In September of 2008, a Dharma Drum delegation under the leadership of Abbot Guo Dong visited a number of traditional Buddhist Temples in mainland China. Although they were met by officials of China’s Religious Affairs Committee on their arrival in Beijing, their travels appear to have been guided by the old spirit of casual itinerant Buddhists, rather than close cooperation with the Buddhist hierarchy on the mainland.
As a result, they completely failed to connect with the current mainstream developments in Buddhism on the mainland. They were properly excluded from the one temple they encountered in which the traditional Buddhist winter Retreat was being held, and they didn’t even realize that what was going on in there was the entire significance of real-time Buddhism in China; the reinstitution of traditional collective training of monks, which has been transmitted by Xuecheng Da Heshang throughout China from his home temple (Guang Hua) in Fujian, where it was continued in unbroken succession through all the political changes in China during the last two centuries.
However, they did connect with the next best thing from that, i.e., the legacy of the unutterable
Xu Yun Pusa, who was the dragon-elephant of China during the century leading up to the Chinese Revolution, and the father of the China Buddhist Association which is mostly headed today by Xuecheng Da Heshang, and which is the over-arching basis of the unified, politically connected, and socially pro-active Buddhism which has recently emerged on the Chinese mainland. Here’s what they learned from that stream of transmission:
“Inside the temple at Xian Tong (at Wu Tai Shan) we met an older patch-robed monk who offered to answer our questions. When asked about Chan compared to buddha’s name recitation, he said that practicing Chan is difficult and that without the guidance of a master one could get into difficulty, while reciting Buddha’s name is the safest and easiest method for all to practice. He reminded us that even great Chan masters had used an recommended this method. He also told us they use this method in their services and asked us if we would like him to demonstrate. Of course we said yes, and he did an amazingly engaging version of the slow four-step recitation – Namo, Ami, Tuo, Fo – and then the faster two-step version – Amituofo, Amituofo – both done while circumambulating. We would later do this ourselves as part of morning services at the two monasteries where we stayed.
“A number of us were inspired by this special monk to try the recitation method during the rest of our trip. Why is this significant? Because many of us, perhaps all of us, did not frankly think much of the practice of the Buddha’s name recitation prior to meeting this monk. But after hearing his emphatic teaching on the virtue of this practice, some of us made a vow to give it a try, and we gained a better understanding and appreciation of this proven and effective method.”
–Chan Magazine, Winter 2009
This is exactly true, and it’s significant because it’s where the transmission of Buddhism to America is currently hung. What has been transmitted to us is Zen (Chan), and in and of itself, Zen doesn’t penetrate the mainstream because it’s not broad enough, it’s not involved enough, and it doesn’t generalize to an ordinary American lifestyle. What does penetrate is Buddha recitation and the Pure Land School in general.
And it should be understood, please, that the reason that dragon-elephants like Xu Yun said that Buddha recitation is equal to Zen is that they knew what they were talking about. Anybody can do it, and when advanced Zen students, and even lineage holders can’t meditate, they should do Buddha recitation.
Virtually all photos of Xu Yun show him using a mala to do Buddha recitation, and he was doing that as an example to others. His actual stage of practice, with respect to his own development, was light years beyond that. Xu Yun’s practice was such that he lived to the age of 120, and literally grew a new set of teeth in his 60’s.
Namu Amida Butsu
Xing Ping
