Three Important Elements Of Zen

: HISTORY OF ZEN IN CHINA

To understand how Zen developed during some four hundred years after

the Sixth Patriarch, we should know that there are three important

elements in Zen. The first of these is technically called the Zen

Number--the method of practising Meditation by sitting cross-legged,

of which we shall treat later.[FN#54] This method is fully developed

by Indian teachers before Bodhidharma's introduction of Zen into

China, therefor it underwent little change during this period. The

second is the Zen Doctrine, which mainly consists of Idealistic and

Pantheistic ideas of Mahayana Buddhism, but which undoubtedly

embraces some tenets of Taoism. Therefore, Zen is not a pure Indian

faith, but rather of Chinese origin. The third is the Zen Activity,

or the mode of expression of Zen in action, which is entirely absent

in any other faith.









It was for the sake of this Zen Activity that Hwang Pah gave a slap

three times to the Emperor Suen Tsung; that Lin Tsi so often burst

out into a loud outcry of Hoh (Katsu); that Nan Tsuen killed a cat at

a single stroke of his knife in the presence of his disciples; and

that Teh Shan so frequently struck questioners with his staff.[FN#55]

The Zen Activity was displayed by the Chinese teachers making use of

diverse things such as the staff, the brush[FN#56] of long hair, the

mirror, the rosary, the cup, the pitcher, the flag, the moon, the

sickle, the plough, the bow and arrow, the ball, the bell, the drum,

the cat, the dog, the duck, the earthworm--in short, any and

everything that was fit for the occasion and convenient for the

purpose. Thus Zen Activity was of pure Chinese origin, and it was

developed after the Sixth Patriarch.[FN#57] For this reason the

period previous to the Sixth Patriarch may be called the Age of the

Zen Doctrine, while that posterior to the same master, the Age of the

Zen Activity.





[FN#55] A long official staff (Shu-jo) like the crosier carried by

the abbot of the monastery.



[FN#56] An ornamental brush (Hos-su) often carried by Zen teachers.



[FN#57] The giving of a slap was first tried by the Sixth Patriarch,

who struck one of his disciples, known as Ho Tseh (Ka-taku), and it

was very frequently resorted to by the later masters. The lifting up

of the brush was first tried by Tsing Yuen in an interview with his

eldest disciple, Shih Ten, and it became a fashion among other

teachers. The loud outcry of Hoh was first made use of by Ma Tsu,

the successor of Nan Yoh. In this way the origin of the Zen Activity

can easily be traced to the Sixth Patriarch and his direct disciples.

After the Sung dynasty Chinese Zen masters seem to have given undue

weight to the Activity, and neglected the serious study of the

doctrine. This brought out the degeneration severely reproached by

some of the Japanese Zen teachers.