ZEN AS PANPSYCHISM
ZEN AS PANPSYCHISM Panpsychism is the view that mind or soul (Greek: ψυχή) is a universal feature of all things, and the primordial feature from which all others are derived and this is a common theme in Zen. Master Mangong Wolmyeon described it as [2]: “What is referred as ‘mind-only’ in Buddhism— the central philosophy […]
THREEFOLD LOTUS: ALL PATHS LEAD TO ENLIGHTENMENT
THREEFOLD LOTUS: ALL PATHS LEAD TO ENLIGHTENMENT In Chapter 12 of the Lotus Sutra the Buddha teaches that everyone can become enlightened (women, animals, and even the most sinful murderers) through the stories of the dragon king’s daughter and Devadatta. The Innumerable Meanings Sutra (part of the Three-fold Lotus Sutra) says that “all dharmas are […]
SARCASM AND IRONY AS PHILOSOPHY
SARCASM AND IRONY AS PHILOSOPHY Sarcasm is not [always] wrong speech and is often a systematic shortcut for philosophical analysis. Sarcasm can be found among philosophical discourse such as when Socrates pleaded with Euthyphro to teach him what the latter knows (quite clearly making fun of the guy for the benefit of the audience) and […]
SARCASM AND IRONY AS PHILOSOPHY
HOW FAR WILL YOU GO WITH NON-DUALITY? Few schools of Buddhism dared take non-duality to its logical conclusion. Zen teachers often dare, yet none were as radical as the Taintai school, and Siming Zhili (960–1028) went to the very end and concluded: “Other than the devil, there is no Buddha;..other than the Buddha, there is […]
CASE AGAINST MATERIALISM
CASE AGAINST MATERIALISM MATERIALISM The theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter or energy; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena (including consciousness) are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance, and reality is identical with the actually occurring states of […]
MANY PATHS OF CORRECT MEDITATION
THE MANY PATHS OF CORRECT MEDITATION This short post is to counter the often made claim that a certain way of approaching meditation is the right way, whereas in practice there are lots of practices and many ways. It is not the case that there is a certain order, or certain path that we must […]
THE POWER OF THE BUDDHA (Adhishthana)
‘Adhishthana’ means power of the Buddha. The Lankavatara sutra describes it thus: “…sustained in two ways by the power (adhishthana) of the Buddhas… What are the two ways? __ One is the way a Bodhisattva is made to attain states of mental tranquillisation, and the other is that by which the Buddha personally appears before […]
COSMIC BUDDHA (VAIROCANA)
COSMIC BUDDHA (VAIROCANA) Vairocana, the Cosmic Buddha, is accumulation and expression of the essentials of Buddhism and to see Vairocana face to face is the aim of Buddhism. There are three aspects of Vairocana: firstly, Vairocana is true explanation ‘sunyata’ or ‘emptiness’; secondly, Vairocana is the fulfilment of the spiritual needs of the faithful and […]
BUDDHIST QUOTES ON MIND
BUDDHIST QUOTES ON MIND “If you want to understand all the Buddhas of the past, present and future, then you should view the nature of the whole universe, as being created by Mind-only…” Avatamsaka sutra “Who, then, is “animate” and who “inanimate”? Within the assembly of the Lotus, all are present without division. In the case […]
BUDDHA TEACHES FREEDOM AND EQUALITY (NOT)
BUDDHA TEACHES FREEDOM AND EQUALITY (NOT) “What the Buddha taught: keep your slaves, but treat them well; – don’t need to free them! Slaves worked for temples, slaves worked to make the monks free; – sounds bad, but needs be! Eat your meat also, monks be careful where it’s from; – otherwise it’s firm! Women […]