East Mountain Teaching

'East Mountain Teaching' denotes the teachings of the Fourth Ancestor Dayi Daoxin, his disciple and heir the Fifth Ancestor Daman Hongren, and their disciples of the Chan lineage of China.^[1] The two most famous disciples of Hongren, Dajian Huineng and Yuquan Shenxiu, both referred to themselves as continuing the East Mountain teaching. East Mountain gets its name from the East Mountain Temple on 'Shuangfeng' ("Twin Peaks") of Huangmei. The East Mountain Temple was on the easternmost peak of the two. The label "East Mountain Teaching" (Chinese: 東山法門, dong shan fa men) is literally translated as the East Mountain Dharma Gate and is also translated as the East Mountain School.

Beginnings and Innovations at East Mountain

The East Mountain School was established by Daoxin at East Mountain Temple on Potou (Broken Head) Mountain which was later renamed Shuangfeng (Twin Peaks). Daoxin taught there for 30 years and established the first monastic home for Bodhidharma's Zen. Daoxin is credited with several important innovations that led directly to the ability of Zen to become a popular religion. Among his most important contributions were:

1. The Unification of Zen practice with acceptance of the Buddhist precepts, 2. The unification of the teachings of the Lankavatara Sutra with those of the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, which includes the well-known Heart and Diamond sutras, 3. The incorporation of chanting, including chanting the name of Buddha, into Zen practice.^[2]

The tradition holds that Hongren left home at an early age (between seven and fourteen) and lived at East Mountain Temple on Twin Peaks, where Daoxiin was the abbot.

Upon Daoxin's death [in 651 C.E]. at the age of seventy-two, Hongren assumed the abbacy. He then moved East Mountain Temple approximately ten kilometers east to the flanks of Mt. Pingmu. Soon, Hongren's fame eclipsed that of his teacher.^[3]

The Foundations of the East Mountain Teaching

An important aspect of the East Mountain Teachings was its nonreliance on a single Sutra or a single set of Sutras for its doctrinnal foundation as was done by most of the other Buddhist sects of the time. Following Daoxin, Hongren included an emphasis on the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutras, including the Heart and Diamond Sutras, along with the emphasis on the Lankavatara Sutra handed down from Bohidharma.

Also, the view of the mind in the 'Awakening of Mahayana Faith' (Chinese: Ta-ch'eng ch'i-hsin lun) had a significant import on the doctrinal development of the East Mountain Teaching.^[4]

Though Hongren was known for not compiling writings and for teaching Zen principles orally, the classical Zen text Discourse on the Highest Vehicle, is attributed to him.^[5] This work emphasizes the practice of "maintaining the original true mind" that "naturally cuts off the arising of delusion."^[6]

East Mountain Teaching Heirs

The Record of the Lankavatara Masters reports that Hongren said, "Of the countless students I have taught, many have passed away. There are only ten remining who will transmit my teaching." ."^[7] The most successful and famous among those named are Huineng, Shenxiu, and Zhixian.

In the first chapter of the Platform Sutra, Huineng relates the story of his establishing his teaching career saying he opened the East Mountain Dharma gate because he gained the Dharma on East Mountain.

Shenxiu also called his Zen the continuation of the East Mountain teaching.

Controversy Of the East Mountain Heirs

The disciples and heirs of Huineng and Shenxiu called their respective teachers the "Sixth Ancestor" carrying the mantle of Bodhidharma's Zen through the East Mountain School. After the deaths of Huineng and Shenxiu, the controversy between their disciples erupted with Heze Shenhui, the notable partisian of Huineng, carrying on a crusade to establish Huineng as the Sixth Ancestor. To distinguish the different claims of the two branches of the East Mountain Teaching flourishing in the south and north, each with a "Sixth Ancestor", Shenhui characterized the two schools of Huineng and Shenxiu as the Southern and Northern Schools respectively.

Eventually Shenhui's position won the day and Huineng was recognized as the Sixth Ancestor with the proviso that there would be no further "founding ancestors" after him. The successful promulgation of Shenhui's views led to Shenxiu's branch being widely referred to by others as the "Northern School." This nomenclature has continued in western scholarship which for the most part has largely viewed Chinese Zen through the lens of southern Chan.

For those who consider the "Northern School" to be a pejorative label (implying the aphorism: "suddenness of the South, gradualness of the North" (Chinese: nan-tun bei qian; Japanese: nanton hokuzen).^[8]), the term "East Mountain Teaching" is seen as more culturally and historically appropriate.^[9] The characterization of Shenxiu's East Mountain Teaching as gradualist is argued to be unfounded in light of the documents found amongst manuscripts recovered from the Mogao Caves near Dunhuang.^[8] Dumoulin, et al. (1988: p. 107) commenting on this aphorism state:

Contrary to first impressions, the formula has little to do with geography. Like the general designations of Mahāyāna ("great vehicle") and Hīnayāna ("little vehicle"), the formula carries with it a value judgement. According to the mainstream of later Zen, not only is sudden enlightenment incomparably superior to gradual experience but it represents true Zen - indeed, it is the very touchstone of authentic Zen.^[8]

Kuiken (undated: p. 17) in discussing a Dunhuang document of the Tang monk and meditator, 'Jingjue' (靜覺, 683- ca. 750) states:

The aristocratic Tang monk and meditation teacher Jingjue wrote a collection of vitae of ten senior meditation teachers, all obviously outside the established meditation tradition of Mt Tiantai. Jingjue's surname was Wei 韋; he was a brother-in-law of emperor Zhongzong. Prior to 705 Shenxiu 神秀 ... was his tutor. After 708, Jingjue studied with the Pure Land teacher Xuanze 玄賾 (d. 725). Jingjue's memorial stele: Inscription for the stupa of Master Jingjue, the late Bhadanta of the National Monastery of Da'an 大唐大安國寺故大德靜覺師塔銘, was written by Wang Wei 王維 (701-761...). Jingjue's Record introduces Hongren of Huangmei 黃梅宏忍 (d.u.) as the main teacher in the sixth generation of the 'southern' or 'East Mountain' meditation tradition. Shenxiu is mentioned as Hongren's authorized successor. In Shenxiu's shadow, Jingjue mentions 'old An' 老安 (see A) as a 'seasoned' meditation teacher and some minor 'local disciples' of Hongren. Unlike Jingjue suggests, Shenxiu and Dao'an were connected with Yuquan 玉泉 Abbey in Jingzhou 荊州 (Hubei), a meditation center related to the school at Mt Tiantai.^[10]

Dumoulin (1993: p. 37) to redress the wronging of Fa-ju states:

The consciousness of a unique line of transmission of Bodhidharma Zen, which is not yet demonstrable in the Bodhidharma treatise, grew during the seventh century and must have taken shape on the East Mountain prior to the death of the Fourth Patriarch Tao-hsin (580-651). The earliest indication appears in the epitaph for Fa-ju (638-689), one of the outstanding disciples of the Fifth Patriarch Hung-jen (601-674). The author of the epitaph is not known, but the list comprises six names: after Bodhidharma and Hui-k'o follow Seng-ts'an, Tao-hsin, Hung-jen, and Fa-ju. The Ch'uan fa-pao chi takes this list over and adds as a seventh name that of Shen-hsiu (605?-706). In an epitaph for Shen-hsiu, his name is made to take the place of Fa-ju's. The Leng-ch'ieh shih-tzu chi omits Fa-ju and ends after Shen-hsiu with the name of his disciple P'u-chi (651-739). These indications from the Northern school argue for the succession of the Third Patriarch Seng-ts'an (d. 606), which has been thrown into doubt because of lacunae in the historical work of Tao-hsuan. Still, the matter cannot be settled with certainty.^[11]

Fa-ju/Fa-ru (法如, 638-689)

The East Mountain Teachings were founded by Fa-ju/Fa-ru (法如, 638-689) whose principal teachers were Hui-ming and Daman Hongren.^[12] Because of Fa-ju the 'Shaolin Monastery' (Chinese: Shao-lin-ssu; Japanese: Shōrin-ji), constructed in 496CE, yet again became prominent.^[12] Fa-ju had only a brief stay at Shaolin Temple, but during his stay the cloister became the epicentre of the flourishing Chan movement.^[12] An epitaph commemorating the success of Fa-ju's pioneering endeavours is located on Mount Sung.^[12]

Dumoulin, et al. (1988: p. 108) hold that: "Fa-ju and his colleagues mark the beginning of the activity of Bodhidharma Zen masters in North China."^[12] Unfortunately, Fa-ju did not have a good publicist and he was not included within the list of Chan Patriarchs.^[13]

Shen-hsiu (神秀, 606?-706)

Dumoulin, et al. (1988: p. 108) hold that: "No doubt the most important personage within the Northern school is Shen-hsiu, a man of high education and widespread notoriety."^[12]

Proponents

Pao-t'ang Wu-chu or 'Bao-tang Wu-zhu' (保唐无住) (Chinese: 無住; Wu-chu; 714-774CE), head and founder of Pao-t'ang Monastery (Chinese: 保唐寺) at Chengdu, Szechwan located in south west China was a member of the East Mountain Teachings as was Reverend Kim (Chin ho-shang).

Moheyan

Moheyan (late eighth century CE) was a propoent of the East Mountain Teachings which were in decline in China having been attacked by Heze Shenhui (a student of Dajian Huineng) as a supposed "gradual enlightenment" teaching, Moheyan traveled to Dunhuang, which at the time belonged to the Tibetan Empire, in 781 or 787 CE.^[14] For Moheyan, this was a new opportunity for the spread of (Northern) Chan. ^[14]

Adamek (2007: p. 288) provides a circa five year range when Moheyan and Kamalashila debated at Samye in Tibet:

As is well known, the fate of Chan [East Mountain Teachings] in Tibet was said to have been decided in a debate at the Samye monastery near Lhasa in c.792-797.^[15]

Broughton (1983: p. 9) identifies the Chinese and Tibetan nomenclature of Mohoyen's teachings and identifies them principally with the East Mountain Teachings:

Mo-ho-yen's teaching in Tibet as the famed proponent of the all-at-once gate can be summarized as "gazing-at-mind" ([Chinese:] k'an-hsin... = [Tibetan:] sems la bltas) and "no examining" ([Chinese:] pu-kuan... = [Tibetan:] myi rtog pa) or "no-thought no-examining" ([Chinese:] pu-ssu pu-kuan... = [Tibetan:] myi bsam myi rtog). "Gazing-at-mind" is an original Northern (or East Mountain Dharma Gate) teaching. As will become clear, Poa-t'ang and the Northern Ch'an dovetail in the Tibetan sources. Mo-ho-yen's teaching seems typical of late Northern Ch'an. It should be noted that Mo-ho-yen arrived on the central Tibetan scene somewhat late in comparison to the Ch'an transmissions from Szechwan.^[16]

The teachings of Moheyan and other Chan masters were unified with the Kham Dzogchen lineages {this may or may not be congruent with the Kahma (Tibetan: bka' ma) lineages} through the Kunkhyen (Tibetan for "omniscient"), Rongzom Chokyi Zangpo.^[17]

The Dzogchen ("Great Perfection") School of the Nyingmapa was often identified with the 'sudden enlightenment' (Tibetan: cig car gyi ‘jug pa) of Moheyan and was called to defend itself against this charge by avowed members of the Sarma lineages that held to the staunch view of 'gradual enlightenmnent' (Tibetan: rim gyis ‘jug pa).^[18]

See also

• Trisong Detsen (755 - 797 or 804 CE)
• Shenxiu (Chinese: 神秀; c606-706)
• Rongzompa
• Yequan Shenxiu‎
• Mount Wutai
• Namkhai Nyingpo

Notes

1. ^ Ferguson, Andy (2000). Zen's Chinese Heritage, Wisdom Publications Boston. ISBN 0-86171-163-7 p. 25, 29.
2. ^ Ferguson, Andy. Zen's Chinese Heritage, p. 26
3. ^ Ferguson, Andy. Zen's Chinese Heritage, p. 30
4. ^ Zeuschner, Robert B. (1978). "The Understanding of Mind in the Northern Line of Ch'an (Zen)." Philosophy East and West, Volume 28, Number 1 (January 1978). Hawaii, USA: University of Hawaii Press, pp. 69-79
5. ^ Ferguson, Andy. Zen's Chinese Heritage, p. 29, 31.
6. ^ Ferguson, Andy. Zen's Chinese Heritage, p. 29.
7. ^ Ferguson, Andy. Zen's Chinese Heritage, p. 31.
8. ^ ^{a b c} Dumoulin, Heinrich (author); Heisig, James W. (trans.) & Knitter, Paul (trans.)(1988). Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 1 India and China. New York, N.Y.: Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 0-02-908230-7 (2 vol. set; paper) p.107
9. ^ Ray, Gary L.(2005). The Northern Ch'an School and Sudden Versus Gradual Enlightenment Debates in China and Tibet. Source: [1] (accessed: December 2, 2007)
10. ^ Kuiken, Kees (undated). The Other Neng 2: Part Two Sources and Resources. Source: [2] (accessed: August 6, 2008) p.17
11. ^ Dumoulin, Heinrich (1993). "Early Chinese Zen Reexamined ~ A Supplement to 'Zen Buddhism: A History'" in Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1993 20/1. Source: [3] (accessed: August 6, 2008) p.37
12. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Dumoulin, Heinrich (author); Heisig, James W. (trans.) & Knitter, Paul (trans.)(1988). Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 1 India and China. New York, N.Y.: Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 0-02-908230-7 (2 vol. set; paper) p.108
13. ^ Dumoulin, Heinrich (author); Heisig, James W. (trans.) & Knitter, Paul (trans.)(1988). Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 1 India and China. New York, N.Y.: Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 0-02-908230-7 (2 vol. set; paper) p.109
14. ^ ^{a b} Ray, Gary L.(2005). The Northern Ch'an School and Sudden Versus Gradual Enlightenment Debates in China and Tibet
15. ^ Adamek, Wendi Leigh (2007). The mystique of transmission: on an early Chan history and its contexts. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231136641, 9780231136648. Source: [4] (accessed: Saturday April 17, 2010), p.288
16. ^ Broughton, Jeffrey (1983). Early Ch'an Schools in Tibet. Cited in: Gimello, Robert M. & Gregory, Peter N. (1983). Studies in Ch'an and Hua-yen. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0824808355, 9780824808358 Source: [5] (accessed: Saturday April 17, 2010), p.9
17. ^ Barber, A. W. (1990). The Unifying of Rdzogs Pa Chen Po and Ch'an. "Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal". Vol.3 April 1990. Source: [6] (accessed: November 30, 2007)
18. ^ van Schaik, Sam (2007). The Great Perfection and the Chinese Monk: rNyingmapa defences of Hwashang Mahāyāna in the Eighteenth Century. Source: [7] (accessed: January 14, 2007)

Further reading

Print

• Matsumoto, Shiro (松本史郞) (undated). Critical Considerations on Zen Thought. Komazawa University. Source: [8] (accessed: January 25, 2008)
• Poceski, Mario (undated). Attitudes Towards Canonicity and Religious Authority in Tang Chan. University of Florida. Source: [9] (accessed: January 25, 2008)
• Dumoulin, Heinrich (author); Heisig, James W. (trans.) & Knitter, Paul (trans.)(1988). Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 1 India and China. New York, N.Y.: Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 0-02-908230-7 (2 vol. set; paper)
• McRae, John R.(1983). The Northern School of Chinese Chan Buddhism. Ph.D. dissertation, Yale University.
• Faure, Bernard (1997). The Will to Orthodoxy: A Critical Genealogy of Northern Chan Buddhism. Translated by Phyllis Brooks, Stanford, Stanford University Press.
• Adamek, Wendi L. (2007). The Mystique of Transmission: On an Early Chan History and its Contents. New York, Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-13664-8
• Cole, Alan,(2009). Fathering Your Father: The Zen of Fabrication in Tang Buddhism. Berkeley, University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-25485-5

Electronic

• Zeuschner, Robert B.(1978). "The understanding of mind in the Northern line of Ch'an (Zen)" in Philosophy East and West, Vol.28, No.1. Hawaii, USA: University of Hawaii Press. Source: [10] (accessed: August 6, 2008)
• Poceski, Mario (2007). Patterns of Engagement with Chan Teachings Among the Mid-Tang Literati. Association of Asian Studies Annual Meeting, Boston 2007. “Intersections of Buddhist Practice, Art, and Culture in Tang China” Panel. University of Florida. Source: [11] (accessed: January 25, 2008)
• Kuiken, Kees (undated). The Other Neng 2: Part Two Sources and Resources. Source: [12] (accessed: August 6, 2008)
• Dumoulin, Heinrich (1993). "Early Chinese Zen Reexamined ~ A Supplement to 'Zen Buddhism: A History'" in Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1993 20/1. Source: [13] (accessed: August 6, 2008)
• Schlütter, Morten (2007). 'Transmission and Enlightenment in Chan Buddhism Seen Through the Platform Sūtra (Liuzu tanjing 六祖壇經).' Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal, no. 20, pp. 379–410 (2007). Taipei: Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies. Source: [14] (accessed: Saturday April 11, 2009)