(5) Zen, Pure Land, and Tantrayana (07/05/1996)

Today, let us talk about Zen, Pure Land, and Tantrayana schools. In our last talk, I mentioned Zen. I personally highly revere Zen, because Zen was once developed in China. One can say that Zen is a glorious and splendid Buddhist sect created and developed in China.

Zen enables one to directly intuit Emptiness. Its “direct approach” is what makes Zen so unique. Once someone asked a Zen master, "What is a Buddha?" The Zen master replied, “Buddha.” The inquirer asked again, “What is Dharma?” The Zen master replied, “Dharma.” The inquirer was puzzled, “I asked you what Buddha was, and your answer was Buddha. I asked you what Dharma was, and your answer was Dharma. What are you trying to say?” The Zen master then replied, “What?” By repeating what was asked of him, the Zen master was using a completely direct way to emphasize that Buddha and Dharma cannot be described by words. When the puzzled inquirer was about to leave, the Zen master suddenly shouted, “Sir!” That made him turn around and think, “Who was calling me?” This is a method Zen masters use to help one directly intuit the Truth.

Zen leaps directly into the state of Emptiness.

Actually, to practice Zen, one does not just sit there all day. Rather, one has to cut directly into the realm of realization. Zen also enables one to become transcendent. Some people advocate that sleeping in a sitting position is another form of Zen. Someone even wrote this verse, “When alive, sit up and don't lie down; when dead, lie down and don't sit up.” Considered as a way of practice, this practice is illusory and not realistic.

Zen can be summed up in this one statement: “Cut directly into the nature of Mind and become the Buddha.” This is an approach more suited for people with very high root qualities. I have great praises for the Zen approach.

Let us talk about the Pure Land approach next. The Pure Land school is very popular. People assemble together to chant “Amitabha” or “Namo Amitabha.” It is an expedient method.

When Shakyamuni Buddha was alive, he taught the “Amitabha Sutra.” The Ksitigarbha Sutra also teaches one to chant the name of the Buddha. A major practice in Pure Land is to chant Buddhas' names. So Pure Land is a very expedient method for modern men.

In modern society, even chanting the name of the Buddha is very difficult for some people to do. Therefore, if one can practice chanting the name of Amitabha, one already has a very strong affinity with the Buddhas. Shakyamuni Buddha has often emphasized in the scriptures that, if one can devote the mind with one-pointed concentration to chanting one sutra or one verse, one can very easily be reborn to the Pure Land.

Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings have covered both the ultimate and relative domains. Among all these methods, the way of the Pure Land is the most expedient. As long as one chants the name of the Buddha until the Buddha’s consciousness and one’s consciousness unite and one’s mind becomes totally focused on the Buddha, then one can be reborn to the Pure Land. Therefore, the Pure Land sect is also very good. We regard all sects with the same reverence.

Next, let us talk about Tantrayana. Tantrayana stresses and offers “actual practices” for one to do. In my opinion, Tantrayana is a gradual method, guiding one step by step into the door of direct experience. Actually, to help one arrive at realization, Tantrayana uses a combination of both exoteric and esoteric methods. There are practice liturgies to enable one to make step by step progress, until ultimate Emptiness is realized.

That is why I feel that Tantrayana offers a more practical approach. The important point is that Tantrayana engages one in actual practice. If one can enter through the door of Tantrayana, one has a better chance of realistically gaining something out of the Buddhadharma.

Pure Land advocates Buddha epithet chanting. Zen advocates directly penetrating into Emptiness. Of course both sects are excellent. Tantrayana offers actual practices that one can work on to develop concrete experiences and realization for one’s body and mind.
These are my views on these three sects. We will stop here today.

Om Mani Padme Hum

(6) My View on the Exoteric, Esoteric, and other Sects (07/05/1996)

I have been asked, “What are your views regarding the exoteric (scriptural), esoteric, and various other kinds of Buddhist sects?” This is how I look at it. Buddhism is a circle that completely embraces all its sects. Each of the sects has its own uniqueness, and all sects are equal. We have to revere and respect each sect on an equal basis because they have all been taught by the Buddha.

Each of these sects is based on parts of important teachings extracted from the scriptures of Shakyamuni Buddha. Since they are passed down equally from the lineage of Shakyamuni Buddha, they should be regarded as equal. Shakyamuni Buddha taught for many years, and each scripture taught by him has its own characteristics that can help us experience the essence of the Buddhadharma. Based on this important point, we have to venerate all sects.

I spoke briefly in a previous talk on exoteric and esoteric schools already. The exoteric school is like studying in a classroom. It emphasizes the teaching of theories. The esoteric school is like working in a laboratory, where conducting experiments is emphasized. One school stresses theories, the other stresses actual practice. As a Buddhist student, one must embrace both exoteric and esoteric teachings, because theories are the basis of one’s practice. From practice, new theories are developed. From these new theories, one will obtain another kind of effect from experimentation. Theories and experimentation cannot be separated. Therefore, one must embrace both exoteric and esoteric teachings.

I have been asked, "How should combine the exoteric and esoteric practices?" Tsongkhapa, a lineage guru of Tantrayana, has said that to become a true guru, one has to devote twelve years to studying the exoteric Buddhist doctrines and eight years to studying the esoteric practices. This is a total of twenty years. We can also start first with learning the exoteric and gaining a thorough understanding of the Buddhist doctrines and theories. After that, we practice the esoteric. This is very important.

Earlier I talked about Zen, Tantrayana, and Pure Land. In my view, Zen is the most difficult and Pure Land is the easiest. Tantrayana is somewhere in between. That is why today we have chosen the True Buddha Tantric Dharma as our method of cultivation. This is the middle path. We avoid the most difficult and also the easiest. We walk on a pathway between the two extremes. This is exactly in accordance with the Middle Way view advocated by Shakyamuni Buddha.

In my eyes, all religions can be analyzed from the position of levels. That is, the essential differences between religions come from the levels they have reached. That is why mutual attacks and slander exist among religions. But, from the perspective of someone who has cultivated to a very high realm, it is just a matter of being at different spiritual levels. That should not be any problem at all. Instead of slandering any particular school, one should make a deeper study of its religious theories and methods of practice.

Within the circle of Buddhism, calumny should not exist. Neither should there be calumny between Buddhism and other religions. After all, it is just a matter of levels.

Perhaps the following analogy will clarify this issue. Suppose you are studying the University courses of calculus and analytic geometry. A kindergartner has no way of understanding these courses. The kindergartner, however, should not then slander the courses he cannot understand merely because he is not able to understand them yet. On the other hand, if you have studied calculus and analytic geometry, you cannot criticize trigonometry, geometry, or algebra either, because we are talking about different levels of mathematics.

When one cultivates to a very high realm and looks at other religions, one will find that differences are just a matter of different levels. So, to people who know nothing about our True Buddha Tantric Dharma, we have the same advice. Do not criticize presumptuously when you have not yet reached that level. If you already have an understanding of the True Buddha Tantric Dharma, then incorporate the methods into practice, or research its theories and methods.

As spiritual cultivators, we have to embrace both the exoteric and esoteric schools and regard all sects with equal reverence. We will stop here today.

Om Mani Padme Hum

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