《菩提達摩南宗定是非論》批判北宗「師承是傍法門是漸」之探討=A Study in Exposition on Right and Wrong in regards to Bodhidharma's Southern School—Denouncing the Northern School as Advocating the "Gradual" instead of "Sudden" Enlightenment in Buddhism
“Chan meditation” started to develop in China when a monk named An Shi-gao arrived at Luoyang in the second year of the reign of Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty (148 AD) and started to advocate “Anapanasati” and promote “integration of Chan and existing Buddhist teachings”. Since then, Chan meditation budded in ancient China. Before Bodhidharma arrived at Guangzhou in the sixth year of the reign of the Emperor Ming of Liu Song of Southern Dynasties (470 AD), Chan of ancient times already had a solid foundation in China, and the translations of many Buddhist texts spread in the country. During the time of Northern Dynasties, Dharma Chan was still one school of Chan Buddhism but not yet the mainstream; it did not become widespread until the beginning of Tang Dynasty. Starting from Bodhidharma, through Huike and Sengcan, Chan Buddhist monks devoted themselves to asceticism. Owing to that, they lived alone and often moved from one place to another; they felt at ease under all circumstances and were not easily affected by rumors at the time. Chan Buddhism did not make a breakthrough in the form until when Daoxin settled down and built a temple for worshiping the Buddha statue in Potou Mountain (also called Shuangfeng Mountain), which lay over 30 kilometers to the northwest of Huangmei, Qizhou (Huangmei County, Hubei Province of modern times). Later Hongren, the successor to Daoxin, received his Chan master’s instructions over his own self-learning. East Mountain Teachings (Dongshan Famen), therefore, became extremely prevalent and the most highly praised Chan school. In terms of the Chan transmission, the dharma was smoothly passed down to the next successor during Bodhidharma and Hongren. However when Shenhui, the successor to Huineng, held Kumbh Mela at Huatai in the 20th year of the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty (732 AD), he accused the school of Shenxiu—Puji of propagandizing that the enlightenment in Buddhism should be attained with a gradual instead of sudden approach. Since then, the schools of Chan Buddhism ushered into a new age. Bodhidharma granted the four chapters of Lankavatara Sutra to Huike, Sengcan, Daoxin and Hongren; even Shenxiu continued to practice Lankavatara Sutra. Huineng started to make slight changes, and Shenhui took an even more drastic action by replacing Lankavatara Sutra with Diamond Sutra. By studying Dharma Chan—Chan Buddhism of early times, this article aims at first investigating the dharma preached by Bodhidharma, Huike, Sengcan, Daoxin, Hongren, Shenxiu and Huineng. Second, with the study of “Huatai Debate”—an event causing the school division of Chan Buddhism, the article goes deeper into the historical development regarding the fact that Shenxiu took the place of Faru to preach Buddhist doctrines in public after Hongren’s death, and analyzes the historical discussions regarding the dharma transmission, and the gradual and sudden enlightenment in Buddhism”.
