Culture Heroes

1
Culture Heroes

• ConfuciusChinas greatest educator
• Sima QianChinas greatest historian
• Huinengfounder of Chan Buddhism
• Su Dongpo (Su Shi)great man of letters
• Qiu Chujiprominent Taoist/Daoist of the Quanzhen
  School
• Wang YangmingProminent Neo-Confucian

2
Confucius on Guan Zhong

• When Guan Zhong served as prime minister for
  Duke Huan, he enabled the duke to become leader
  of the various feudal lords, uniting and bringing
  order to the world. Even today the peoplr still
  benefit from his largesse. If there were no Guan
  Zhong, we would likely be wearing out hair loose
  and folding our robes to the left. Should we
  expect that he would have the earnestness of some
  country yokel, managing to strangle himself in an
  irrigation ditch with no one the wiser?

3
The Master said Guan Zhong was lacking in
capacity. Someone asked Do you mean that Guan
Zhong was frugal? The Master replied Guan
Zhong had three residences and each member of his
staff had only one responsibility. Wheres the
frugality? This being so, did Guan Zhong
understand the observance of ritual propriety?
he was asked.
4

• The Master replied The ruler of the state set
  up ornamental stone blinds before his gates, and
  Guan Zhong did the same for entertaining other
  rulers the ruler of the state had a stand for
  inverting drinking vessels, and Guan Zhong had
  the same. If we say that Guan Zhong understood
  the observance of ritual propriety, then who
  doesnt?

5
Huineng and Chan Buddhism

• Huineng The Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism
• Of many schools of Mahayana Buddhism, Chan is
  regarded as
• the most distinctly Chinese because of its
  connection with Taoism/Daoism
• offering a clear psych-therapeutic formula for
  an individuals ethical, moral, mental, and
  physical disciplines
• His teachings the Platform Sutra of the Sixth
  Patriarch
• Practitioner of Chan
• Learn method of attaining enlightenment through
  working with a master
• He receives transmission of enlightenment from
  this masters teaching, not from reading
  scriptures

6
Formation of Chan History and Tradition

• Chan scholars and historians in the 10th-11th
  centuries claimed
• A special transmission outside the
  teachings/scriptures
• With no dependence upon words and letters
• A direct pointing into the mind
• Seeing there ones own nature, and attaining
  Buddhahood

7
Sixth Patriarch transmitting scripture, by Wang
Qi, Qing dynasty
Huinengs mummified body in a shrine, Nanhua
Temple, Shaoguan, Guangdong
8
???????????? ?????,?????? ???????????? I
originally came to China, To transmit the
teachings and save deluded beings. One flower
opens five pedals, And the fruit ripens of itself
First Patriarch Bodhidharma
9
Bodhidharma by Chinese and Japanese artists
10
(No Transcript)
11
The Sixth Patriarch carrying firewood using a pole
??????????? ?????,?????? ?????,?????? The
mind-ground holds the seeds of life, And the rain
of Holy Teaching makes the flowers
bloom. Yourself awakening to the flowers and
seed, The Fruit of Enlightenment ripens of itself.
The Sixth Patriarch Tearing apart scriptures
The Sixth Patriarch cutting Bamboo, by Liang Kai,
Southern Song
12
First portion of Patriarchs of Six Generations
beginning from Damo, by Dao Jin, Ming Dynasty
13
Second Portion of Patriarchs of Six Generations
beginning from Damo
14
Huineng before ordained
Hongren, the Fifth Patriarch
15
Hagiographical Accounts of the Sixth Patriarch

• The Platform Sutra
• A hagiography of Huineng
• Family background
• A reader of the Diamond Sutra
• Searched for the truth in Mt. Huang-mei
• Began first sermon in south China
• Ordained and began to preach
• Baolin temple, Caoxi, Canton
• Monastery of extraordinary quality
• Capable of subduing monstrous dragon

16
Earlier Portrayals of Huineng

• Taught serenity
• Was the source of the Chan tradition
• Chan teaching spread all over the empire 106
  years after Huinengs death
• Transmission of teaching not followed
  Bodhidharmas example
• Robe (and gatha, bowl) ceased with Huineng
• The Platform Sutra was used.
• Huinengs stupa was violated, embalmed body
  almost stolen