Philosophy:Lineage (Buddhism)

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Short description: Lines of transmission in different schools of Buddhism
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A lineage in Buddhism is a line of transmission of the Buddhist teaching that is "theoretically traced back to the Buddha himself."[1] The acknowledgement of the transmission can be oral, or certified in documents. Several branches of Buddhism, including Chan (including Zen and Seon) and Tibetan Buddhism maintain records of their historical teachers. These records serve as a validation for the living exponents of the tradition.

The historical authenticity of various Buddhist lineages has been subject to debate. Stephen Batchelor has claimed, speaking about specifically Japanese Zen lineage, "the historicity of this “lineage” simply does not withstand critical scrutiny."[2] Erik Storlie has noted that transmission "is simply false on historical grounds."[3] Edward Conze said "much of the traditions about the early history of Chan are the inventions of a later age."[4]

Vinaya

In the lineage of the vinaya, the requirements for ordination as a bhikkhu ("monk") or a bhikkhuni ("nun") include the presence of at least five other monks, one of whom must be a fully ordained preceptor, and another an acharya (teacher). This lineage for ordaining bhikshunis became extinct in the Theravada school and in Tibetan Buddhism. Therefore, when śrāmaṇerikās like Tenzin Palmo wanted full ordination, she had to travel to Hong Kong.

Mahasiddha

Lineages in the Mahasiddha tradition do not necessarily originate from Gautama Buddha, but are ultimately grounded, like all Buddhist lineages, in the Adi-Buddha.

Chan and Zen lineages

Construction of lineages

The idea of a patriarchal lineage in Chan Buddhism dates back to the epitaph for Fărú (法如 638–689), a disciple of the 5th patriarch, Hóngrĕn (弘忍 601–674). In the Long Scroll of the Treatise on the Two Entrances and Four Practices and the Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks, Daoyu and Huike are the only explicitly identified disciples of Bodhidharma. The epitaph gives a line of descent identifying Bodhidharma as the first patriarch.[5][6]

In the 6th century biographies of famous monks were collected. From this genre the typical Chan-lineage was developed:

These famous biographies were non-sectarian. The Ch'an biographical works, however, aimed to establish Ch'an as a legitimate school of Buddhism traceable to its Indian origins, and at the same time championed a particular form of Ch'an. Historical accuracy was of little concern to the compilers; old legends were repeated, new stories were invented and reiterated until they too became legends.[7]

D. T. Suzuki contends that Chan's growth in popularity during the 7th and 8th centuries attracted criticism that it had "no authorized records of its direct transmission from the founder of Buddhism" and that Chan historians made Bodhidharma the 28th patriarch of Buddhism in response to such attacks.[8]

Six patriarchs

The earliest lineages described the lineage from Bodhidharma to Huineng. There is no generally accepted 7th Chinese Patriarch.[9]

The principle teachers of the Chan, Zen and Seon traditions are commonly known in English translations as "Patriarchs". However, the more precise terminology would be "Ancestors" or "Founders" (Chinese: 祖; pinyin: zǔ) and "Ancestral Masters" or "Founding Masters" (Chinese: 祖師), as the commonly used Chinese terms are gender neutral. Various records of different authors are known, which give a variation of transmission lines:


Continuous lineage from Gautama Buddha

Eventually these descriptions of the lineage evolved into a continuous lineage from Gautama Buddha to Bodhidharma. The idea of a line of descent from Gautama is the basis for the distinctive lineage tradition of Chan.

According to the Song of Enlightenment (證道歌 Zhèngdào gē) by Yǒngjiā Xuánjué (665–713),[10] one of the chief disciples of Huineng, Bodhidharma was the 28th Patriarch of Buddhism in a line of descent from Gautama Buddha through his disciple Mahākāśyapa:

Mahakashyapa was the first, leading the line of transmission;

Twenty-eight Fathers followed him in the West;
The Lamp was then brought over the sea to this country;
And Bodhidharma became the First Father here
His mantle, as we all know, passed over six Fathers,

And by them many minds came to see the Light.[11]

The Denkoroku gives 28 patriarchs in this transmission,[12][13] and 53 overall:


Transmission to Japan

Twenty-four different Zen lineages are recorded to be transmitted to Japan. Only three survived until today. Sōtō was transmitted to Japan by Dōgen, who travelled to China for Chan training in the 13th century. After receiving Dharma transmission in the Caodong school, he returned to Japan and established the lineage there, where it is called the Sōtō.

The Linji school was also transmitted to Japan several times, where it is the Rinzai school.

Pure Land Buddhism

Unlike the other Buddhist lineages, Pure Land Buddhism does not maintain a strict master-disciple relationship, however, in various countries, certain teachers and monks have been acknowledged as having furthered the tradition either through new insights, or through promulgation of the teachings. Such teachers rarely lived at the same time as other "patriarchs", but contributions are recognized as a lineage.

Chinese

In the Chinese Buddhism, the thirteen patriarchs that promulgated the Pure Land tradition in China are:[14]

  1. Lúshān Huìyuǎn (334-416)
  2. Shàndǎo (613-681)
  3. Chéngyuǎn (承遠, 712-802)
  4. Fǎzhào (法照, dates unknown)
  5. Shǎokāng (少康, d. 805)
  6. Yǒngmíng Yánshòu (永明延壽, 904-975)
  7. Shěngcháng (省常, 959–1020)
  8. Yúnqī Zhūhóng (雲棲袾宏1535-1615)
  9. Ǒuyì Zhìxù (蕅益智旭1599–1655)
  10. Xíngcè (行策, 1628–1682)
  11. Shíxían (實賢, 1686–1734)
  12. Jìxǐng Chèwù (際醒徹悟, 1741–1810)
  13. Shì Yìnguāng (釋印光, c. 1861–1940)

Japanese

In Jōdo Shinshū and Jodo Shu Buddhist traditions, "Patriarch" refers to seven Indian, Chinese and Japanese masters leading up to the founder of their respective schools. Both traditions agree with the list of patriarchs up to Genshin.

[15][16][17][18]

Name Dates Japanese Name Country of Origin Contribution
Nagarjuna 150–250 Ryūju (龍樹) India First one to advocate the Pure Land as a valid Buddhist path.
Vasubandhu ca. 4th century Tenjin (天親) or Seshin (世親) India Expanded on Nagarjuna's Pure Land teachings, commentaries on Pure Land sutras.
Tan-luan 476–542(?) Donran (曇鸞) China Developed the six-syllable nembutsu chant commonly recited, emphasized the role of Amitabha Buddha's vow to rescue all beings.
Daochuo 562–645 Dōshaku (道綽) China Promoted the concept of "easy path" of the Pure Land in comparison to the tradition "path of the sages". Taught the efficacy of the Pure Land path in the latter age of the Dharma.
Shandao 613–681 Zendō (善導) China Stressed the importance of verbal recitation of Amitabha Buddha's name.
Genshin 942–1017 Genshin (源信) Japan Popularized Pure Land practices for the common people, with emphasis on salvation.
Hōnen 1133–1212 Hōnen (法然) Japan Developed a specific school of Buddhism devoted solely to rebirth in the Pure Land, further popularized recitation of name of Amitabha Buddha in order to attain rebirth in the Pure Land. A patriarch in the Jōdo Shinshū tradition only.

Tibetan Buddhism

The 14th Dalai Lama, in the foreword to Karmapa: The Sacred Prophecy[19] states:

Within the context of Tibetan Buddhism, the importance of lineage extends far beyond the ordinary sense of a particular line of inheritance or descent. Lineage is a sacred trust through which the integrity of Buddha's teachings is preserved intact as it is transmitted from one generation to the next. The vital link through which the spiritual tradition is nourished and maintained is the profound connection between an enlightened master and perfectly devoted disciple. The master-disciple relationship is considered extremely sacred by all the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Karma Kagyu

Possession of lineage

Wallace[20] renders into English a citation of Karma Chagme (Wylie: karma chags med, fl. 17th century) that contains an embedded quotation attributed to Nāropā (956–1041 CE):

The crucial, primary qualification of a spiritual mentor is stated by Naropa, "The qualification of a spiritual mentor is that he possesses the lineage."
The Single Meaning of the Vajra Speech [Wylie: rDo rje'i gsungs dgongs pa gcig pa] states, "There is great profundity in the connection within the lineage of the holy Dharma." The real lineage of the realization of this Dharma, which transfer blessings,[lower-alpha 1] is the unbroken rosary of Buddhas...".[22]

Preservation of lineages

Gyatrul (b. 1924),[23] in a purport to Karma Chagme, conveys Dilgo Khyentse's 'samaya', diligence and humility in receiving Vajrayana empowerment, lineal Dharma transmission and rlung, as rendered into English by Wallace (Chagmé et al., 1998: p. 21):

With respect to oral transmission, even if the lineage is impure, it is not a problem. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche often sought out and received any oral transmission he thought was on the verge of disappearing. It made no difference who was giving it. He would receive it and, in turn, pass it on to make sure that the lineage remained unbroken.[24]

Chöd

Chöd is an advanced spiritual practice known as "Cutting Through the Ego."[25] This practice, based on the Prajnaparamita sutra, uses specific meditations and tantric ritual.

There are several hagiographic accounts of how chöd came to Tibet.[26] One namtar (hagiography) asserts that shortly after Kamalaśīla won his famous debate with Moheyan as to whether Tibet should adopt the "sudden" route to enlightenment or his own "gradual" route, Kamalaśīla enacted phowa, transferring his mindstream to animate a corpse polluted with contagion in order to safely move the hazard it presented. As the mindstream of Kamalaśīla was otherwise engaged, a mahasiddha named Dampa Sangye came across the vacant kuten or "physical basis" of Kamalaśīla. Dampa Sangye was not karmically blessed with an aesthetic corporeal form, and upon finding the very handsome and healthy empty body of Kamalaśīla, which he assumed to be a newly dead fresh corpse, used phowa to transfer his own mindstream into Kamalaśīla's body. Dampa Sangye's mindstream in Kamalaśīla's body continued the ascent to the Himalaya and thereby transmitted the Pacification of Suffering teachings and the Indian form of Chöd which contributed to the Mahamudra Chöd of Machig Labdrön. The mindstream of Kamalaśīla was unable to return to his own kuten and so was forced to enter the vacant body of Dampa Sangye.[27][28]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "In the Buddhist context, the term blessing should not be understood in terms of grace as in the case of theistic religions. Rather, it relates to the sense of inspiration received...which transforms or awakens the potentials inherent within an individual's mental continuum. Thus, the Tibetan word byin-rlabs is interpreted to mean: 'to be transformed through inspiring magnificence'."[21]

References

  1. ↑ Haskel 2001, p. 2.
  2. ↑ Batchelor, Stephen (Winter 2000). "The Lessons of History". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review 10 (2). https://tricycle.org/magazine/lessons-history/. Retrieved April 25, 2015. 
  3. ↑ Storlie, Erik (February 8, 2011). "Lineage Delusions: Eido Shimano Roshi, Dharma Transmission, and American Zen". Sweeping Zen. http://sweepingzen.com/lineage-delusions-eido-shimano-roshi-dharma-transmission-and-american-zen/. 
  4. ↑ Conze, Edward (2003). Buddhism: Its Essence and Development. Courier Corporation. p. 201. ISBN 9780486430959. 
  5. ↑ Dumoulin 1993, p. 37.
  6. ↑ Cole 2009, p. 73–114.
  7. ↑ Yampolski 2003, p. 5-6.
  8. ↑ Suzuki 1949, p. 168.
  9. ↑ 禪宗第七祖之爭的文獻研究
  10. ↑ Chang 1967.
  11. ↑ Suzuki 1948, p. 50.
  12. ↑ Cook 2003.
  13. ↑ Diener 1991, p. 266.
  14. ↑ Jones, Charles B. (2021). Pure Land: History, Tradition, and Practice (Buddhist Foundations). Shambhala. pp. 82–95. ISBN 978-1611808902. 
  15. ↑ Watts, Jonathan; Tomatsu, Yoshiharu (2005). Traversing the Pure Land Path. Jodo Shu Press. ISBN 488363342X. 
  16. ↑ Buswell, Robert; Lopez, Donald S. (2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-15786-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=-fWKngEACAAJ. 
  17. ↑ "Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and teachers". http://www.jodo.org/about_plb/buddhas.html. 
  18. ↑ "The Pure Land Lineage". http://jsri.jp/English/Pureland/lineage.html. 
  19. ↑ Karmapa: The Sacred Prophecy. New York: Kagyu Thubten Choling Publications Committee. 1999. 
  20. ↑ Chagmé et al., 1998: p. 22
  21. ↑ Padmasambhava (composed); Terton Karma Lingpa (revealed); Gyurme Dorje (translated); Graham Coleman (editor); Thupten Jinpa (editor) with the 14th Dalai Lama (introduction) (2005, 2006). The Tibetan Book of the Dead. First Complete Translation. Strand, London, UK: Penguin Books. ISBN:978-0-14-045529-8, p.448
  22. ↑ Chagmé, Karma (author, compiler); Gyatrul Rinpoche (commentary) & Wallace, B. Alan (translator) (1998). A Spacious Path to Freedom: Practical Instructions on the Union of Mahamudra and Atiyoga. Ithaca, New York, USA: Shambhala Publications. ISBN:978-1-55939-071-2; ISBN:1-55939-071-9, p.22
  23. ↑ Source: "Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche – Tashi Choling Center for Buddhist Studies". http://www.tashicholing.org/gyatrul_rinpoche_bio.htm.  (accessed: Wednesday March 25, 2009)
  24. ↑ Chagmé, Karma (author, compiler); Gyatrul Rinpoche (commentary) & Wallace, B. Alan (translator) (1998). A Spacious Path to Freedom: Practical Instructions on the Union of Mahamudra and Atiyoga. Ithaca, New York, USA: Shambhala Publications. ISBN:978-1-55939-071-2; ISBN:1-55939-071-9, p.21
  25. ↑ Rinpoche, Yangthang (1991). "Chod – Cutting Through the Ego". http://www.bodhicitta.net/Chod.htm. 
  26. ↑ Edou, Jérôme (1996). Machig Labdrön and the Foundations of Chöd. Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 978-1-55939-039-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=AQULAAAAYAAJ. 
  27. ↑ Thrangu, Khenchen & Klonk, Christoph (translator) & Hollmann, Gaby (editor and annotator)(2006). Chod – The Introduction & A Few Practices. Source: [1] (accessed: November 2, 2007)
  28. ↑ "Tantric Glossary". http://lionsroar.name/tantric_glossary.htm. 

Sources

External links



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