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CHAPTER 1

Origins

Eyes closed, see your inner being in detail. Thus see your true nature.

—Vigyan Bhairava, ancient Hindu text

The origins of Zen reach back to ancient India and one of its indigenous religions, Hinduism. Early Hinduism guided people through a broad range of spiritual pathways. Many ancient writings described a myriad of Hindu practices and beliefs. The Vedas were written by the Aryan people who migrated from Persia and Russia to India around 2000 B.C. The Upanishads were brought to India between 800 and 600 BC. These ancient scriptures express Hinduism. Hinduism incorporated Yoga to put the philosophy into practice. Mind and body were enhanced through meditation. Yoga practices taught people to direct their attention away from the struggles of daily life, toward a higher plane of consciousness. The word yoga, from Sanskrit, means “to yoke or join” and signifies the goal of yogic practice: to link or join the individual spirit to the universal spirit. There are many forms of yoga. Each includes exercises to direct the mind toward higher development. Yoga was one of the earliest practices to use meditation as its primary method.

Buddhism grew from the broad and varied philosophies of the Hindu tradition. Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.), the founder of Buddhism, was the son of an Indian king. Prince Siddhartha was raised with every luxury at his father’s palace. He read the Vedas and Upanishads and was taught Hinduism. Through his loving and careful upbringing, he developed into a highly sensitive and cultured young man. He married a beautiful princess who bore him a son. Siddhartha seemed to have everything anyone could want. He was happy. One day he took a trip outside his sheltered palace to survey the kingdom. He felt greatly disturbed by the poverty, sickness, and death he saw. He felt deep concern for the suffering in the world, and decided that he must leave his happy, luxurious palace life to seek answers for his people. Much to the chagrin of his wife and father, Siddhartha joined a group of ascetics, holy men who practiced self-denial in order to find wisdom. Siddhartha dressed in monks robes and fasted, as was the ascetic way. As he neared death he realized that if he died, he would never find the answers he sought. His search would have been in vain. He took food and water and vowed to continue his quest as he contemplated even more deeply. He would not stop until he had solved the problem of suffering. That night, he sat meditating under a bodhi tree. When dawn came, the first rays of the sun brought inner light to him. He realized that all the suffering in the world comes from our own minds and our own actions. The way to live is not to engage in extremes but to follow awarely along a middle path. With his enlightenment, Siddhartha Guatama became known as the Buddha, the Awakened One. He expressed his insight in these words:

I, Buddha, who wept with all my brothers’ tears, whose heart was broken by a whole world’s woe, laugh and am glad, for there is liberty! Ho! Ye who suffer! Know ye suffer from yourself. (Parulski 1976, 50)

With time, Buddha formulated the path for all people to follow regardless of their social class. This was a radical departure from the structured caste system in place in India, which allowed only the religious caste, the Brahmins, to seek spiritual enlightenment.

Buddha’s path was the Middle Way, neither engaging in extremes of self-indulgence nor of self-denial. He devised Four Noble Truths that could be readily followed by anyone who sincerely tried. First, people must realize that there is suffering in life. Second, they must recognize that the cause of this suffering is their own cravings. Third, suffering could be avoided by renouncing craving. And finally, the way to bring this about was to follow the Eightfold Path: right views, right aspirations, right speech, right behavior, right livelihood, right effort, right thoughts, and right contemplation. The practice of meditation, along with living a moral and ethical life, could bring about a peaceful existence devoid of suffering. Buddha’s message drew many followers. According to legend, his entire family—his father, wife, and son—joined him in the search for enlightenment, helping to spread this new philosophy.

Zen evolved as a sect of Buddhism, as will become clear in later chapters. The spirit of Zen was born one day when Buddha was speaking to a group of disciples at Vulture Peak. All were listening to every word, searching for deeper meanings. As Buddha ended the sermon, he held up a flower and looked out over the audience. Only one disciple, Mahakasyapa, smiled. He experienced an awakening communicated directly from Buddha. This was the first direct transmission, mind to mind, the cornerstone of Zen. Words and studies are secondary to Zen enlightenment. Mahakasyapa became the Second Patriarch of Buddhism and was fundamental in carrying forth Buddha’s teachings.

Buddhism continued to grow and develop in India. After Buddha’s death, Mahakasyapa organized the First Council of Buddhist followers. They collectively recalled Buddha’s teachings and memorized them so that his sermons would be remembered. These teachings, or sutras, became the basis of Buddhism.

Over time, the sutras were written, along with numerous interpretations. Followers began to divide into ideologically different sects, each with its own interpretation of Buddha’s original enlightenment experience and how it should be expressed in practice. Inevitably, strong differences led to the splitting of Buddhism into two major divisions that still exist today: the Mahayana and the Hinayana (Theravada).

Mahayana Buddhism offered a viable path for the masses to follow. Unlike Hinayana Buddhism, which attempted to retain the purity of spirit in Buddha’s original message by withdrawing from worldly life, Mahayana Buddhists stayed involved in everyday transactions. The ideal person in Mahayana, the bodhisattva, though seeking enlightenment, must turn away from paradise to become involved in helping others overcome suffering. Not until the entire world is enlightened can a bodhisattva withdraw from the world.

The new dimensions of meditative awareness through the practice of Buddhism spread to neighboring countries—China, Korea, and Japan. But in India, Hinduism reabsorbed Buddhism, so that Buddhism largely disappeared in its land of origin. By contrast, as Mahayana Buddhism spread to China, many innovations were incorporated that would develop even further in Japan. With time, Buddhism grew to become a worldwide religion, with many sects emphasizing different interpretations of what Buddha meant by his teachings. Zen Buddhism was one of the forms of Mahayana Buddhism that developed in China. Drawn directly from Buddha’s enlightenment, Zen captures the spirit of the founder to transmit enlightenment to anyone who is willing to seek.