Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 74: Choosing "Or" Between "Yes or No" [Requesting Monthly Tickets!]

The reason for asking this question was naturally to test whether Lu Beigu truly understood Buddhist principles or simply stumbled upon the correct answer by chance while writing a limerick.

As it turns out, Lu Beigu really knew what he was doing.

He began by saying, “Zhaozhou’s case inherits the Chan teachings of Huangbo Monk of the Tang Dynasty, who said ‘No mind is the Way,’ and Linji Monk, who said ‘The True Man without Rank,’ but he shifts the object of negation from ‘mind’ to ‘Buddha-nature,’ making the critique more powerful and impactful.”

"But I think the real meaning here is neither that 'dogs have Buddha-nature' nor 'dogs do not have Buddha-nature,' but that it allows the Chan school of China to break free from the 'double negation' logic of ancient Indian Buddhism."

The monks Huangbo and Linji were famous master and disciple monks of the early Tang Dynasty. Linji was deeply versed in the essence of Buddhism and was the founder of the Linji school of Chan Buddhism. The Chan teachings of Chan Master Zhaozhou Congshen were greatly influenced by these two.

These three individuals, in fact, played a pivotal role in the development of Chan Buddhism in China.

Prior to this, during the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, Buddhism had just been introduced from India to China and was beginning to spread. The main work done by the monks was translation and localization of Buddhism.

It wasn't until the early Tang Dynasty, with the monk Xuanzang's journey to the west, that the Chan school in China finally had a way of thinking that could be considered its foundation.

The so-called "Nyaya" (or "Buddhist logic") is a logical way of thinking that developed in ancient India. This logical way of thinking has had a great influence, profoundly affecting Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism.

The principle of logic is not complicated. It uses the three branches of "thesis, reason, and analogy" as the method of discourse. For example, "sound is impermanent (thesis), because it is made (reason), like a bottle, etc. (analogy)". Among these, the "reason" is usually the most important, which is why it is called logic.

When the Buddhist monk Xuanzang was seeking Buddhist teachings at Nalanda University in India, he used logic to refute the arguments of foreign scholars on several occasions, which made him famous throughout India. He also brought this kind of logical thinking back with him.

The Chan Buddhist monks in Han China quickly discovered the shortcomings of this way of thinking and tried to improve it.

The Zen master Zhaozhou Congshen's koan "Does a dog have no Buddha-nature" was born in this context.

The method of investigation by Zen Master Zhaozhou Congshen, which pushes negation to the extreme, is actually a complete subversion of Indian Buddhist logic.

"You also understand logic?"

Everyone was completely baffled, but Zen Master Zuyin was in high spirits.

"Understood."

The term "double negation" is a concept in Indian logic. "Negation" means to obstruct or deny, and "double negation" means to deny both sides of the position.

Because philosophy and logic had not yet developed to a relatively complete stage, Zen monks naturally did not understand what antinomy was, but this did not prevent them from instinctively perceiving that there were certain problems with the logical thinking of Buddhist logic.

"Zen Master Zhaozhou Congshen's purpose was actually to use the paradox of 'double negation' to guide Zen monks out of the cage of logic."

"The existence of Buddha-nature and the non-existence of Buddha-nature are not a binary opposition. If one gets caught up in the question of existence and non-existence, and doesn't understand why the existence of Buddha-nature is denied, all Buddhist principles become invalid, and one will fall into questioning Buddha-nature itself."

"The saying goes, 'To understand Zen, one must pass through the gates of the patriarchs; to attain profound enlightenment, one must exhaust the path of the mind.' Just as one cannot know life and death without experiencing them, only by forcing Zen practitioners to confront the absurdity of the very existence of Buddha-nature can one gain a true understanding of Buddha-nature."

The essence of this philosophical logic is the phenomenological "preservation without discussion." In modern terms, it is like Husserl's method of "parentheses," first suspending the existence of Buddha-nature, and then directly pointing to the illusion of the cognitive subject itself.

Zen Master Zuyin nodded slightly and said, "That's why you wrote 'If you ask where the Buddha is, he is in the wailing of the dogs!' Is that right?"

"exactly."

Lu Beigu explained, “Buddha-nature is not some distant, sacred thing, but exists in the most ordinary and mundane things in daily life. There is Buddha-nature in a dog gnawing on a bone, and there is Buddha-nature in an old monk chanting sutras. Only by breaking through this delusion of whether a dog has Buddha-nature can one understand what Buddha-nature is.”

Can't understand?
Simply put, Lu Beigu chose "or" over "yes" in the "yes or no" question. And "or" is the correct answer.

In other words, the purpose of the question setter is not to choose "or" itself, but to get the respondents to move beyond "yes or no".

After listening to Lu Beigu's explanation, a glimmer of light flashed in the eyes of Zen Master Zuyin. His withered fingers slowly moved the jade bamboo Zen beads. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly clapped his hands and laughed.

“Excellent!” His voice was loud and clear, echoing on the mountaintop. “I have been practicing Zen for many years and have seen countless people interpret ‘dogs have no Buddha-nature’. Some are attached to ‘existence’, some are attached to ‘non-existence’, and some are trapped in debates over scriptures. But few can be like you, who can break free from the old ways and point directly to the true mind.”

His gaze was sharp as he stared at Lu Beigu, as if trying to see through his thoughts: "You not only understand the Zen Master Zhaozhou Congshen's sharp retort to the 'double obscuration,' but you have also grasped the true meaning of 'Buddha-nature is inseparable from daily life.' The phrase 'Woo wooo wooo' seems playful, but it actually subtly aligns with the Zen principle of 'Ordinary mind is the Way.'"

"—Good, you're very good!"

Zen Master Zuyin paused briefly, his smile deepening: "I thought it would be a rare treat to receive a fine verse today, but I never expected to encounter such an understanding person."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was shocked, and several monks from Fawang Temple looked thoughtful.

Zen Master Zuyin was usually sparing with his words, and rarely praised a person so highly.

At this moment, the look in his eyes as he looked at Lu Beigu was not only one of admiration, but also a hint of profound expectation.

The monk in brown robes stepped forward and announced: "In the final round, Han Tzu-yu's team wins!"

Han San Niang, Ji Yun, and Lu Guangyu were overjoyed.

On the other hand, Xian Zhen is different from He Cong; he can afford to lose.

Xian Zhen thought about the meaning behind Lu Beigu's verse for a long time before he understood it. He then bowed and said, "I have lost. I am convinced."

Amidst the admiration and discussion of the crowd, Zen Master Zuyin waved to Lu Beigu.

Lu Beigu quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Master Zuyin took off the jade bamboo prayer beads from his wrist and handed them to Lu Beigu.

"This pearl is destined for you, so I will give it to you."

Lu Beigu took the prayer beads with both hands and felt that the half bamboo bead and half jade bead were warm and smooth to the touch, knowing that they were rare treasures.

At this moment, Master Baoyue also arrived at the mountain peak.

Master Baoyue smiled and introduced, "Do you know the origin of this bead? This is the certificate of the Qingsong Society. The bamboo-carved Buddhist beads are made from straight sections of Xiangfei bamboo without cracks. They are carved into beads while retaining the natural tear spots on the surface, which is the most difficult to carve. The jade beads are made from Hetian green jade pebbles, with a warm and delicate texture and a color like pine needles. If you see someone wearing the same thing the next day, they are a member of the Qingsong Society and will naturally become close to you."

The "Green Pine Society," jointly established by Ouyang Xiu and Zen Master Zuyin, was a landmark event in the exchange between Confucianism and Buddhism in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, pioneering the formation of cross-disciplinary societies among literati.

Although the organizational structure of the "Green Pine Society" was not rigorous and had nothing to do with the imperial court, its members were of very high quality. It usually only recruited scholars with a Zen mind and refined monks with profound knowledge of Buddhism, so the energy of its members was actually quite great.

Lu Beigu was about to decline when he heard this, but Zen Master Zuyin waved his hand and said, "Things are just things, the mind is the true mind. You have a connection with Buddhism, and we will meet again in the future."

After saying this, Zen Master Zuyin stood up, his robe gleaming golden in the setting sun. He did not walk with the others, but went down the mountain alone along the path.

(End of this chapter)