作者單位：中華佛學研究所研究員 Researcher, Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies
關鍵詞
明心見性=illuminating the mind and seeing the [buddha-] nature; 聖嚴法師=Venerable Sheng Yen; 禪法=Chan teaching; 天台=Tiantai; 止觀=śamatha-vipaśyanā; 別教=Distinct Teachings; 圓教=Perfect Teachings
"Illuminating the mind and seeing the [buddha-] nature" (or self-nature) is the axiom of the Chan (Zen) School. All of Chan methods of practices supposedly lead one to the illumination of the mind and perception of one’s Buddha-nature, in other words, enlightenment. However, since Chan focuses on the attainment of sudden enlightenment, it does not emphasize a systematic and gradualistic path for practice. Thus, it can be argued that this lack of stages leads to a kind of confusion of what exactly this “illuminating the mind and seeing the [buddha-] nature” actually entails. Venerable Sheng Yen was concerned about this need for clarification and he thought it could be clarified by appropriating the teachings from Tiantai and Consciousness-only schools. However, among the master's various writings, little is explicitly said about his ideas regarding this issue. This paper attempts to approach the problem from the perspectives of Tiantai teaching and practices so as to clarify the implications of "illuminating the mind and seeing the [buddha-] nature " in the Chan School; it highlights the relationship between this Chan axiom with the practice of śamatha-vipaśyanā (止觀修證Calming and Contemplation practices) of Tiantai. Within the context of Tiantai discourses, "illuminating the mind and seeing the [buddha-] nature" means perceiving the middle way and buddha-nature. However, among the fourfold doctrine of Tiantai—Tripitaka Teachings, Shared Teachings, Distinct Teachings, and the Perfect Teachings (zanjiao 藏教、 tongjiao 通教、biejiao 別教、yuanjiao 圓教) —only the Distinct Teachings and Perfect Teachings touch upon the issues related to the middle way and buddha-nature. Therefore, it will be more fruitful to explore the implications of illuminating the mind and seeing the [buddha-] nature with the insight of the two teachings. Furthermore, we can explicate its significance by examining it along with the systematic progressive stages of practices specified in the Distinct Teachings, and the Six Identities (liuji wei六即位) specified in the Perfect Teachings. This paper focuses on two areas of discussions. First, it will clarify the concept about "illuminating the mind and seeing the [buddha-] nature" primarily from Venerable Sheng Yen's understanding of Chan. Secondly, it explicates the implications of this concept through the lens of Tiantai doctrine and the practices of śamatha-vipaśyanā.
