3 posts op 1 dag... Maar goed, aan de slag.
Over het drama van dharma transmissie
Het is hoognodig om uitgebreid stil te staan bij het fenomeen dharma transmissie en alle onzin die daaromheen hangt. De dharma-opvolgers van Genpo en Shimano zitten met de handen in het haar, bij zen.nl stampen ze ze intussen bij bosjes uit de grond en lopen er inmiddels zo’n 500 los rond, heb ik me laten vertellen (maar misschien is dat een grapje), die allemaal minstens 1 jaar zen-ervaring hebben (wat is de gedachte achter die overmatige activiteit? Geld? Macht? Vrouwen? Ego-boosting?), en ergens in Japan raakt iemand volledig de Weg kwijt na inka shomei. Of dat ooit nog goed komt?
Geen tijd om alles in de breedte te behandelen, wie weet komt dat nog eens, maar ik vond op Sweeping Zen een zeer verfrissend artikel van Erik Fraser Storlie over het fenomeen. Een paar lekkere citaten daaruit! Met de gouden oneliners in vet.
The doctrine of dharma transmission hangs on four overlapping assumptions, all of which must be true to establish its credibility. The first two are beyond proof, and the third and the fourth obviously false.
The first, that the historical Buddha attained a mind of absolute perfection, is pure poetry – fascinating, mysterious – and if accepted, accepted simply as an article of faith. Did the Buddha have such a mind? A wonderful question! Maybe he did. Or maybe, somewhere in the cosmos, he’s still exploring, expanding, and perfecting his infinite wide-awake seeing. Or maybe all of us are, exactly at this moment, his eyes opening again and again – and wider and wider as our practice deepens.
The second, that the Buddha’s disciple Mahakasyapa also attained this perfect mind and that the Buddha recognized it, depends upon the first. Perhaps, indeed, a perfect being could recognize and attest to the perfection in another perfect being.
The third, that an unbroken chain of such “mind to mind” transmissions has descended, generation after generation, in a known lineage, down to today’s living dharma heirs, is simply false on historical grounds. As Edward Conze, the great scholar of Indian Buddhism noted, “much of the traditions about the early history of Ch’an are the inventions of a later age” – inventions befitting a Chinese culture that deeply honored family lineages traced through renowned ancestors.
The fourth, that every such transmission from master to disciple over the last 2500 years was genuine, is contradicted by the behavior of Shimano himself – and, sadly, of any number of Asian and American teachers.
Stated simply, the doctrine of dharma transmission is just one more among the many attractive delusions held by human beings. Unfortunately, adherence to it gives the dharma heir a very powerful – and potentially dangerous – authority within the community of Zen practitioners, much as does the doctrine of the Apostolic Succession in the Roman Catholic Church, where the recent child abuse scandals illustrate the dangers of priesthoods that claim an authority beyond the ordinary and human. Those in such positions are sorely tempted to protect each other, ignoring or covering up the harm done by their colleagues.
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Even if the magical claims of dharma transmission are discarded and it is recognized as an ordinary human institution, it still should not be retained as a method of training Zen meditation teachers. No truly meaningful credential can be conferred simply at the pleasure of one person. Indeed, as a method, it creates toxic interpersonal dynamics in communities, for the future recognition or preferment of a student is entirely dependent upon pleasing a dharma heir, or a presumptive dharma heir. If I wish to rise in this hierarchical system, I must pay court to the dharma heir and his or her favorites, and as a courtier in such a system, I can never openly acknowledge my self-interested pursuit of attention, for my goal is always, theoretically, “spiritual” development. Yet, of course, my ability to please a dharma heir and receive, in my turn, recognition and/or authorization will give me status and even employment opportunities. The dynamics of court, courtier, and courtship create endless distortions of human behavior even in ordinary institutions – a business, political party, or college. These run wild when the king, queen, pope, or dharma heir has imputed “special” powers. Anyone connected for a length of time to a Zen Center can cite examples.
(Deze ongezonde dynamiek geldt denk ik in sterkere mate voor zencentra in het westen dan voor de Japanse traditie. Maar ik kan me vergissen, zie de in de Platform Sutra beschreven toorn van Shenxiu over de overdracht aan Huineng.)
Having moved beyond the fairy tale of dharma transmission, Zen communities can begin work on truly thorny questions. Why did so many of the Asian “masters” who came to America, especially during the Sixties, behave in ways that to the objective beholder seem narcissistic, even sociopathic? What was their experience coming to maturity in monasteries and ashrams? Were they damaged in some way as children? And how, today, can the traditional Hindu and Buddhist emphasis on “non-attachment” be meaningfully taught in an America where many suffer “attachment disorders” – an inability to receive or return love?
Hij praat hier geen onzin. Het is hard nodig dat dit soort dingen wordt gezegd en dat de mythen worden ontkracht, de mystiek wordt doorstoken. Het is de hoogste tijd om wakker te worden.
Volgt een pleidooi voor het ‘een lamp zijn voor jezelf’, zoals de Boeddha al zei. Zonder het belang van goede begeleiding te bagatelliseren – integendeel! – lijkt me de deconstructie van het dharmatransmissie-gebeuren van onschatbare waarde voor zen in het westen. Kijk uit wat je koopt. Dharma transmissie is een volkomen willekeurig proces met een totaal onbetrouwbare uitkomst. Ga uit van je eigen oordeelsvermogen en laat je geen rad van dood en wedergeboorte voor ogen draaien.
Over het drama van dharma transmissie
Het is hoognodig om uitgebreid stil te staan bij het fenomeen dharma transmissie en alle onzin die daaromheen hangt. De dharma-opvolgers van Genpo en Shimano zitten met de handen in het haar, bij zen.nl stampen ze ze intussen bij bosjes uit de grond en lopen er inmiddels zo’n 500 los rond, heb ik me laten vertellen (maar misschien is dat een grapje), die allemaal minstens 1 jaar zen-ervaring hebben (wat is de gedachte achter die overmatige activiteit? Geld? Macht? Vrouwen? Ego-boosting?), en ergens in Japan raakt iemand volledig de Weg kwijt na inka shomei. Of dat ooit nog goed komt?
Geen tijd om alles in de breedte te behandelen, wie weet komt dat nog eens, maar ik vond op Sweeping Zen een zeer verfrissend artikel van Erik Fraser Storlie over het fenomeen. Een paar lekkere citaten daaruit! Met de gouden oneliners in vet.
The doctrine of dharma transmission hangs on four overlapping assumptions, all of which must be true to establish its credibility. The first two are beyond proof, and the third and the fourth obviously false.
The first, that the historical Buddha attained a mind of absolute perfection, is pure poetry – fascinating, mysterious – and if accepted, accepted simply as an article of faith. Did the Buddha have such a mind? A wonderful question! Maybe he did. Or maybe, somewhere in the cosmos, he’s still exploring, expanding, and perfecting his infinite wide-awake seeing. Or maybe all of us are, exactly at this moment, his eyes opening again and again – and wider and wider as our practice deepens.
The second, that the Buddha’s disciple Mahakasyapa also attained this perfect mind and that the Buddha recognized it, depends upon the first. Perhaps, indeed, a perfect being could recognize and attest to the perfection in another perfect being.
The third, that an unbroken chain of such “mind to mind” transmissions has descended, generation after generation, in a known lineage, down to today’s living dharma heirs, is simply false on historical grounds. As Edward Conze, the great scholar of Indian Buddhism noted, “much of the traditions about the early history of Ch’an are the inventions of a later age” – inventions befitting a Chinese culture that deeply honored family lineages traced through renowned ancestors.
The fourth, that every such transmission from master to disciple over the last 2500 years was genuine, is contradicted by the behavior of Shimano himself – and, sadly, of any number of Asian and American teachers.
Stated simply, the doctrine of dharma transmission is just one more among the many attractive delusions held by human beings. Unfortunately, adherence to it gives the dharma heir a very powerful – and potentially dangerous – authority within the community of Zen practitioners, much as does the doctrine of the Apostolic Succession in the Roman Catholic Church, where the recent child abuse scandals illustrate the dangers of priesthoods that claim an authority beyond the ordinary and human. Those in such positions are sorely tempted to protect each other, ignoring or covering up the harm done by their colleagues.
--
Even if the magical claims of dharma transmission are discarded and it is recognized as an ordinary human institution, it still should not be retained as a method of training Zen meditation teachers. No truly meaningful credential can be conferred simply at the pleasure of one person. Indeed, as a method, it creates toxic interpersonal dynamics in communities, for the future recognition or preferment of a student is entirely dependent upon pleasing a dharma heir, or a presumptive dharma heir. If I wish to rise in this hierarchical system, I must pay court to the dharma heir and his or her favorites, and as a courtier in such a system, I can never openly acknowledge my self-interested pursuit of attention, for my goal is always, theoretically, “spiritual” development. Yet, of course, my ability to please a dharma heir and receive, in my turn, recognition and/or authorization will give me status and even employment opportunities. The dynamics of court, courtier, and courtship create endless distortions of human behavior even in ordinary institutions – a business, political party, or college. These run wild when the king, queen, pope, or dharma heir has imputed “special” powers. Anyone connected for a length of time to a Zen Center can cite examples.
(Deze ongezonde dynamiek geldt denk ik in sterkere mate voor zencentra in het westen dan voor de Japanse traditie. Maar ik kan me vergissen, zie de in de Platform Sutra beschreven toorn van Shenxiu over de overdracht aan Huineng.)
Having moved beyond the fairy tale of dharma transmission, Zen communities can begin work on truly thorny questions. Why did so many of the Asian “masters” who came to America, especially during the Sixties, behave in ways that to the objective beholder seem narcissistic, even sociopathic? What was their experience coming to maturity in monasteries and ashrams? Were they damaged in some way as children? And how, today, can the traditional Hindu and Buddhist emphasis on “non-attachment” be meaningfully taught in an America where many suffer “attachment disorders” – an inability to receive or return love?
Hij praat hier geen onzin. Het is hard nodig dat dit soort dingen wordt gezegd en dat de mythen worden ontkracht, de mystiek wordt doorstoken. Het is de hoogste tijd om wakker te worden.
Volgt een pleidooi voor het ‘een lamp zijn voor jezelf’, zoals de Boeddha al zei. Zonder het belang van goede begeleiding te bagatelliseren – integendeel! – lijkt me de deconstructie van het dharmatransmissie-gebeuren van onschatbare waarde voor zen in het westen. Kijk uit wat je koopt. Dharma transmissie is een volkomen willekeurig proces met een totaal onbetrouwbare uitkomst. Ga uit van je eigen oordeelsvermogen en laat je geen rad van dood en wedergeboorte voor ogen draaien.
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