Three Contemplations toward Buddha Nature

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LibraryBooksThree Contemplations toward Buddha Nature
 
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|BookToc=<center>Contemplation I</center>
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<center>Bodhidharma's Kong-An</center>
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*{{i|Chapter 1: The Mind is Nowhere to be Found|2}}
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**{{i|(A) A Brief Introduction to Kong-An|2}}
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**{{i|(B) Master Huei-ko|6}}
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**{{i|(C) Chopping off an Arm for the Dharma|8}}
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**{{i|(D) The Kong-An ''Per se'': The Mind is Nowhere to be Found|10}}
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**{{i|(E) To Contemplate on the Kong-An|11}}
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*{{i|Chapter 2: The Patriarch's Quatrain (Gāthā) for Advance Practice|15}}
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**{{i|Verse 1. "Cease all the external Quests"|17}}
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**{{i|Verse 2. "And Soothe the Mind of its Gasps"|22}}
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**{{i|Verse 3. "Uphold your Mind as a Wall"|25}}
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**{{i|Verse 4. "So as to embark on the Bodhi Route"|28}}
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**{{i|Question and Response|29}}
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*{{i|Chapter 3: Bodhidharma's Skin, Flesh, Bones, and Marrow|33}}
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**{{i| The Skin Kong-An|36}}
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**{{i| The Flesh Kong-An|38}}
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**{{i| The Bones Kong-An|40}}
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**{{i| The Marrow Kong-An|41}}
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**{{i|Question and Response|44}}
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<center>Contemplation II</center>
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<center>The Contemplation on "Hua-To"</center>
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*{{i|Chapter 4: Who is Saying 'Namo Amito-Fo'?|46}}
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**{{i|(A) What is a Hua-To?|46}}
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**{{i|(B) Where does the voice come from?|46}}
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**{{i|(C) Who is chanting 'Namo Amito-Fo'?|48}}
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**{{i|(D) To contemplate on the Hua-To about Amitabha Buddha|51}}
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**{{i|Question and Response|56}}
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**{{i|(1) The Sword of Wisdom|56}}
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**{{i|(2)Soul, Cognizances, and the Buddha Nature|56}}
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**{{i|(3) What is being reincarnated?|61}}
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**{{i|(4) Ālaya does not disappear upon death|62}}
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**{{i|(5) The Buddha Nature is real|63}}
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**{{i|(6) The Middle Route|65}}
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*{{i|Chapter 5: Who is Saying 'Namo Amito-Fo'? (''contd''.)|69}}
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**{{i|Question and Resonse|71}}
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<center>Contemplation III</center>
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<center>The Śūraṅgama Enquiries</center>
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*{{i|Chapter 6: An Overall View of ''The Śūraṅgama Sūtra''|78}}
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**{{i|1. The Māras of Vexation (Kleśa)|87}}
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***{{i|(1) Attachment (love)|88}}
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***{{i|(2) Aversion (hate)|88}}
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***{{i|(3) Ignorance|88}}
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***{{i|(4) Arrogance (or Pride)|88}}
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***{{i|(5) Doubt (Disbelief)|88}}
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****{{i| A. Doubt about oneself|89}}
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****{{i| B. Doubt and the Dharma|89}}
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****{{i| C. Doubt about the Gurus|90}}
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*****{{i|1. Doubt about our "Root Guru"—The Buddha|90}}
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*****{{i|2. Doubt about the Holy Saṃgha—Gurus in general|90}}
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*****{{i|3. Doubt about the Master who is instructing you—personal Guru|91}}
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****{{i| D. Doubt about the Tathāgata Nature or Buddha Nature|91}}
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***{{i|(6) Evil Views (Incorrect Concepts)|91}}
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****{{i|A. Lateral Views|92}}
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*****{{i|1. The View on Constancy|92}}
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*****{{i|2. The View of Nihilism (The Views of Nothingness)|94}}
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****{{i|B. Vicious Views|95}}
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****{{i|C. The View of Corporeality|96}}
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****{{i|D. Views of False Precepts|97}}
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**{{i|2. The Māra of "the Five Aggregates"|98}}
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**{{i|3. The Māra of Death|98}}
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**{{i|4. The Celestial Māra|102}}
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*{{i|Chapter 7: The Seven Positions to Locate the Mind|110}}
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**The Inquiry
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***{{i|Where is the Mind?|121}}
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**Proposition 1
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***{{i|The Mind is in the body|121}}
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**Proposition 2
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***{{i|The Mind is outside of the body|124}}
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**Proposition 3
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***{{i|The Mind lies in between—within the Visual Organ|125}}
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**Proposition 4
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***{{i|The Mind is on the threshold|127}}
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**Proposition 5
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***{{i|The Mind arises at the Rendezvous of Senses and Dusts|131}}
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**Proposition 6
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***{{i|The Mind is in the Middle|134}}
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**Proposition 7
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***{{i|The Mind is Nowhere|136}}
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*{{i|Chapter 8: The Epilogue|144}}
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**{{i|1. The Mind of Normalcy and Unfluctuation is the Tao|144}}
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**{{i|2. The Middle Route|146}}
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**{{i|3. About "Auras"|149}}
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*{{i|About the Author|151}}
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*{{i|Illustration—Mahayana Guardian Pusa Wei-to|157}}
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Latest revision as of 14:28, 3 August 2023

Three Contemplations toward Buddha Nature
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This book presents the three most renowned genres of contemplation in Mahayana Ch’an Buddhism. They are: Kong-an, Hua-to, and the Seven Enquiries about the Mind.

As for Kong-an, the subject matter employed here are all concerning Master Bodhidharma, the first Patriarch of Chinese Ch’an Buddhism and the 28th Patriarch of in India. These three Kong-ans are:

1. The Mind is Nowhere to be found
2. The Patriarch’s Quatrain for advanced practice
3. Bodhidharma’s Skin, Flesh, Bones, and Marrow

After reading these, you would have a pretty clear picture about Kong-an and how to make contemplation on it, as well as about the over-all quintessence of fountainhead of Ch’an Buddhism.

The second renowned genre of contemplation in Ch’an Buddhism is Hua-to. Hua-to is, as it were, a diminutive of Kong-an. Or to put it this way, Kong-an is a novel, a long story, while Hua-to is a novelette, a short story. But both of them are stories. By the same token, the Kong-an is a long contemplative material, containing a story with a complete plot––the beginning, the middle, and the denouement (ending)––for its body. Whereas the Hua-to would not have a plot; it consists only of a sentence, or a phrase. Therefore, in comparison with Kong-an, it is similar to a Kong-an in miniature, or a compressed Kong-an, for the general effect resulted in contemplating on Hua-to was supposed to be the same in contemplating on Kong-an. The instance of Hua-to scrutinized here is “Who is saying ‘Namo Amito-Fo’ (or 'Namo Amitabha Buddha')?”

The third genre of contemplation in Ch’an Buddhism is one based on the Text of the Sutras. And under this rubric, the one cited and examined here is just a very prestigious one, if not the most renowned; it is called “The Seven Inquiries to locate the Mind,” from The Surangama Sutra. With the knowledge and skills built up in learning to contemplate on the first two genres, the Kong-an and Hua-to, one would then be able to go on to learn and practice the contemplation of this genre. And having learned about the three genres of contemplation presented in this book, one would virtually have covered the most predominant contemplations in Ch’an Buddhism. (Source Accessed Mar 12, 2020)

Citation Kuan, Cheng. Three Contemplations toward Buddha Nature: Lectures on Buddhism for English Meditation Class at Chuang Yen Monastery, N.Y. Vol. 2 of A Trilogy of Ch'an. 2nd ed. n.p.: Americana Buddhist Temple, 2018.

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