On Sudden vs Gradual Enlightenment

Posted: December 11, 2008 | Author: Doug | Filed under: Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu, Jodo Shu, Religion, Shingon, Zen | 6 Comments »

In Zen Buddhism, as well as in Buddhism in general, one finds the age-old debate between whether Enlightenment is sudden or a gradual process. Chinese Ch’an master, Yin-Shun, wrote on the subject in his book The Way to Buddhahood towards the end:

Those who study Buddhism therefore ought not to go on about “sudden” or “gradual” enlightenment, for this is all empty talk! It is better to examine one’s own preparedness!…After making the resolution, they [such Buddhists] want to be enlightened suddenly and want to become buddhas immediately. Without examining themselves and their own resolve, they think that such and such is the great teaching that will enable them to become a buddha easily. This can be compared to wanting to become a leader and deciding to run for president without first pausing to examine one’s academic record and experience. (pg. 346)

When I read Shunryu Suzuki’s book, Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind, he had mentioned in one section about the four Bodhisattva Vows, namely:

1. I vow to save innumerable sentient beings.
2. I vow to eliminate endless afflictions/delusions.
3. I vow to learn innumerable doctrines.
4. I vow to accomplish the unsurpassed Buddha Way.

Suzuki talks about how this implies that it is all but impossible to rid ourselves of our endless afflictions and delusions, but that we should keep trying anyhow, because that’s what our innermost desire is.

Ven. Yin-Shun continues:

Some people are even more ludicrous. They admit that they are of dull capacity and face strong karmic barriers and shallow wisdom, but they think that they can practice an easy doctrine and become a buddha…Those who truly resolve to study Buddhism should practice diligently. One should accumulate spiritual provisions, build sharp capacities, and have a firm mind. Without asking about sudden or gradual enlightenment or about when one will become a Buddha, one should just keep on cultivating. This is the normal way for bodhisattvas. (page 346-347)

Ouch. That definitely seems to undermine the Jodo Shinshu approach of Buddhism, where through Amida Buddha’s vow, one becomes Enlightened in spite of their afflictions, but it also undermines any Buddhist path where one thinks they can become enlightened with a special mantra or practice. What really matters in Buddhism are too things:

• Never losing sight of bodhi, or enlightenment.
• Patience and cultivation.

But I think Yin-Shun has a lot of good points here that I’ve been mulling over for days. Using a broad range of Buddhist texts (many that haven’t even been translated in English), his teachings are more comprehensive in that he advocates aspects from a broad range of Buddhist teachings, meditation, precepts, correct understanding, kindness, etc. without getting limited by any “magic bullet” teachings. He doesn’t undermine the Pure Land teachings themselves, in fact he praises them highly earlier in the book:

If, therefore, one is timid and finds it difficult to practice the Bodhisattva-way, fearing that one will fall into the Two Vehicles* or that following the karmic forces will cause one to drift apart from the Buddha Way, then chanting the name Amitābha Buddha is most secure! It is a wonderful skillful means that can best embrace and protect those sentient beings who are beginners so that they do not lose faith.

And later:

To strengthen the faith of beginners with timid and weak minds, the Buddha taught the easy path as a skillful means. There is no harm in being reborn in a Pure Land; when the power of patience is achieved, then one can practice the extensive difficult deeds of transforming sentient beings.

But he undermines the specific notion of “something for nothing”, where someone thinks they can just become a Buddha like that. He’s right of course. It’s not fun to hear that becoming an enlightened Buddha can possibly take multiple rebirths, or even eons, but he’s got some good points. When I think of aid workers in Africa who day by day save lives, they probably don’t think to themselves “oh this is too hard, I need an easier job!” They roll up their sleeves, and feed starving people day after day, never expecting the hunger to end. But at the same time, it’s wrong to say they’re not accomplishing something either.

Honen, founder of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism, on the one hand taught the power of Amida Buddha’s vow to lead people into the Pure Land, even if said once sincerely, but he also strongly advocated that one should not be complacent, and to keep practicing Buddhism nevertheless:

“If, because it is taught that birth is attained with but one or ten utterances, you say the Nembutsu heedlessly, then faith is hindering practice. If, because it is taught that you should say the Name without abandoning it from moment to moment, you believe one or ten utterances to be indecisive, then practice is hindering faith. As your faith, accept that birth is attained with a single utterance; as your practice, endeavour in the Nembutsu throughout life.“

In other words, just keep trying your best. In the teaching of the Three Minds (三心, or sanshin) advocated by Shan-Tao the Chinese Pure Land Master, the third of these “minds” is a mind that dedicates one’s merit towards Birth in the Pure Land. This implies that however imperfectly one practices Buddhism, any effort directed toward this end is not wasted, and in fact bears good fruit in the long-run. Honen, at the famous “Ohara Debate” lamented how he was immersed in so many great teachings, but couldn’t make sense of any of them. And yet, even when he was exiled, he still did his best to follow the Bodhisattva Precepts** and actively encouraged others to follow the precepts and keep practicing Buddhism as much as possible (with the nembutsu being the foundation of course).

In the last pages of Ven. Yin-Shun’s book, he writes:

Everything in the world — every iota of kind thought or good deed — leads toward the Buddha Way. (pg. 357)

And then quotes later from the Lotus Sutra when he writes:

Hence, bringing the palms together and bowing toward a buddha and “reciting but once ‘Namo [Hail] Buddha’ can accomplish the Buddha Way.”

I finally finished Ven. Yin-Shun’s book after a year of reading, but it’s been a really, really worthwhile read and has made me question a lot of my own narrow assumptions, but also encouraged me to make efforts I didn’t think I could do before (however imperfectly).

Like the Japanese poem, The Iroha, says:

Let us today cross,
Over the mountain of transcendence
And there will be no more shallow dreams,
No more drunken illusions.

Let’s do what we can to progress along the Buddha Way, and leave shallow dreams and drunken illusions behind.

Namuamidabu

P.S. Sorry for the long post…had a lot on my mind.

* – A euphemism for backsliding.

** – More on that in a soon-to-come post. Essentially the 10 Major Precepts of the Brahma Net Sutra.

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