released the first five fascicles in five volumes, amd they are free! You just have to pay for shipping. Although if you can, please do donate to the project, even if its only a little. I have also been told that the next five fascicles of the text (6-10) will be released in 'autumn' (Northern Hemisphere). I've received my copy of the first five fascicles, and from the brief perusal I've been able to give them, they look very nicely done. The footnoting is kept to the bare minimum, but the upside is that they contain the classical Chinese text on the facing page. This is great for all of you out there learning literary Buddhist Chinese. The language of the Dazhidulun is actually not too difficult to get the hang of, so it would work great as a reader of sorts. Each fascicle comes in its own hardback volume. The first five fascicles come in a nice purple box. On the whole I think the set is very well done, and being as they are, a very large organisation of practitioners, we might actually get a full translation of the work if we show that its valued. The preface to the first fascicle is written by our own Venerable Shi Huifeng. You can find the set at the following link: http://www.fgsitc.org/books/

As most of you know, the first 30 or so fascicles were previously translated into French by Lamotte. These have extensive footnoting and you can find English translations of those by Venerable Gelongma online. For the footnoting and extra info these PDFs will still be of great value. But to have a nice set of the entire work would be fantastic. So please support this project. :focus:

Gassho,

Jikai
"止觀明靜前代未聞"
(摩訶止觀)

"此妙法蓮花經者本地甚深之奧藏也"
( 法華玄義)

"觀心者空觀是般若假觀是解脫中觀是法身"
(法華文句)
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