The History of Zen Teaching by Zen Master Dae Bong

The History of Zen Teaching by Zen Master Dae Bong

I want to say, since we are talking about Zen a lot this retreat, I want to say something about the history of Zen Teaching. Especially for people who read a lot, they have some understanding of this.

First, Zen style teaching was by Buddha. One day one thousand two hundred disciples came to hear Buddha’s Dharma speech. One minute passed, five minutes passed, five minutes, ten minutes, Buddha didn’t say anything. Everybody is thinking, why isn’t Buddha talking? Why doesn’t he teach us? Then Buddha just picked up one flower, nobody understood. Only Mahakashyapa smiled. Then Buddha said, “My true Dharma transmit to you.” So that’s a famous story.

But what if at that time, Mahakashyapa said, “No thank you Buddha, I already have Dharma.” Then Buddha would have a problem. So if you were Buddha at that time, what could you do? Maybe sometime at interview I will ask you that. <laughter>

So that is first Zen style teaching, not using speech and words, straight mind connect. But that’s not so special, that happens all the time. Like at the stock exchange in New York, as you sometimes see on TV, many people shouting and doing things like this. <hand gestures> somebody goes like these <hand gestures> then someone on the other side of the room understand the meaning. Then they do something back, buy and sell, understand each other, that’s without speech and words, mind connect.

In baseball, also, man on base, managers pulls his hat, wipes his nose, scratch his shoulder, then the man understand. <laughter> I heard sometime about couples, maybe one couple talks too much. Then they make a deal, when they go out in a group when the one started talking too much, the other starts going like this. <Do some action and laughter> That is a mind to mind. So what did Buddha mean, picking up that flower? Maybe if you were there and smiled, you get transmission.

Then many years later, Bodhidharma went to China. He visited Emperor Wu. Then soon he understood he and Emperor Wu not so much karma together. That time in China, Merit Buddhism is very strong. If I do good things then I get merit. It is like a Dharma money. Then later I can exchange this Dharma money for good things in my life. Health, or happiness or Pure Land or something. That is ok, that’s possible. But that’s not Buddha’s original teachings.

So Bodhidharma left, went up to Shaolin. Then he went to the cave behind Shaolin temple. We went to visit one time, very interesting. Very small, high above the temple and very little growing there. So everybody asked, what did Bodhidharma eat for nine years? So Zen Master said, I think maybe only breathing in, breathing out practicing.

So most of you knows Bodhidharma sat in the cave nine years. Many people came but he wouldn’t talk to anybody. Finally, one young monk came, Hui Kou <Hui4 Ke3>. Hui Kou stayed outside many days. Even when it was snowing, but Bodhidharma refused to turn around. Finally, Hui Kou cut off his left forearm to show how badly he wanted the teaching. Then Bodhidharma turned around. Then Hui Kou said, “Master, my mind is in pain. Please give my mind rest.” Then Bodhidharma said, ”Show me your mind.” Hui Kou was silent for a while and said, “I cannot find my mind.” Bodhidharma said, “I have already put your mind at rest.” Then Kui Kou got enlightenment.

So that is the next style Zen teaching. Then 2nd patriarch to 3rd Patriarch, 3rd to 4th, 4th to 5th, very similar style. Sixth Patriarch, most of you know his story. He is probably the most famous Chinese monk in history.

One time one monk came to visit Sixth Patriarch. Sixth Patriarch said, “where are you coming from?” The monk replied, “From Seung Sahn Mountain.” Then Sixth Patriarch said, “What thing is it that comes from Seung Sahn Mountain?” Then this monk didn’t know how to answer. He only went and sat meditation for eight years. Then when he had confidence he came back and looked for Sixth Patriarch. He said, “If you called it a thing, that is not correct.” Then the Sixth Patriarch gave him transmission.

So this teaching returned to Buddha’s original teaching. “What thing is it that came from Seung Sahn?” means “What am I?”. And the 7th Patriarch didn’t know. So he only kept the “Don’t know” those 8 years, then he was able to answer clearly with confidence.

I didn’t tell Bodhidharma’s story but everybody knows. Emperor Wu asked him, “I made many temples, copied many sutras, support many monks and nuns. How much merit did I get?” Then Bodhidharma said, “No merit.” So the emperor Wu wasn’t very happy. Then the emperor said, “Then what is the holiest truth in Buddhism?” Bodhidharma said, “No holiness, clear like space.” Then the Emperor was not so happy again and said, “Who are you?” Bodhidharma said, “Don’t Know.”

So Buddha’s don’t know, Bodhidharma’s don’t know, seven Patriarch’s don’t know, all same don’t know. Sometime after Sixth Patriarch, new teaching style appears. Anytime somebody ask Guji a question, what is Buddha, what is Dharma, he only raised one finger. When someone ask Linji Zen Master a question, he only shouted, “Katz.” Anyone ask Dongshan a question, he use a stick to hit. So only action teaching.

Sometime after that, another teaching style appear. Someone asked Master Dongshan what is Buddha, he said, “Three pounds of flax.” That time he was weighing flax at monastery workshop. Then somebody said what is Buddha. But Dongshan has no inside and outside, inside and outside had become one, so his mind was three pound of flax. So only three pounds of flax.

Somebody ask Un Mun, “What is Buddha?” That time he was waking past the toilet. Before (in ancient times) you stir the shit with a stick before you put it on the fields. His mind also no inside no outside. So he was looking at the shit stick. So what is Buddha? “Dry shit on a stick.”

So a little different style teaching than before. After that the teaching became more complicated. In Song dynasty sometimes people say, “wooden chicken crowing in the morning.” “The stone girl has a baby.” We call that 270 degrees, freedom talking. By Ming dynasty, Zen style has become like a intellectual word game for the elite and intellectuals. Not so connected with everyday life. So eventually most of the schools of Chan in China died out.

But this zen style practice and teaching continue in Korea and Japan. Then this very intellectual style, separate from everyday life, disappeared and a more simple style came back. What is Buddha? The sky is Blue. What is your true nature? Tree is green. So very simple.

If you are a monk and stay in the mountains, then this teaching is enough. Already you become one with all nature. Nature is impermanent, your body also impermanent. But this substance, Nature’s substance, your substance, same substance not impermanent, so not suffering.

But that cannot help our everyday life in society. Maybe your child comes to you with a problem, and says Dad I have a problem and you say Sky is blue, tree is green. <laughter> Then your kid will say, Mom, Dad is crazy. <laughter> So our society is very complicated.

So how do we live our everyday life correctly? So our school, the Kwan Um School of Zen teaching style appear. Substance, truth and function very clear. In the past Zen Masters didn’t so much separate substance, truth and function. That time not necessary, people’s mind are very simple. Guji could use one finger for substance, sometimes truth and sometimes function. But nowadays that cannot help us live our lives.

So basic center point of Zen practice never change. What am I? If you look enough, then finally you don’t know. That don’t know is your nature and universe’s true nature. So we say only go straight don’t know. That is like a empty cup. Empty cup you can fill with tea, or water, or milk, or rice. You can use for anything. If we throw out all our understanding, all our ideas, then moment to moment then we can get everything.

So basic center point not changing. But teaching style changing according to people’s conditions. So that’s our school’s style now. Substance, truth and function must become very clear. Also moment to moment very important. Even if you get enlightenment, you must throw it away and return to just now.

In the 1970s, there was a Chinese monk living in America, very quiet very humble. Most Buddhist teachers, when they went to America, they went to East Coast or West Coast and taught in the cities. This monk went to one farming area in the middle of the United States. He didn’t wear monk clothes, only he keep his head shaved and wear some simple working man clothes like a mechanic, just one piece gray color.

There are some interesting stories about him, but just one story. At first, everybody just call him Chinese guy. But after some time, even the farmers understood he is an unusual person. Then maybe somebody told them he was a Buddhist monk and they called him reverend. Then nearby there was one small university, then the students heard about him and started to hang out with him. Then he liked to paint. And he made very beautiful paintings. So one day this student came to visit him but couldn’t find him in his little house. So he went walking through the town saw the monk standing in front of a Christian church with a paintbrush and he was painting. Then he went up behind the monk and looked at the painting. But it was not a painting of the church that was right in front of the monk, it looked like a Chinese painting. It had some mountains, Chinese style pine trees, and a waterfall, and a little hut. And one monk outside sweeping in front of the hut. Then in the painting the monk stopped sweeping and had this beautiful smile. Then the student asked, “It is a beautiful painting, what’s the monk doing in the painting?” Then the monk said, he is sweeping. Then the student said, “But he stop now and he is just smiling, why is he smiling?” Then the monk said, “He got enlightenment.” Then the student said, “Then now what?” Then the monk said, “Keep sweeping.” So that is a moment to moment. So even if we attain something, we throw it away.