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Because the fundamental nature of consciousness, of mind itself, is without characteristics, Zen Buddhism teaches signlessness. Ordinary activity, reflected in the lives of monks or villagers, fully embodies this signless teaching about mind. This is the “Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, whose true sign is signlessness, the sublime Dharma gate,” as taught in Zen’s […]
By Andy Ferguson
Tourist groups that visit the Terra Cotta Warriors inevitably visit Xian’s other famous landmark, the Wild Goose Pagoda, an icon central to the development of Chinese Buddhism. In this post I will explore why the Wild Goose Pagoda is such an object of pride for the city of Xian, and its role in Chinese Buddhism’s […]
By Andy Ferguson
A monk asked Zen master Zhaozhou, “Does a dog have buddha-nature?” Zhaozhou replied, “Mu!” “Mu!” is one of a handful of Zen stories from ancient China that have become famous. This koan has served as the “Gateless Gate” into Zen for countless students in China, Japan, and elsewhere. Though it is often attributed to Zen […]
By Andy FergusonThe ancient Chinese Zen master Baizhang established “pure rules” for the regulation of his monastery on Great Hero Mountain in China. The rules have served as the basis for monastic organization and practice for centuries, and their influence has extended to Zen monasteries throughout China and beyond. The Chinese Zen tradition acknowledges that The Pure […]
By Andy Ferguson
Early Chinese Zen masters seldom spoke about ideas like emptiness. Early writings also lack discussions about sutras, including texts like The Diamond Sutra, which is strongly linked to the Zen tradition. The Heart Sutra is hardly mentioned, and the bodhisattva ideal also gets very little ink in early records. Often, when such ideas and texts […]
By Andy Ferguson
The brilliant scholar, writer, and postmodernist art critic Thomas McEvilley died in March of this year, but his scholarship may yet spawn a renaissance in our understanding of the ancient world. His epic work, The Shape of Ancient Thought, advances a breathtaking perspective on how ancient philosophies grew and influenced one another. Our view of the […]
By Andy Ferguson
In the 6th century, Japan was torn between warring factions, each struggling to unify the country under its rule. A great chieftain, Soga no Iname, ultimately led the Soga clan to become the most powerful of the many warring families in that era, and unified Japan under the figureheads he placed in power. Seeking an […]
By Andy Ferguson
Although Bodhidharma is honored as the “First Ancestor” of Zen Buddhism in China, historians know well that Zen not only preceded Bodhidharma, it was also widely practiced centuries before his arrival. So how did Bodhidharma acquire the honored title of “The First”? The foreign Parthian monk An Shigao is credited with introducing Zen to China […]
By Andy Ferguson
In traditional Chinese Zen, the dharma hall had a special status as the place where the Zen master expounded the dharma. It was purposefully separated from the Buddha hall, where statues of the Buddha and other notables provided prominent devotional icons for temple services and visitors. The dharma hall itself, however, was always bare of […]
By Andy Ferguson