text:
RecruiterGuy.com: Talent Acquisition Contract Recruitment Consulting
Welcome to RecruiterGuy.com!
Bill Humbert, RecruiterGuy - nationally recognized as a Professional Speaker, an expert Talent Acquisition Contract Recruiter Consultant/Recruiter with experience in many industries, and an Award Winning Author, has several important announcements.
Currently on contract with Acciona Windpower, a strong player in the Erection & Commissioning of wind towers followed by the operations and maintenance of Wind Farms. Excited that we have filled positions ranging from warehouse workers to O & M Manager for this outstanding company. Go to RecruiterGuy.jobs for a list of current openings and to apply.
Additionally "RecruiterGuy's Guide To Finding A Job 2nd Edition" is Now available on Kindle at a new low price of $2.99!! You may download a free Kindle Reader for your PC, Mobile Device, or Pad at Amazon. Most job search books were written by writers (That makes sense!). With over 26 million Americans unemployed or underemployed, would you prefer to go to an expert that works with hiring managers everyday – or a writer?
More exciting book news! Lisa Hagan, Literary Agent,, is now representing Bill and his book!
Successful High Volume Contract Recruitment Experience
High volume Talent Acquisition experience differs with each project. Bill has several high volume talent acquisition contract recruiter consultant projects. While some people tend to look at the aggregate, Bill breaks down the project into the smallest pieces and methodically creates a strategy for success. Many searches may be run in tandem. If the high volume recruiting need contains cookie cutter positions, a different strategy is created than when recruiters are recruiting a high volume of one off specialists. Below are 3 examples.
MCI contract - Initially began as a high volume project recruiting IT professionals in Pentagon City, VA. Supported 4 IT organizations - 3 were residential billing (supporting "Friends & Family" and "1800Collect") and 1 was commercial billing (for large corporations). In 6 months recruited 100 IT professionals. Then was tasked to develop and implement (And project manage) a recruiting strategy to help MCI transition commercial billing to Cedar Rapids, IA. Obviously the DC area had many IBM mainframe shops to draw from to attract candidates. Cedar Rapids had 3 IBM mainframe shops - and one was MCI. The project was further complicated because during the year while recruiting a minimum of 120 IT professionals to Cedar Rapids (only 10 moved from DC), commercial billing had two major releases scheduled that we needed to work around. To make a long story short, at the end of the year we had 143 IT professionals in Cedar Rapids; and nearly 200 IT professionals at the end of 22 months (most required relocation). While recruiting in volume, we also recruited and performed due diligence and closed one candidate at a time.
McLeodUSA - At this point, McLeodUSA was a pre-IPO startup. Bill was the Talent Acquisition Manager with one direct report. In 1 1/2 years recruited 200 employees in B2B sales, call center, and corporate positions. Proud that his documentation enabled his one direct report to earn corporate recognition 3 of 4 quarters (she was on maternity leave the only quarter she did not earn recognition).
LeFebure contract - This was Bill's first Talent Acquisition Contract Recruitment consultant project in manufacturing. All of LeFebure's recruitment was outsourced to Bill. In 11 months working together as a team with hiring managers, we filled 300 positions in corporate headquarters, 2 manufacturing plants, and 30 business offices around the US. Improved the recruiting process to enable this success. We still filled one position at a time - just worked together to make it happen.
Talent Acquisition is our passion!
The detective work required in sourcing the best candidates, the expertise required to determine the candidate who is the best fit, and the sales ability to close and deliver the best candidate all get the positive adrenalin flowing. As a result Bill writes and speaks about Talent Acquisition with his own unique and creative view. "Bill Humbert's Talent Acquisition Thought Leadership"
Since Talent Acquisition contract recruitment consulting is a passion, Bill is now offering Corporate/Company talent acquisition process improvement consulting on an hourly, weekly, monthly rate. You may reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com to discuss.
Talent Acquisition Thought Leadership in the Media
Interviewed LIVE by Vinnie Politan on CNN's Headline News show Making it in America on Jan. 4, 2013. We discussed 3 important resume writing tips. Quoted in a column by Alina Tugend in the New York Times on salary negotiation. Recruiting Trends arguably one of the top publishers of Talent Acquisition Thought Leadership published and featured many of the RecruiterGuy Talent Acquisition Thought Leadership articles: New Jobs! New Candidate Experience? , "Every Company Has a Recruiting Strategy (Some Just Don't Know it)", Let's Go Find The Wrong Person", "Attracting Passive Candidates?" , "Countering the Counter Offer" and "Building an Effective Job Description", "The Offer Acceptance To Job Start Transition" , "Recruiting Out Of State Candidates Successfully" , "What Makes Employees Happy?", "1960's Recruiting in 2011", "Post and Prey Recruitment", "Embrace Social Media Recruiting?", "Recruitment Sourcing Magic: Proper Attitude", "Recruitment Sourcing Magic: What's in a Title?" and "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Recruiting". RecruitingBlogs.com published Do You Confuse "Sourcing" With "Recruiting?" that was picked up by LinkedIn as "News You Should Know." AOL published "You're Only Six Steps Away From Reaching Your Goal" and "When Will I Find My Next Job?" As a nationally based Expert Contract Recruitment Consultant and Professional Speaker, Bill is a monthly regular on PCTV Mountain Morning Show discussing both the candidate and the corporate side of recruitment.
Quoted in a column by Alina Tugend in the New York Times on salary negotiation.
Recruiting Trends arguably one of the top publishers of Talent Acquisition Thought Leadership published and featured many of the RecruiterGuy Talent Acquisition Thought Leadership articles: New Jobs! New Candidate Experience? , "Every Company Has a Recruiting Strategy (Some Just Don't Know it)", Let's Go Find The Wrong Person", "Attracting Passive Candidates?" , "Countering the Counter Offer" and "Building an Effective Job Description", "The Offer Acceptance To Job Start Transition" , "Recruiting Out Of State Candidates Successfully" , "What Makes Employees Happy?", "1960's Recruiting in 2011", "Post and Prey Recruitment", "Embrace Social Media Recruiting?", "Recruitment Sourcing Magic: Proper Attitude", "Recruitment Sourcing Magic: What's in a Title?" and "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Recruiting". RecruitingBlogs.com published Do You Confuse "Sourcing" With "Recruiting?" that was picked up by LinkedIn as "News You Should Know." AOL published "You're Only Six Steps Away From Reaching Your Goal" and "When Will I Find My Next Job?"
As a nationally based Expert Contract Recruitment Consultant and Professional Speaker, Bill is a monthly regular on PCTV Mountain Morning Show discussing both the candidate and the corporate side of recruitment.Joe and Bill discuss behavioral interviewing and importance of Manager Interview training on the Mountain Morning Show on Park City TV, Joe and Bill discuss salary negotiation and Counter Offers on the Mountain Morning Show on Park City TV, Chelsea and Bill discuss the benefits of volunteering when unemployed on the Mountain Morning Show on Park City TV, Chelsea and RecruiterGuy discuss Recruiting is a Sales Process on the Mountain Morning Show on Park City TV, "Candidates, The Holidays are the Best Time of Year to Interview", "Candidates, we discussed effective networking (don't be an opera singer warming up), resumes, and other tips" , "RecruiterGuy's 2012 Job Growth Prediction" , "Chelsea and RecruiterGuy Discuss Candidate Counter Offers", "Dain and RecruiterGuy Discuss Internships from Corporate and Student Points of View" and Chelsea and Bill discuss Social Media Recruiting on the Mountain Morning Show on Park City TV.
As an expert talent acquisition contract recruitment consultant, Bill is in demand on college campuses since it is so difficult for new graduates to find the elusive few jobs out there. He presented "Getting the Edge on Your Job Search" for Assumption College continuing education department using Skype.
Bill presented "Secrets of a Successful Job Search" mini-workshop at the Student Services Building at the University of Utah Career Services Job Club. "Reinvigorate, Reinvent, and Reinforce" your Job Search. Julie Swaner, PhD of the Career Services Office at the University of Utah wrote a nice recommendation on LinkedIn following the presentation.
As a Human Capital Acquisition expert, Bill is a mentor for early stage startup companies as they prepare for their deal pitch to Venture Capitalists. Together we break away from the friends and family mentality that is pervasive in the entrepreneurial community and instead attract a leadership team that will propel the startup forward. Bill is also skilled at marketing from over 30 years of talent acquisition experience and helps with the marketing preparation for the deal pitch.
Bill completed a contract recruitment consulting project for a university incubator. Assessed a start-up technology company's recruitment related product and business model. Suggested a new market direction and completed documents to support new product.
The RecruiterGuy.com business model to focus on one company at a time and charge a flat monthly fee. This talent acquisition contract recruiter model enables the client to budget the third party assistance for the length of the contract. His client and he work to understand their recruitment process. Using his experience across multiple industries, we find ways to improve their process, employment brand, recruitment marketing, Applicant Tracking System (ATS) selection (if needed), assess managers' interviewing skills (and train if needed). We work together to find the best qualified candidates and recruit them.
Since 2002, he has only consulted with 6 companies/directors multiple times. Obviously they value our relationship. Based in Park City, he is used to working nationwide. His contract recruitment consulting business has had its own applicant tracking system (SmartSearch) since 2004, currently with over 12,000 resumes. He scrapes the Internet daily for resumes of candidates from all different fields. Typically his new clients are those feeling pain in recruitment or are dealing with peak recruitment needs. After working with him, they better understand the value he brings and invite him back for future peak recruitment efforts.
He works nationally with clients headquartered in Silicon Valley, Washington, DC, Boston, and in the Midwest. In order to best understand the client's corporate culture and talent acquisition processes, this talent acquisition contract recruiter consultant prefers to spend time onsite. Please click on Our Approach for more details on RecruiterGuy's unique talent acquisition contract recruiter consulting approach.
Follow contract recruiter consultant tweets on Twitter - RecruiterGuy81.
Link directly with Bill on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/recruiterguy
RecruiterGuy was selected as the Salt Lake Corporate Recruitment Examiner and is writing a series of articles on Talent Acquisition Development based loosely on his successful Recruitment Strategy Development series of blogs. These articles demonstrate his value and knowledge as a contract recruiter consultant.
Why Hire RecruiterGuy.com?
Is your company experiencing problems attracting the Impact Performers? Have you developed a talent acquisition strategy to attract new employees as the economy heats up? You may want to read "Every Company Has a Recruiting Strategy (Some Just Don't Know it)" How does your culture measure up to your competitors? Would it be beneficial for a Talent Acquisition Contract Recruiter Consultant to examine your culture, your recruitment processes, and recruit for you?
If so, RecruiterGuy.com's contract recruitment consulting experience will partner with you to develop a strategy to attract the top talent. We have conducted successful contract recruitment assignments in technology (hardware and software engineers), sales, marketing, finance, manufacturing (including LEAN continuous improvement), human resources, renewable energy (wind farm) construction, and IT (including JD Edwards ERP manager and analysts). Generally we are brought into a contract recruitment consulting assignment by either a strategic Human Resource Department that is a business partner or by the executives in a firm.
[ Back to Top ]
Applicant Tracking System
RecruiterGuy.com purchased and installed the SmartSearch applicant tracking system in 2004. One of the immediate impacts to clients is the ability of client managers to view the recruitment activity per requisition 24/7 by visiting the client website. This applicant tracking experience is valuable when working with new clients. Candidates may click on Employment Opportunities to either apply to positions online or to submit your resume to the RecruiterGuy.com database for future consideration. Currently we have over 12,000 candidates from many fields including Biotechnology and Renewable Energy in our Applicant Tracking System. How many talent acquisition Contract Recruiter Consultants do you know have purchased their Applicant Tracking System? RecruiterGuy.jobs takes you right to our opportunities pages.
[ Back to Top ]
Recruitment Workshops
RecruiterGuy.com is offering "Employee Retention and Recruitment" Workshops tailored specifically for each client. Recently he was given high marks for this presentation for a new client. As an expert contract recruiter consultant, Bill offers a 4 hour workshop that incorporates behavioral interviewing and stresses the value of listening to candidate responses to develop follow-up questions (instead of focusing on the next question.
Bill is available to give either his "Secrets of a Successful Job Search" one hour presentation or 4 hour workshop on College Campuses. Contact Bill to check for schedule availability.
[ Back to Top ]
Current/Recent Speaking Engagements
Bill Humbert, a seasoned talent acquisition contract recruitment consultant, is one of three volunteer organizers of the Park City Career Network that meets every Monday except holidays. He facilitates many meetings and discusses different aspects of the job search. Since August 2009, he and his fellow volunteers have coached and mentored 88 people to find new jobs during the deep job recession of 2008 to 2013. Another 15 have started new businesses including the Park City Culinary Institute.
Iowa City Area Development hosted "Dynamics of Your Job Search During a Recession" at the Iowa City Library on February 8, 2011. On February 10, 2011 Assumption College, Worcester, MA hosted RecruiterGuy on campus for "Dynamics of Your Job Search During a Recession". On Feb. 11, 2011, The Saint Joseph's College of Maine hosted Bill at the Harold Alfond Center on campus in Standish, ME.
on April 18, 2011, Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, IA welcomed Bill to present "Dynamics of Your Job Search During a Recession". On April 19, 2011 The University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communications welcomed Bill to present "Dynamics of Your Job Search During a Recession". The Internship and Placement Coordinator later wrote, "I wanted to thank you for the great show you gave the students on Tuesday. I know the students who attended took away some great insights. One stopped me later in the hall to tell me how she was using your advice. I have learned that students will tell me what works and not. This worked for them."
On Wednesday, April 20, ICAD invited Margie Peskin and me to present "Mastering Networking to Further Your Career: LinkedIn as a Social Media Tool".
On Thursday, May 12,2011, IowaWORKS hosted Bill's presentation "Turn Hourly Positions into Great Opportunities" at their office in Cedar Rapids, IA.
As a known talent acquisition contract recruitment consultant, Bill is invited to conduct webinars. On January 28, 2010 he conducted a webinar on "The Best Qualified Candidate Rarely Gets the Job" - tips to recruit not only the best qualified candidate but find the best qualified candidate who is the best fit for your organization. RecruiterGuy presented "Creative Hiring for Small Businesses for the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce on Friday, Feb. 20, 2009. He presented to candidates twice at the CorridorCareers Career Fair at Kirkwood Community College on Saturday, April 25, 2009. The topic was "How to get the Most out of Your CorridorCareer Fair 09. Look for coming presentations.
Bill was the keynote speaker on September 21, 2005 at Linn-Mar High School. The topic was "Life Experiences, a Bridge to the Workplace." He even showed how cross country hitchhiking benefited his work experience.
[ Back to Top ]
Bill Humbert, a talent acquisition contract recruiter consultant, has been quoted in several articles in the Park Record since 2009 and was quoted in the April 20, 2008 Cedar Rapids Gazette Career Fair special section on how to conduct an online job search. Bill was quoted in the Cedar Rapids Gazette story on college recruits' work prospects in May 2008. Bill Humbert was quoted in an article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette on "Tips for Mature Job Seekers" in the special pre-Corridor Career Fair issue in April 2007. Bill Humbert, a Contract Recruiter consultant, was quoted in several articles in the Cedar Rapids Gazette in February 2007. The articles were focused on candidate job searches: "Use Multiple Resources in Job Search"; "Jobseeker, Know Thyself"; and, "Networking Needn't Feel Like Work". Bill was quoted several times in the October 2003 issue of "HR Magazine" in an article by Andrea Poe titled "Graduate Work". It is a discussion of behavioral interviewing for college recruits.
Bill is in the process of finishing his book on corporate recruitment to be published this summer. It will include his experience and others as examples how to improve the recruitment process in your company. This book is primarily based on his experience as a Contract Recruiter Consultant since 1992.
[ Back to Top ]
Bill Humbert, an AIRS trained talent acquisition contract recruiter consultant of RecruiterGuy.com (a division of The Humbert Group LLC) draws on professional talent acquisition recruitment experience dating back to 1981. Since 1992, RecruiterGuy.com has worked primarily on a flat monthly fee contract recruitment consultant basis. This means that we deliver the best qualified full time employees to you in a manner that may be budgeted ahead and work with you to improve your recruitment processes and recruitment website. Another advantage of working this way is that there is no additional charge, no matter the number of hours worked, the number of candidates hired, or recruitment improvement impacts made.
The most important advantage of working with a talent acquisition contract recruiter consultant like Bill Humbert is the consulting that he offers while partnering with you. Asking the right questions comes only from years of contract recruitment consulting experience in many different industries. Certainly specializing in an industry offers some advantages. However, wouldn't it be nice to take advantage of improving your recruitment and recruitment processes with someone who has successfully worked with firms in many different industries, from start-up to large corporations, and in many different economies across the nation? He has helped companies attract CEO's, CFO's, CIO, Vice Presidents in Corporate Counsel, Software, Internal Audit, and Sales.
[ Back to Top ]
Business Model
In the book "Topgrading", Bradford Smart quotes a CEO regarding a large contingent search firm, "I asked for a lock-out list and found that the search firm was ethically forbidden to search in two-thirds of all Fortune 500 companies in our industry - their current clients. So, their pool of "A" players is one-third of what we expected."
The RecruiterGuy.com talent acquisition business model is different. Stay small. RecruiterGuy.com typically partners with one client at a time while charging a flat monthly fee. This is important because with such a small client list, we may contractually and ethically recruit virtually out of any company for you, including your competitors. At the same time we bring our management recruitment consulting experience to our contract.
We have over 20 years of Internet talent acquisition contract recruitment consulting experience beginning with Bill Warren's Online Career Center (OCC). Let us demonstrate how to save thousands of recruitment dollars per year yet remain effective. Internet Job Boards have their place in recruitment marketing. However, in order to be really effective attracting and delivering Impact Performers, we spend the time needed to direct source and find and deliver the passive candidates. We train you to do the same.
Our talent acquisition contract recruitment consulting experience has enabled us to develop successful recruitment strategies for many companies in different industries in most areas of the United States. We have experienced many different recruitment economies. What works in one economy or in one industry may not work in another as well. In other words, as a talent acquisition contract recruitment consulting firm, RecruiterGuy.com will develop and implement a talent acquisition strategy that works to solve your current talent acquisition challenges.
Some companies may hire us for talent acquisition contract recruitment consulting simply for our recruitment abilities. We enjoy the hunt for Impact Performers. We enjoy introducing candidates to our clients where both can become more successful. Using a combination of direct sourcing techniques and AIRS Internet search techniques, we work with you to deliver the best qualified candidates.
[ Back to Top ]
This Website
The Recruiterguy.com website is divided into several major threads - Corporate Resources; Recruitment Strategies; Candidate Resources, that includes resume development hints and Internet links; Employment Opportunities; and Recruiter Resources, that includes recruitment/HR networking and Internet links. Other important pages include Our Approach, New Grads, Book Reviews, and Presentations offered to groups or conventions.
[ Back to Top ]
For your convenience, you may purchase recommended books on this site. These books are recruitment/interview related and are found in the resource areas of Corporate Clients, Candidates, Recruiters, and in the Book Review pages. Many of these books were read as part of our continuing effort to improve as a contract recruitment firm.
Please Bookmark this site or add it as one of your Favorites. Our goal is to make it the "Go To" site for Recruitment.Follow @RecruiterGuy81
Tweets by @RecruiterGuy81 [ Back to Top ]
Phone: 435-714-4425 Email: email@example.com


text:
Conn. home invasion survivor: No run for Congress
NEW HAVEN -- The Connecticut doctor whose wife and two daughters were killed in a 2007 home invasion said Wednesday he has decided not to run for Congress.
Dr. William Petit said in a statement provided to The Associated Press that he will not be a candidate for the 5th Congressional District seat in northwestern Connecticut.
Though he had been approached by a number of people who urged him to consider running, Petit said his "clear priority" is spending time with his new wife and 10-week-old son.
"I feel particularly blessed to be able to devote my time to them and to continue to volunteer for the Petit Family Foundation at this stage of my life," he wrote.
Petit told reporters in November he was "50-50" on running. The district is represented by Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Esty.
Petit was the only survivor of the hostage ordeal in which his wife and two daughters were killed inside his home in Cheshire.
The family was held hostage for hours by two paroled burglars and their home set on fire. Petit was beaten, tied up and taken to the basement, but he managed to escape and crawl to a neighbor's house for help.
Petit's wife was taken to a bank to withdraw money, then was raped and strangled back at the house. Their daughters were tied to their beds and died of smoke inhalation after the house was doused in gasoline and set on fire.
Steven Hayes, 50, and Joshua Komisarjevsky, 33, were sentenced to death for the killings.
Petit has never held elected office, but he was deeply involved in campaigning against the repeal of Connecticut's death penalty.
"I have always felt it is a great responsibility and privilege in a democracy to run for public office, and that those who care about good government need to be willing to get involved," Petit said.
Petit was considered a formidable candidate if he ran and the seat is one where Republicans would have a chance to break Democrats' lock on the state's congressional delegation.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Cisco CEO Chambers Files to Sell Shares
Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers has adopted a plan to sell a combined 2.8 million shares of the company's shares by mid 2014 in a pre-arranged plan, according to a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Chambers will sell 1.3 million shares awarded under a plan approved in 2005 and another 1.5 million shares from other holdings. The shares terminate in September 2014. As of Friday's closing price of $19.96 a share, the shares would be worth $56 million. Cisco shares fell Friday by more than 1 percent, but have risen by more than 10 percent this year.


text:
YARMOUTH, Maine—Military installations and college campuses are the two verticals best known for having mass notification systems. However, as that facet of the industry develops and grows, mass notification increasingly is in demand by a more diverse market that includes everything from an ice cream plant to K-12 schools, according to industry experts.
BUFFALO, N.Y.—Great Lakes Building Systems saw revenues increase by about 30 percent in 2011 over 2010, added five employees and is planning to open a third office this year, company president John Wojdan told Security Systems News.
NORTHFORD, Conn.—Before Sept. 11, 2001, few people saw the need for a comprehensive emergency communications system, according to Peter Ebersold, marketing director for Notifier by Honeywell.
BUFFALO, N.Y.—Being ahead of the mass notification curve has paid off for Great Lakes Building Systems, helping it win contracts worth about $850,000, according to company president John Wojdan.
© 2020 United Publications ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


text:
Zen buddhism
|Chinese name
|Traditional Chinese
|Simplified Chinese
|Vietnamese name
|Korean name
|Japanese name
|Sanskrit name
|Part of a series on
|Zen Buddhism
Main articles
Chán in China
Zen in Japan
Seon in Korea
Zen in the USACategory: Zen Buddhists
Related schools
|Part of a series on
|Mahāyāna Buddhism
Mahāyāna schools
|Mahayana Buddhism portal
|Part of a series on
Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism[note 1] that developed in China during the 6th century as Chán. From China, Zen spread south to Vietnam, northeast to Korea and east to Japan.[2]
The word Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese word 禪 (dʑjen) (pinyin: Chán), which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna,[3] which can be approximately translated as "absorption" or "meditative state".[4]
Zen emphasizes insight into Buddha-nature and the personal expression of this insight in daily life, especially for the benefit of others.[5][6] As such, it deemphasizes mere knowledge of sutras and doctrine[7][8] and favors direct understanding through zazen and interaction with an accomplished teacher.[9]
The teachings of Zen include various sources of Mahāyāna thought, especially Yogācāra, the Tathāgatagarbha Sutras and Huayan, with their emphasis on Buddha-nature, totality, and the Bodhisattva-ideal.[10][11] The Prajñāpāramitā literature[12] and, to a lesser extent, Madhyamaka have also been influential.
1 Chinese Chán
- 1.1 Periodisation
- 1.2 Origins and Taoist influences (c. 200-500)
- 1.3 Legendary or Proto-Chán - Six Patriarchs (c. 500-600)
- 1.4 Early Chán - Tang Dynasty (c. 600–900)
- 1.5 Classical or Middle Chán (c. 750-1000)
- 1.6 Literary Chán - Song Dynasty (c. 960–1300)
- 1.7 Post-Classical Chán (c. 1300 till present)
- 2 Spread of Chán
- 3 Zen teachings
- 4 Zen practice
- 5 Zen scripture
- 6 Zen organisation and institutions
- 7 Zen narratives
- 8 See also
- 9 Notes
- 10 References
- 11 Sources
- 12 Further reading
- 13 External links
Chinese Chán
The history of Chán in China can be divided in several periods. Zen as we know it today is the result of a long history, with many changes and contingent factors. Each period had different types of Zen, some of which remained influential while others vanished.[13][14]
Ferguson distinguishes three periods from the 5th century into the 13th century:
- The Legendary period, from Bodhidharma in the late 5th century to the An Lushan Rebellion around 765 CE, in the middle of the Tang Dynasty. Little written information is left from this period.[15] It is the time of the Six Patriarchs, including Bodhidharma and Huineng, and the legendary "split" between the Northern and the Southern School of Chán.[13]
- The Classical period, from the end of the An Lushan Rebellion around 765 CE to the beginning of the Song Dynasty around 950 CE.[15] This is the time of the great masters of Chán, such as Mazu Daoyi and Linji Yixuan, and the creation of the yü-lü genre, the recordings of the sayings and teachings of these great masters
- The Literary period, from around 950 to 1250,[15] which spans the era of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). In this time the gongan-collections were compiled, collections of sayings and deeds by the famous masters, appended with poetry and commentary. This genre reflects the influence of literati on the development of Chán. This period idealized the previous period as the "golden age" of Chán, producing the literature in which the spontaneity of the celebrated masters was portrayed.
Although McRae has reservations about the division of Chán-history in phases or periods,[16] he nevertheless distinguishes four phases in the history of Chán:[17]
- Proto-Chán (c. 500-600) (Southern and Northern Dynasties (420 to 589) and Sui Dynasty (589–618 CE)). In this phase, Chán developed in multiple locations in northern China. It was based on the practice of dhyana, and is connected to the figures of Bodhidharma and Huike. Its principal text is the Two Entrances and Four Practices, attributed to Bodhidharma.[18]
- Early Chán (c. 600-900) (Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE)). In this phase Chán took its first clear contours. Prime figures are the fifth patriarch Daman Hongren (601–674), his dharma-heir Yuquan Shenxiu (606?-706), the sixth patriarch Huineng (638–713), antagonist of the quintessential Platform Sutra, and Shenhui (670-762), whose propaganda elevated Huineng to the status of sixth patriarch. Prime factions are the Northern School, Southern School and Oxhead School.[19]
- Middle Chán (c. 750-1000) (from An Lushan Rebellion (755-763) till Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–960/979)). In this phase developed the well-known Chán of the iconoclastic zen-masters. Prime figures are Mazu Daoyi (709–788), Shitou Xiqian (710-790), Linji Yixuan (died 867), and Xuefeng Yicun (822-908). Prime factions are the Hongzhou school and the Hubei faction[note 2] An important text is the Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall (952), which gives a great amount of "encounter-stories", and the well-known genealogy of the Chán-school.[22]
- Song Dynasty Chán (c. 950-1300). In this phase Chán took its definitive shape, including the picture of the "golden age" of the Chán of the Tang-Dynasty, and the use of koans for individual study and meditation. Prime figures are Dahui Zonggao (1089–1163), who introduced the Hua Tou practice, and Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091-1157), who emphasized Shikantaza. Prime factions are the Linji school and the Caodong school. The classic koan-collections, such as the Blue Cliff Record were assembled in this period,[23] which reflect the influence of the "literati" on the development of Chán.[24][25] In this phase Chán is transported to Japan, and exerts a great influence on Korean Seon via Jinul.
Neither Ferguson nor McRae give a periodisation for Chinese Chán following the Song-dynasty, though McRae mentions
Origins and Taoist influences (c. 200-500)
When Buddhism came to China from India, it was initially adapted to the Chinese culture and understanding. Buddhism was exposed to Confucianist[28] and Taoist[29][30][31] influences. Goddard quotes D.T. Suzuki,[note 4] calling Chán a "natural evolution of Buddhism under Taoist conditions."[32] Buddhism was first identified to be "a barbarian variant of Taoism":[31]
Judging from the reception by the Han of the Hinayana works and from the early commentaries, it appears that Buddhism was being perceived and digested through the medium of religious Daoism (Taoism). Buddha was seen as a foreign immortal who had achieved some form of Daoist nondeath. The Buddhists' mindfulness of the breath was regarded as an extension of Daoist breathing exercises.[33]
Taoist terminology was used to express Buddhist doctrines in the oldest translations of Buddhist texts,[31] a practice termed ko-i, "matching the concepts",[34] while the emerging Chinese Buddhism had to compete with Taoism and Confucianism.[28]
The first Buddhist recruits in China were Taoists.[31] They developed high esteem for the newly introduced Buddhist meditational techniques,[35] and blended them with Taoist meditation.[36] Representatives of early Chinese Buddhism like Sengzhao and Tao Sheng were deeply influenced by the Taoist keystone works of Laozi and Zhuangzi.[37] Against this background, especially the Taoist concept of naturalness was inherited by the early Chán disciples:[38] they equated - to some extent - the ineffable Tao and Buddha-nature,[39] and thus, rather than feeling bound to the abstract "wisdom of the sūtras", emphasized Buddha-nature to be found in "everyday" human life, just as the Tao.[39]
In addition to Taoist ideas, also Neo-Taoist concepts were taken over in Chinese Buddhism.[34] Concepts such as "T'i -yung" (Essence and Function) and "Li-shih" (Noumenon and Phenomenon) were first taken over by Hua-yen Buddhism,[34] which consequently influenced Chán deeply.[40] On the other hand, Taoists at first misunderstood sunyata to be akin to the Taoist non-being.[41]
Legendary or Proto-Chán - Six Patriarchs (c. 500-600)
Traditionally the origin of Chán in China is credited to Bodhidharma, an Iranian language speaking Central Asian monk[42] or an Indian monk.[43] The story of his life, and of the Six Patriarchs, was constructed during the Tang Dynasty to lend credibility to the growing Chán-school.[13]
Bodhidharma is recorded as having come into China from the Greco-Buddhist tradition of Central Asia[44] (see Silk Road transmission of Buddhism), or from India[45] during the time of Southern and Northern Dynasties to teach a "special transmission outside scriptures" which "did not stand upon words".[46] Throughout Buddhist art, Bodhidharma is depicted as a rather ill-tempered, profusely bearded and wide-eyed barbarian. He is referred as "The Blue-Eyed Barbarian" (碧眼胡:Bìyǎn hú) in Chinese Chan texts.[47] Only scarce historical information is available about him, but his hagiography developed when the Chan tradition grew stronger and gained prominence in the early 8th century. By this time a lineage of the six ancestral founders of Chán in China was developed.[48] The short text Two Entrances and Four Acts, written by T'an-lín (曇林; 506–574), contains teachings which are attributed to Bodhidharma. The text is known from the Dunhuang-manuscripts.
The actual origins of Chán may lie in ascetic practitioners of Buddhism, who found refuge in forests and mountains.[49] Huike, "a dhuta (extreme ascetic) who schooled others",[49] figures in the stories about Bodhidharma. Huike is regarded as the second Chán patriarch, appointed by Bodhidharma to succeed him. One of Huike's students, Sengcan, to whom is ascribed the Xinxin Ming, is regarded as the third patriarch.
Early Chán - Tang Dynasty (c. 600–900)
The link between Huike and Sengcan, and the fourth patriarch Daoxin (道信 580–651), "is far from clear and remains tenuous".[49] With Daoxin and his successor, the fifth patriarch Hongren (弘忍 601–674), there emerged a new style of teaching. A large group of students gathered at a permanent residence, and extreme ascetism became outdated.[49] The period of Daoxin and Hongren came to be called the East Mountain Teaching, due to the location of the residence of Hongren at Huamgmei. Hui-neng, a minor student of Hongren, came to be regarded as the Sixth Patriarch, due to the influence of his student Shenhui.[50][13]
The term "East Mountain Teaching" was used by Shenxiu (神秀 606?-706), the most important successor to Hongren. In 701 he was invited to the Imperial Court by Empress Wu, who paid him imperial reverence. This gave his school the support and the legitimation of the imperial court.[51]
But the Chán-tradition depicts another student of Hongren, Huineng (惠能; 638–713), as the sixth and last patriarch, due to the influence of Shenhui, a successor to Huineng. The dramatic story of Huineng's life, as narrated in the Platform Sutra, tells that there was a contest for the transmission of the title of patriarch. After being chosen by Hongren, the fifth patriarch, Huineng had to flee by night to Nanhua Temple in the south to avoid the wrath of Hongren's jealous senior disciples.
Historic research reveals that this story was created around the middle of the 8th century, beginning in 731 by Shenhui, a successor to Huineng, to win influence at the Imperial Court. He claimed Huineng to be the successor of Hongren's, instead of the then publicly recognized successor Shenxiu. Shenxiu's Northern School was denigrated as "gradual", in opposition to the self-acclaimed "sudden" approach of Shenhui's Southern School. Shenhui's story was so influential that all surviving schools regard Huineng as their ancestor. [13][50]
Classical or Middle Chán (c. 750-1000)
An Lushan Rebellion (755-763) till end of Tang Dynasty (907)
The An Lushan Rebellion (755-763) led to a loss of control by the Tang-dynasty, and changed the Chan scene again. Metropolitan Chan began to lose its status, while "other schools were arising in out-lying areas controlled by warlords. These are the forerunners of the Chan we know today."[52]
The most important of these schools is the Hongzhou school (洪州宗) of Mazu, to which also belong Shitou, Baizhang, Huangbo and Linji. This school became the archetypal expression of Zen, with its emphasis on the personal expression of insight, and its rejection of positive statements of this insight.[49] Shitou is regarded as the Patriarch of Caodong (Jp. Sōtō), while Linji is regarded as the founder of Rinzai-Zen.
During the Song Dynasty, when Chán was favoured by the imperial court and became the largest Buddhist school in China,[13] the period of the Tang Dynasty came to be regarded as the "golden age" of Chan. This proliferation is described in a famous saying:
Look at the territory of the house of Tang —
The whole of it is the realm of the Chán school.[53]
During 845-846 Emperor Wuzong persecuted the Buddhist schools in China.[54] This persecution was devastating for metropolitan Chan, but the Chan school of Ma-tsu and his likes survived, and took a leading role in the Chan of the later Tang.[54]
This surviving rural Chan developed into the Five Houses of Chán (Ch. 五家) of Zen, or five "schools". These were not originally regarded as "schools" or "sects", but historically they have come to be understood that way. Most Zen lineages throughout Asia and the rest of the world originally grew from or were heavily influenced by the original five houses of Zen.
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907–960/979)
After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, China was without effective central control during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. China was divided into several autonomous regions. Support for Buddhism was limited to a few areas. The Hua-yen and T'ient-tai schools suffered from the changing circumstances, since they had depended on imperial support. The collapse of T'ang society also deprived the aristocratic classes of wealth and influence, which meant a further drawback for Buddhism. Shenxiu's Northern School and Henshui's Southern School didn't survive the changing circumstances. Nevertheless, chán emerged as the dominant stream within Chinese Buddhism, but with various schools developing various emphases in their teachings, due to the regional orientation of the period. The Fayan school, named after Fa-yen Wen-i (885-958) became the dominant school in the southern kingdoms of Nan-T'ang (Jiangxi, Chiang-hsi) and Wuyue (Che-chiang).[55]
Literary Chán - Song Dynasty (c. 960–1300)
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period was followed by the Song Dynasty, which established a strong central government. During the Song Dynasty, Chán (禪) was used by the government to strengthen its control over the country, and Chán grew to become the largest sect in Chinese Buddhism. An ideal picture of the Chán of the Tang period was produced, which served the legacy of this newly acquired status.[56] With the establishment of the Wu-shan (Gozan) system during the Southern Sung, the Chinese bureaucratic system entered into Zen temples throughout the country, and a highly organized system of temple rank and administration developed.[57]
The Linji school became the dominant school within Chán, due to support from literati and the court.[58] Before the Song Dynasty, the Linji-school is rather obscure, and very little is known about its early history.[50] The first mention of Linji is in the Zutang ji, compiled in 952, 86 years after Linji's death.[58] But the Zutang ji pictures the Xuefeng Yicun lineage as heir to the legacy of Mazu and the Hongzhou-school.[58] According to Welter, the real founder of the Linji-school was Shoushan (or Baoying) Shengnian (首山省念)(926-993), a fourth generation dharma-heir of Linji. The Tiansheng Guangdeng lu (天聖廣燈錄), "Tiansheng Era Expanded Lamp Record", compiled by the official Li Zunxu (李遵勗)(988-1038) confirms the status of Shoushan Shengnian, but also pictures Linji as a major Chan patriarch and heir to the Mazu, displacing the prominence of the Fayan-lineage.[58] It also established the slogan of "a special transmission outside the teaching", supporting the Linji-school claim of "Chan as separate from and superior to all other Buddhist teachings".[59]
During the 12th century, a clear difference between the Linji and the Caodong schools emerged. The two schools were competing for support of the literati, who became more powerful when the Song-government started to limit her influence on society. Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091-1157) of the Caodong-school emphasized silent illumination or shikantaza as a means for solitary practice, which could be undertaken by lay-followers. Dahui Zonggao (1089–1163) introduced k'an-hua practice, "observing the word-head", as a means of solitary practice.[60]
During the Song, both schools were exported to Japan, were they eventually became two clearly distinguished schools or "sects".
Post-Classical Chán (c. 1300 till present)
This was different from China, where the Buddhist schools tended to coalesce into a syncretic Chinese Buddhist school.
Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)
The Yuan Dynasty was the empire established by Kublai Khan, the leader of Mongolian Borjigin clan, after Mongol conquered the Jin and the Southern Song Dynasty in China. Chán-teachings started to be mixed with Pure Land teachings, as in the teachings of Zhongfeng Mingben (1263-1323).
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
Chán Buddhism enjoyed something of a revival in the Ming Dynasty with teachers such as Hanshan Deqing (憨山德清), who wrote and taught extensively on both Chán and Pure Land Buddhism; Miyun Yuanwu (密雲圓悟), who came to be seen posthumously as the first patriarch of the Ōbaku Zen school; as well as Yunqi Zhuhong (雲棲祩宏) and Ouyi Zhixu (蕅益智旭).
Chán was taught alongside Pure Land Buddhism in many Chinese Buddhist monasteries. In time much of the distinction between them was lost, and many masters taught both Chán and Pure Land.[61]
With the downfall of the Ming Dynasty several Chinese Chán-masters fled to Japan, founding the Ōbaku school.[62]
Qing Dynasty (1644-1912)
The Qing Dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China.
In the beginning of the Qing Dynasty Chán was "reinvented", by the "revival of beating and shouting practices" by Miyun Yuanwu (1566–1642), and the publication of the Wudeng yantong ("The strict transmission of the five Chan schools") by Feiyin Tongrong's (1593–1662), a dharma heir of Miyun Yuanwu. The book placed self-proclaimed Chan monks without proper Dharma transmission in the category of "lineage unknown" (sifa weixiang), thereby excluding several prominent Caodong-monks.[63]
Modern times
After further centuries of decline during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912), Chán was revived again in the early 20th century by Hsu Yun (虛雲) (1840-1959), a well-known figure of 20th-century Chinese Buddhism. Many Chán teachers today trace their lineage back to Hsu Yun, including Sheng-yen (聖嚴) and Hsuan Hua (宣化), who have propagated Chán in the West where it has grown steadily through the 20th and 21st centuries.
Chán was repressed in China during the 1960s in the Cultural Revolution, but subsequently had been re-asserting itself on the mainland, and has a significant following in Taiwan and Hong Kong as well as among Overseas Chinese.
Spread of Chán
Thiền in Vietnam
According to traditional accounts of Vietnam, in 580 an Indian monk named Vinitaruci (Vietnamese: Tì-ni-đa-lưu-chi) travelled to Vietnam after completing his studies with Sengcan, the third patriarch of Chinese Chán. This, then, would be the first appearance of Vietnamese Thiền Buddhism. Other early Vietnamese Chán schools included the Vô Ngôn Thông, which was associated with the teaching of Mazu, and the Thảo Đường, which incorporated nianfo chanting techniques; both were founded by Chinese monks.
Seon in Korea
Seon was gradually transmitted into Korea during the late Silla period (7th through 9th centuries) as Korean monks of predominantly Hwaeom (華嚴) and Consciousness-only (唯識) background began to travel to China to learn the newly developing tradition. Seon received its most significant impetus and consolidation from the Goryeo monk Jinul (知訥) (1158–1210), who established a reform movement and introduced koan practice to Korea. Jinul established the Songgwangsa (松廣寺) as a new center of pure practice.
Zen in Japan
Zen was not introduced as a separate school until the 12th century, when Myōan Eisai traveled to China and returned to establish a Linji lineage, which eventually perished.[web 1] Decades later, Nanpo Shōmyō (南浦紹明) (1235–1308) also studied Linji teachings in China before founding the Japanese Otokan lineage, the most influential and only surviving lineage of Rinzai in Japan.[web 1] In 1215, Dōgen, a younger contemporary of Eisai's, journeyed to China himself, where he became a disciple of the Caodong master Tiantong Rujing. After his return, Dōgen established the Sōtō school, the Japanese branch of Caodong.
The three traditional schools of Zen in contemporary Japan are the Sōtō (曹洞), Rinzai (臨済), and Ōbaku (黃檗). Of these, Sōtō is the largest, Rinzai is middle, and Ōbaku the smallest. These are further divided into subschools by head temple, with 2 head temples for Sōtō (Sōji-ji and Eihei-ji, with Sōji-ji having a much larger network), 14 head temples for Rinzai, and 1 head temple (Manpuku-ji) for Ōbaku, for a total of 17 head temples. The Rinzai head temples, which are most numerous, have substantial overlap with the traditional Five Mountain System, and include Myoshin-ji, Nanzen-ji, Tenryū-ji, Daitoku-ji, and Tofuku-ji, among others.
Besides these traditional organizations, there are modern Zen organisations which have especially attracted Western lay followers, namely the Sanbo Kyodan and the FAS Society.
Zen in the Western world
Although it is difficult to trace when the West first became aware of Zen as a distinct form of Buddhism, the visit of Soyen Shaku, a Japanese Zen monk, to Chicago during the World Parliament of Religions in 1893 is often pointed to as an event that enhanced its profile in the Western world. It was during the late 1950s and the early 1960s that the number of Westerners, other than the descendants of Asian immigrants, pursuing a serious interest in Zen began to reach a significant level. Especially Japanese Zen has gained popularity in the West. The various books on Zen by Reginald Horace Blyth, Alan Watts, Philip Kapleau and D. T. Suzuki published between 1950 and 1975, contributed to this growing interest in Zen in the West, as did the interest from beat poets such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder.[64]
Zen teachings
Though Zen-narrative states that it is a "special transmission outside scriptures" which "did not stand upon words",[46] Zen does have a rich doctrinal background. Most essential are "the most fundamental teaching [...] that we are already originally enlightened",[65] and the Bodhisattva ideal, which supplements insight with Karuṇā, compassion with all sentient beings.[66]
To point out 'essential Zen-teachings' is almost impossible, given the variety of schools, the extended history of 1500 years, and the emphasis on suchness, reality just-as-it-is, which has to be expressed in daily life, not in words. But common to most schools and teachings is this emphasis on suchness and Buddha-nature, the Bodhisattva-ideal, and the priority of zazen.
Zen teachings can be likened to "the finger pointing at the moon".[67] Zen teachings point to the moon, awakening, "a realization of the unimpeded interpenetration of the dharmadhatu".[68] But the Zen-tradition also warns against taking its teachings, the pointing finger, to be this insight itself.[69][web 2][web 3][70]
The various traditions lay various emphases in their teachings and practices:
There are two different ways of understanding and actually practicing Zen. These two different ways are termed in Chinese pen chueh and shih-chueh respectively. The term pen chueh refers to the belief that one's mind is from the beginning of time fully enlightened, while shih-chueh refers to the belief that at some point in time we pass from imprisonment in ignorance and delusion to a true vision of Zen realization: "Our enlightenment is timeless, yet our realization of it occurs in time." According to this belief experiencing a moment of awakening in this life is of central importance.[71]
The Rinzai-tradition emphasizes kensho, insight into one's true nature.[72] This is followed by so-called post-satori practice, further practice to attain Buddhahood.[73][74][75]
Other Zen-teachers have also expressed sudden insight followed by gradual cultivation. Chinul, a 12th-century Korean Seon master, followed Zongmi, and also emphasized that insight into our true nature is sudden, but is to be followed by practice to ripen the insight and attain full Buddhahood. This is also the standpoint of the contemporary Sanbo Kyodan, according to whom kensho is at the start of the path to full enlightenment.[76]
To attain this primary insight and to deepen it, zazen and kōan-study is deemed essential. This trajectory of initial insight followed by a gradual deepening and ripening is expressed by Linji in his Three mysterious Gates, and the Four Ways of Knowing of Hakuin.[66] Another example of depiction of stages on the path are the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures which detail the steps on the Path.
The Sōtō-school has de-emphasized kōans since Gentō Sokuchū (circa 1800), and instead emphasized shikantaza.[77] Dogen, the founder of Soto in Japan, emphasised that practice and awakening cannot be separated. By practicing shikantaza, attainment and Buddhahood are already being expressed.[78] For Dogen, zazen, or shikantaza, is the essence of Buddhist practice.[79]
Gradual cultivation is also recognized by the Caodong-teacher Tozan. The first syllable of his name is part of the word "Soto".[web 4]
Sanbo Kyodan
The Sanbo Kyodan combines Soto and Rinzai teachings.[76][80] It is a Japanese lay organization, which is highly influential in the West through the work of Hakuun Yasutani, Philip Kapleau, Yamada Koun, and Taizan Maezumi. Yasutani mentions three goals of Zen: development of concentration (joriki), awakening (kensho-godo), and realization of Zen in daily life (mujodo no taigen).[76] Kensho is stressed,[80] but also post-satori practice.[81] Yasutani discerns five kinds of Zen:[76]
- Bompu Zen: aimed at bodily and mental health
- Gedo Zen:, practices like dhyana, Yoga and Christian contemplation which are akin to Zen, but not Buddhist
- Shojo Zen: the Hinayana, aimed at one's own liberation
- Daijo Zen: the Mahayana, aimed at attaining kensho and the realisation of Zen in daily life
- Saijojo Zen: in which practice is enlightenment
Zen practice
Zen meditation
Central to Zen-practice is dhyana or meditation. The Zen tradition holds that in meditation practice, notions of doctrine and teachings necessitate the creation of various notions and appearances (Skt. saṃjñā; Ch. 相, xiāng) that obscure the transcendent wisdom of each being's Buddha-nature. This process of rediscovery goes under various terms such as "introspection", "a backward step", "turning-about" or "turning the eye inward".
Observing the breath
During sitting meditation, practitioners usually assume a position such as the lotus position, half-lotus, Burmese, or seiza postures, using the dhyāna mudrā. To regulate the mind, awareness is directed towards counting or watching the breath or put in the energy center below the navel (see also anapanasati).[web 5] Often, a square or round cushion placed on a padded mat is used to sit on; in some other cases, a chair may be used. This practice may simply be called sitting dhyāna, which is zuòchán (坐禅) in Chinese, and zazen (坐禅) in Japanese.
Observing the mind
In the Soto school of Zen, meditation with no objects, anchors, or content, is the primary form of practice. The meditator strives to be aware of the stream of thoughts, allowing them to arise and pass away without interference. Considerable textual, philosophical, and phenomenological justification of this practice can be found throughout Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō, as for example in the "Principles of Zazen"[web 6] and the "Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen".[web 7] In the Japanese language, this practice is called Shikantaza.
Intensive group meditation
Intensive group meditation may be practiced occasionally in some temples. In the Japanese language, this practice is called Sesshin. While the daily routine may require monks to meditate for several hours each day, during the intensive period they devote themselves almost exclusively to the practice of sitting meditation. The numerous 30–50 minute long meditation periods are interleaved with short rest breaks, meals, and sometimes, short periods of work should be performed with the same mindfulness; nightly sleep is kept to seven hours or less. In modern Buddhist practice in Japan, Taiwan, and the West, lay students often attend these intensive practice sessions, which are typically 1, 3, 5, or 7 days in length. These are held at many Zen centers, especially in commemoration of the Buddha's attainment of Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi. One distinctive aspect of Zen meditation in groups is the use of a kyosaku - a flat wooden slat used to keep meditators focused and awake.
Kōan practice
At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, practice with the kōan method became popular, whereas others practiced "silent illumination."[82] This became the source of some differences in practice between the Linji and Caodong traditions.
A kōan, literally "public case", is a story or dialogue, describing an interaction between a Zen master and a student. These anecdotes give a demonstration of the master's insight. Koans emphasize the non-conceptional insight that the Buddhist teachings are pointing to. Koans can be used to provoke the "great doubt", and test a student's progress in Zen practice.
Kōan-inquiry may be practiced during sitting meditation (zazen), walking meditation (kinhin), and throughout all the activities of daily life. Kōan practice is particularly emphasized by the Japanese Rinzai school, but it also occurs in other schools or branches of Zen depending on the teaching line.[83]
The Zen student's mastery of a given kōan is presented to the teacher in a private interview (referred to in Japanese as dokusan (独参), daisan (代参), or sanzen (参禅)). While there is no unique answer to a kōan, practitioners are expected to demonstrate their understanding of the kōan and of Zen through their responses. The teacher may approve or disapprove of the answer and guide the student in the right direction. The interaction with a Zen-teacher is central in Zen, but makes Zen-practice, at least in the west, also vulnerable to misunderstanding and exploitation.[84]
Zen chanting and liturgy
A practice in many Zen monasteries and centers is a daily liturgy service. Practitioners chant major sutras such as the Heart Sutra, chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra (often called the "Avalokiteshvara Sutra"), the Song of the Jewel Mirror Awareness, the Great Compassionate Heart Dharani (Daihishin Dharani), and other minor mantras.
The Butsudan is the altar in a monastery where offerings are made to the images of the Buddha or Bodhisattvas. The same term is also used in Japanese homes for the altar where one prays to and communicates with deceased family members. As such, reciting liturgy in Zen can be seen as a means to connect with the Bodhisattvas of the past. Liturgy is often used during funerals, memorials, and other special events as means to invoke the aid of supernatural powers.
Chanting usually centers on major Bodhisattvas like Avalokiteshvara (see also Guan Yin) and Manjusri. According to Mahayana Buddhism, Bodhisattvas are beings who have taken vows to remain in Samsara to help all beings achieve liberation from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Since the Zen practitioner's aim is to walk the Bodhisattva path, chanting can be used as a means to connect with these beings and realize this ideal within oneself.
Lay services
Though in western Zen the emphasis is on zen-meditation, and the application of Zen-teachings in daily life, Japanese Zen also serves a function in public religion. Funerals play an important role as a point of contact between the monks and the laity. Statistics published by the Sōtō school state that 80 percent of Sōtō laymen visit their temple only for reasons having to do with funerals and death, while only 17 percent visit for spiritual reasons and a mere 3 percent visit a Zen priest at a time of personal trouble or crisis.[85]
Zen scripture
The role of scripture in Zen
Contrary to the popular image, literature does play a role in the Zen-training. Zen is deeply rooted in the teachings and doctrines of Mahāyāna Buddhism.[86] Unsui, Zen-monks, "are expected to become familiar with the classics of the Zen canon".[87] A review of the early historical documents and literature of early Zen masters clearly reveals that they were well versed in numerous Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtras.[7][note 5][note 6][7][note 7]
Nevertheless Zen is often pictured as anti-intellectual.[86] This picture of Zen emerged during the Song Dynasty (960–1297), when Chán became the dominant form of Buddhism in China, and gained great popularity among the educated and literary classes of Chinese society. The use of koans, which are highly stylized literary texts, reflects this popularity among the higher classes.[13] The famous saying "do not establish words and letters", attributed in this period to Bodhidharma,[25]
...was taken not as a denial of the recorded words of the Buddha or the doctrinal elaborations by learned monks, but as a warning to those who had become confused about the relationship between Buddhist teaching as a guide to the truth and mistook it for the truth itself.[90]
What the Zen tradition emphasizes is that enlightenment of the Buddha came not through conceptualization, but rather through direct insight.[91] But direct insight has to be supported by study and understanding (hori[92]) of the Buddhist teachings and texts.[93][note 8] Intellectual understanding without practice is called yako-zen, "wild fox Zen", but "one who has only experience without intellectual understanding is a zen temma, "Zen devil"".[95]
Grounding Chán in scripture
The early Buddhist schools in China were each based on a specific sutra. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, by the time of the Fifth Patriarch Hongren (601–674), the Zen school became established as a separate school of Buddhism.[96] It had to develop a doctrinal tradition of its own to ascertain its position,[13] and to ground its teachings in a specific sutra. Various sutra's were used for this, even before the time of Hongren: the Śrīmālādevī Sūtra (Huike),[97] Awakening of Faith (Daoxin),[97] the Lankavatara Sutra (East Mountain School),[97][7] the Diamond Sutra[98] (Shenhui),[97] the Platform Sutra.[7][98] Subsequently, the Zen tradition produced a rich corpus of written literature which has become a part of its practice and teaching. Other influential sutras are the Vimalakirti Sutra,[99][100][101] Avatamsaka Sutra,[40] the Shurangama Sutra,[102] and the Mahaparinirvana Sutra.[33]
Zen literature
The Zen-tradition developed a rich textual tradition, based on the interpretation of the Buddhist teachings and the recorded sayings of Zen-masters. Important texts are the Platform Sutra (8th century), attributed to Huineng ;[13] the Chán transmission records, teng-lu,[103] such as The Records of the Transmission of the Lamp (Ching-te ch'uan-teng lu), compiled by Tao-yün and published in 1004;[104] the "yü-lü" genre[105] consisting of the recorded sayings of the masters, and the encounter dialogues; the koan-collections, such as the "Gateless Gate" and the "Blue Cliff Record". 'and Dogen's Shobogenzo.
Zen organisation and institutions
Religion is not only an individual matter, but "also a collective endeavour".[106] Though individual experience[107] and the iconoclastic picture of Zen[108] are emphasised in the western world, the Zen-tradition is maintained and transferred by a high degree of institutionalisation and hierarchy.[109][110] In Japan, modernity has led to criticism of the formal system and the commensement of lay-oriented Zen-schools such as the Sanbo Kyodan[80] and the Ningen Zen Kyodan.[web 8] How to organize the continuity of the Zen-tradition in the west, constraining charismatic authority and the derailment it may bring on the one hand,[111][112][84] and maintaining the legitimacy and authority by limiting the number of authorized teachers on the other hand,[106] is a challenge for the developing Zen-communities in the west.
Zen narratives
The Chán of the Tang Dynasty, especially that of Mazu and Linji with its emphasis on "shock techniques", in retrospect was seen as a golden age of Chán.[13] This picture has gained great popularity in the west in the 20th century, especially due to the influence of D.T. Suzuki,[27] and further popularized by Hakuun Yasutani and the Sanbo Kyodan.[107] This picture has been challenged, and complemented, since the 1970s by modern scientific research on Zen.[113][114][13][115][116][117]
Modern scientific research on the history of Zen discerns three main narratives concerning Zen, its history and its teachings: Traditional Zen Narrative (TZN),[118][web 9] Buddhist Modernism (BM),[27] Historical and Cultural Criticism (HCC).[118] An external narrative is Nondualism, which claims Zen to be a token of a universal nondualist essence of religions.[119][120]
See also
- ^ Dumoulin writes in his preface to Zen. A History. Part One: India and China: "Zen (Chin. Ch'an, an abbreviation of ch'an-na, which transliterates the Sanskrit Dhyāna (Devanagari: ध्यान) or its Pali cognate Jhāna (Sanskrit; Pāli झान) , terms meaning "meditation") is the name of a Mahayana Buddhist school of meditation originating from India and passed to China. It is characterized by the practice of meditation in the lotus position (Jpn., zazen; Chin., tso-ch'an and the use of the koan (Chin., kung-an), as well as by the enlightenment experience of satori[1]
- ^ McRae gives no further information on this "Hubei faction". It may be the continuation of Shenxiu's "Northern School". See Nadeau 2012 p.89.[20] Hebei was also the place where the Linji branch of chán arose.[21]
- ^ During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) Chán was part of a larger, syncretic Buddhist culture. A final phase can be distinguished from the 19th century onward, when western imperialism had a growing influence in South-East Asia, including China. A side effect of this imperial influence was the modernisation of Asian religions, adapting them to western ideas and rhetorical strategies.[27]
- ^ Godard did not provide a source for this quote.
- ^ Sasaki's translation of the Linji yulu contains an extensive biography of 62 pages, listing influential Chinese Buddhist texts which played a role in Song dynasty Chán.[88]
- ^ Albert Low: "It is evident that the masters were well versed in the sutras. Zen master Tokusan, for example, knew the Diamond Sutra well and, before meeting with his own Zen master, lectured upon it extensively; the founder of the Zen sect, Bodhidharma, the very one who preached selfrealization outside the scriptures, nevertheless advocated the Lankavatara Sutra; Zen master Hogen knew the Avatamsaka Sutra well, and koan twenty-six in the Mumonkan, in which Hogen is involved, comes out of the teaching of that sutra. Other koans, too, make reference directly or indirectly to the sutras. The autobiography of yet another Zen master, Hui Neng, subsequently became the Platform Sutra, one of those sutras so condemned by those who reject intellectual and sutra studies"[89]
- ^ Poceski: "Direct references to specific scriptures are relatively rare in the records of Mazu and his disciples, but that does not mean that they rejected the canon or repudiated its authority. To the contrary, one of the striking features of their records is that they are filled with scriptural quotations and allusions, even though the full extend of their usage of canonical sources is not immediately obvious and its discernment requires familiarity with Buddhist literature." See source for a full-length example from "one of Mazu's sermons", in which can be found references to the Vimalakīrti Scripture, the Huayan Scripture, the Mahāsamnipata-sūtra, the Foshuo Foming Scripture 佛說佛名經, the Lankāvatāra scripture and the Faju jing.[7]
- ^ Hakuin goes as far as to state that the buddhat path even starts with study: "[A] person [...] must first gain wide-ranging knowledge, accumulate a treasure-store of wisdom by studying all the Buddhist sutras and commentaries, reading through all the classic works Buddhist and nonBuddhist and perusing the writings of the wise men of other traditions. It is for that reason the vow states "the Dharma teachings are infinite, I vow to study them all.""[94]
- ^ Dumoulin-A 2005, p. xvii.
- ^ Harvey 1995, p. 159–169.
- ^ Dumoulin 2005-A, p. xvii.
- ^ Kasulis 2003, p. 24.
- ^ Yoshizawa 2010, p. 41.
- ^ Sekida 1989.
- ^ a b c d e f Poceski Year unknown.
- ^ Borup 2008, p. 8.
- ^ Yampolski 2003-A, p. 3.
- ^ Dumoulin 2005-A, p. 48.
- ^ Lievens 1981, p. 52–53.
- ^ Dumoulin 2005-A, p. 41–45.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k McRae 2003.
- ^ Ferguson 2000.
- ^ a b c Ferguson 2000, p. 3.
- ^ McRae 2003, p. 11-15.
- ^ McRae 2003, p. 11-21.
- ^ McRae 2003, p. 13, 15-17.
- ^ McRae 2003, p. 13, 17-18.
- ^ Nadeau 2012, p. 89.
- ^ Yanagida 2009, p. 63.
- ^ McRae 2003, p. 13, 18-19.
- ^ McRae 2003, p. 13, 19-21.
- ^ Gimello 1994.
- ^ a b Welter 2000.
- ^ McRae 2003, p. 13.
- ^ a b c McMahan 2008.
- ^ a b Brown Holt 1995.
- ^ Goddard 2007, p. 10.
- ^ Verstappen 2004, p. 5.
- ^ a b c d Fowler 2005, p. 79.
- ^ Goddard 2007, p. 11.
- ^ a b Lai Year unknown.
- ^ a b c Oh 2000.
- ^ Dumoulin 2005-A, p. 65.
- ^ Dumoulin 2005-A, p. 64.
- ^ Dumoulin 2005-A, pp. 70&74.
- ^ Dumoulin 2005-A, p. 167.
- ^ a b Dumoulin 2005-A, p. 168.
- ^ a b Dumoulin 2005-A, p. 45-49.
- ^ Lai 2003, p. 8.
- ^ Broughton, Jeffrey L. (1999), The Bodhidharma Anthology: The Earliest Records of Zen, Berkeley: University of California Press, ISBN 0-520-21972-4. pp. 54-55.
- ^ Broughton, Jeffrey L. (1999), The Bodhidharma Anthology: The Earliest Records of Zen, Berkeley: University of California Press, ISBN 0-520-21972-4. p. 8.
- ^ Broughton, Jeffrey L. (1999), The Bodhidharma Anthology: The Earliest Records of Zen, Berkeley: University of California Press, ISBN 0-520-21972-4. pp. 54-55.
- ^ Broughton, Jeffrey L. (1999), The Bodhidharma Anthology: The Earliest Records of Zen, Berkeley: University of California Press, ISBN 0-520-21972-4. p. 8.
- ^ a b Dumoulin 2005-A, p. 85-94.
- ^ Soothill, William Edward; Hodous, Lewis (1995), A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms, London: RoutledgeCurzon https://web.archive.org/web/20140303182232/http://buddhistinformatics.ddbc.edu.tw/glossaries/files/soothill-hodous.ddbc.pdf
- ^ McRae 2003
- ^ a b c d e Whalen Lai Year unknown B.
- ^ a b c Dumoulin 2005-A.
- ^ McRae 2003, pp. 33–36.
- ^ Yampolski 2003-A:11
- ^ Huaijin 1997:95
- ^ a b Yampolski 2003-A:15
- ^ Welter 2000, p. 86-87.
- ^ McRae 1993:119–120
- ^ Yampolski 2003-B:266
- ^ a b c d Welter year unknown-B.
- ^ Young 2009.
- ^ Schlütter 2008.
- ^ Sharf 2002
- ^ Dumoulin 2005-B, p. 299.
- ^ Meng-Tat Chia 2011.
- ^ Aitken 1994.
- ^ Schlütter 2008, p. 3.
- ^ a b Low 2006.
- ^ Suzuki 1997, p. 154.
- ^ Buswell 1993, p. 245.
- ^ Abe 1996, p. 19.
- ^ Luk Year unknown, p. 59-60.
- ^ Lachs 2012, p. 4.
- ^ Dumoulin 2005-B, p. 380.
- ^ Sekida (translator) 1996.
- ^ Cleary 2010, p. xii-xiii, quoting Hakuin.
- ^ Yen 1996, p. 54).
- ^ a b c d Kapleau 1989.
- ^ Heine 2000, p. 245.
- ^ Tomoaki 2003, p. 280.
- ^ Tomoaki 2003, p. 284.
- ^ a b c Sharf 1995-C.
- ^ Maezumi 2007.
- ^ Blyth 1966.
- ^ Loori 2006.
- ^ a b Lachs 2006.
- ^ Bodiford 1992.
- ^ a b Low 2000.
- ^ Sharf 1995-C, p. 427.
- ^ Sasaki 2009.
- ^ Low 2000, p. 4.
- ^ Welter 2000, p. 94.
- ^ Yanagida 2009, p. 62.
- ^ Hori 2000, p. 296.
- ^ Hori 2000, p. 295-297.
- ^ Yoshizawa 2009, p. 42.
- ^ Hori 2000, p. 297.
- ^ Ferguson 2000:17
- ^ a b c d Lai Year unknown, p. 17.
- ^ a b McRae 2003, p. 62.
- ^ Domoulin-2005-A, p. 49-51.
- ^ Snelling 1987, p. 157-158.
- ^ Low 2000, p. 83-112.
- ^ Low 2000, p. 135-154.
- ^ Welter 2000, p. 82-86.
- ^ Welter 2000, p. 83.
- ^ Chappell 1993, p. 192.
- ^ a b Koné 2000.
- ^ a b Sharf 1995-B.
- ^ McRae 2002.
- ^ Borup 2008.
- ^ Hori 1994.
- ^ Bell 2002.
- ^ Lachs 1999.
- ^ Sharf 1993.
- ^ Sharf 1995.
- ^ McRae 2005.
- ^ Heine 2007.
- ^ Jorgensen 1991.
- ^ a b Heine 2008:6
- ^ Wolfe 2009, p. iii.
- ^ Katz 2007.
Published sources
- Abe, Masao; William R. LeFleur (translator) (1989), Zen and Western Thought, University of Hawaii Press
- Abe, Masao; Heine, Seteven (1996), Zen and Comparative Studies, University of Hawaii Press
- Aitken, Robert (1994), Foreword to "A Buddhist Bible", Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press
- Anderson, Reb (2000), Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts, Rodmell Press
- Arokiasamy, Arul M. (2005), Zen: Awakening to Your Original Face, Chennai, India: Thiruvanmiyur
- Batchelor, Martine (2004), The Path Of Compassion: The Bodhisattva Precepts, Rowman Altamira
- Bell, Sandra (2002), Scandals in emerging Western Buddhism. In: Westward Dharma: Buddhism beyond Asia. Pages 230-242, Berkeley: University of California Press
- Bodiford, William M. (1992), "Zen in the Art of Funerals: Ritual Salvation in Japanese Buddhism", History of Religions 32, no. 2 (1992): 150
- Bodiford, William M. (1993), Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan, University of Hawaii Press, ISBN
- Borup, Jørn (2008), Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhism: Myōshinji, a Living Religion, Brill Publishers
- Brown Holt, Linda (1995), "From India to China: Transformations in Buddhist Philosophy", Qi: The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health & Fitness
- Buswell, Robert E. (1991), "The "Short-cut" Approach of K'an-hua Meditation: The Evolution of a Practical Subitism in Chinese Ch'an Buddhism". In: Peter N. Gregory (editor) (1991), Sudden and Gradual. Approaches to Enlightenment in Chinese Thought, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited
- Buswell, Robert E (1993), Ch'an Hermeneutics: A Korean View. In: Donald S. Lopez, Jr. (ed.)(1993), Buddhist Hermeneutics, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass
- Blyth, R. H. (1966), Zen and Zen Classics, Volume 4, Tokyo: Hokuseido Press
- Chappell, David W. (1993), Hermeneutical Phases in Chinese Buddhism. In: Donald S. Lopez, Jr. (ed.)(1993), Buddhist Hermeneutics, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass
- Cleary, Thomas (2010), Translator's introduction. The Undying Lamp of Zen. The Testament of Zen Master Torei, Boston & London: Shambhala Publications
- Collins, Randall (2000), The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change, Harvard University Press
- Dumonlin, Heinrich (2000), A History of Zen Buddhism, New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
- Dumoulin, Heinrich (2005-A), Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 1: India and China, World Wisdom Books, ISBN
- Dumoulin, Heinrich (2005-B), Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 2: Japan, World Wisdom Books, ISBN
- Faure, Bernard (2000), Visions of Power. Imaging Medieval Japanese Buddhism, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press
- Ferguson, Andy (2000), Zen's Chinese Heritage, Boston, MA: Wisdom Publications, ISBN
- Ford, James Myoun, A Note On Dharma Transmission And The Institutions Of Zen
- Foulk, T. Griffith (Year unknown), History of the Soto Zen School
- Fowler, Merv (2005), Zen Buddhism: Beliefs and Practices, Sussex Academic Press
- Gimello, Robert M. (1994), Marga and Culture: Learning, Letters, and Liberation in Northern Sung Ch'an. In: Buswell & Gimello (editors)(1994), Paths to Liberation. Pages 475-505, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers
- Goddard, Dwight (2007), History of Ch'an Buddhism previous to the times of Hui-neng (Wie-lang). In: A Buddhist Bible, Forgotten Books
- Gregory, Peter N. (1991), Sudden Enlightenment Followed by Gradual Cultivation: Tsung-mi's Analysis of mind. In: Peter N. Gregory (editor)(1991), Sudden and Gradual. Approaches to Enlightenment in Chinese Thought, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited
- Gregory, Peter N. (1993), What Happened to the "Perfect Teaching"? Another lOok at Hua-yen Buddhist hermeneutics. In: Donald S. Lopez, Jr. (ed.)(1993), Buddhist Hermeneutics, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass
- Harvey, Peter (1995), An introduction to Buddhism. Teachings, history and practices, Cambridge University Press
- Haskel, Peter (1984), Bankei Zen. Translations from The Record of Bankei, New York: Grove Weidenfeld
- Heine, Steven; Wright, Dale S. (2000). The Koan: Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism. Oxford University Press. ISBN .
- Heine, Steven (2007), "A Critical Survey of Works on Zen since Yampolsky.", Philosophy East & West Volume 57, Number 4 October 2007 577–592
- Heine, Steven (2008), Zen Skin, Zen Marrow
- Hisamatsu, Shin'ichi; Gishin Tokiwa; Christopher Ives (2002), Critical Sermons of the Zen Tradition: Hisamatsu's Talks on Linji, University of Hawaii Press
- Hori, Victor Sogen (1994), "Teaching and Learning in the Zen Rinzai Monastery", Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol.20, No. 1, (Winter, 1994), 5-35
- Hori, Victor Sogen (2000), Koan and Kensho in the Rinzai Zen Curriculum. In: Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright (eds)(2000): "The Koan. Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Hori, Victor Sogen (2005), . World Wisdom Books. ISBN 978-0-941532-90-7. Pagina xiii - xxi Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 2: Japan. In: Dumoulin, Heinrich (2005),Introduction
- Hu Shih (1953), "Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism in China. Its History and Method", Philosophy East and West, Vol. 3, No. 1 (January, 1953), pp. 3-24
- Huaijin, Nan (1997), Basic Buddhism: Exploring Buddhism and Zen, York Beach: Samuel Weiser
- Isshū, Miura; Sasaki, Ruth F. (1993), The Zen Koan, New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, ISBN
- Jaksch, Mary (2007), The Road to Nowhere. Koans and the Deconstruction of the Zen Saga
- Jorgensen, John (1991), "Heinrich Dumoulin's Zen Buddhism: A History", Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1991 18/4
- Kalupahana, David J. (1992), The Principles of Buddhist Psychology, Delhi: ri Satguru Publications
- Kalupahana, David J. (1994), A history of Buddhist philosophy, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited
- Kapleau, Philip (1989), The three pillars of Zen
- Kasulis, Thomas P. (2003), Ch'an Spirituality. In: Buddhist Spirituality. Later China, Korea, Japan and the Modern World; edited by Takeuchi Yoshinori, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass
- Katz, Jerry (2007), One: Essential Writings on Nonduality, Sentient Publications
- Koné, Alioune (2000), Zen In Europe: A Survey of the Territory
- Lachs, Stuart (2002), Richard Baker and the Myth of the Zen Roshi
- Lachs, Stuart (2006), The Zen Master in America: Dressing the Donkey with Bells and Scarves
- Lachs, Stuart (2011), When the Saints Go Marching In: Modern Day Zen Hagiography
- Lachs, Stuart (2012), Hua-t'ou : A Method of Zen Meditation
- Lai, Whalen (2003), Buddhism in China: A Historical Survey. In Antonio S. Cua (ed.): Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy, New York: Routledge
- Lai, Whalen (Year unknown B), Ma-Tsu Tao-I And The Unfolding Of Southern Zen
- Lathouwers, Ton (2000), Meer dan een mens kan doen. Zentoespraken, Rotterdam: Asoka
- Liang-Chieh (1986), The Record of Tung-shan, Kuroda Institute (translator: William F. Powell)
- Lievens, Bavo (1981), Ma-tsu. De gesprekken, Bussum: Het Wereldvenster
- Loori, John Daido (2006), Sitting with Koans: Essential Writings on Zen Koan Introspection, Wisdom Publications, ISBN
- Low, Albert (2000), Zen and the Sutras, Boston: Turtle Publishing
- Low, Albert (2006), Hakuin on Kensho. The Four Ways of Knowing, Boston & London: Shambhala
- Luk, Charles (translator) (Year unknown), The Surangama Sutra, Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.
- Maezumi, Taizan; Glassman, Bernie (2007), The Hazy Moon of Enlightenment, Wisdom Publications
- Matthiessen, Peter (1987), Nine-headed dragon river: Zen journals, 1969-1985, Shambhala
- McCauley, Charles (2005), Zen and the Art of Wholeness, iUniverse
- McMahan, David L. (2008), The Making of Buddhist Modernism, Oxford University Press, ISBN
- McRae, John (1991), Shen-hui and the Teaching of Sudden Enlightenment in Early Ch'an Buddhism. In: Peter N. Gregory (editor)(1991), Sudden and Gradual. Approaches to Enlightenment in Chinese Thought, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited
- McRae, John (2003), Seeing Through Zen, The University Press Group Ltd
- McRae, John (2005), A history of ZenCritical introduction by John McRae to the reprint of Dumoulin's
- McRae, John (2008), The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, translated from the Chinese of Zongbao (Taishō Volume 48, Number 2008)
- Meng-Tat Chia, Jack (2011), "A Review of Enlightenment in Dispute: The Reinvention of Chan Buddhism in Seventeenth-Century China", Journal of Buddhist Ethics. Volume 18, 2011
- Mumon, Yamada (2004), The Ten Oxherding Pictures, University of Hawai'i press (translator: Victor Sōgen Hori)
- Nadeau, Randall L. (2012), The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Chinese Religions, John Wiley & Sons
- Oh, Kang-nam (2000), "The Taoist Influence on Hua-yen Buddhism: A Case of the Scinicization of Buddhism in China", Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal, No. 13, (2000)
- Pajin, Dusan (1988), On Faith in Mind - Translation and Analysis of the Hsin Hsin Ming. In: Journal of Oriental Studies, Vol. XXVI, No. 2, Hong Kong 1988, pp. 270-288
- Poceski, Mario (Year unknown), Attitudes Towards Canonicity and Religious Authority in Tang Chan
- Sato, Kemmyō Taira, D.T. Suzuki and the Question of War
- Sasaki, Ruth Fuller (2009), The Record of Linji. Translation and commentary by Ruth Fuller Sasaki. Edited by Thomas Yūhō Kirchner, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press
- Schlütter, Morten (2008), How Zen became Zen. The Dispute over Enlightenment and the Formation of Chan Buddhism in Song-Dynasty China, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, ISBN
- Sekida, Katsuki (1989), Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy, Shambhala
- Sekida, Katuski (1996), Two Zen Classics. Mumonkan, the gateless gate. Hekiganroku, the blue cliff record, New York & Tokyo: Weatherhill
- Sharf, Robert H. (1993), "The Zen of Japanese Nationalism", History of Religions, Vol. 33, No. 1. (Aug., 1993), pp. 1-43.
- Sharf, Robert H. (1995), Whose Zen? Zen Nationalism Revisited
- Sharf, Robert H. (1995-B), "Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience", NUMEN, vol.42 (1995)
- Sharf, Robert H. (1995-C), "Sanbokyodan. Zen and the Way of the New Religions", Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1995 22/3-4
- Shimano, Eido T. (1991), Points of Departure: Zen Buddhism With a Rinzai View, Livingston Manor, NY: The Zen Studies Society Press, ISBN
- Snelling, John (1987), The Buddhist handbook. A Complete Guide to Buddhist Teaching and Practice, London: Century Paperbacks
- Suzuki, Shunryu (1997), Branching streams flow in the darkness: Zen talks on the Sandokai, University of California Press
- Swanson, Paul L. (1993), The Spirituality of Emptiness in Early chinese Buddhism. In: Buddhist Spirituality. Indian, Southeast Asian, Tibetan, Early Chinese; edited by Takeuchi Yoshinori, New York: Crossroad
- Tetsuo, Otani (2003), To Transmit Dogen Zenji's Dharma
- Tomoaki, Tsuchida (2003), The Monastic spirituality of Zen Master Dogen. In: Buddhist Spirituality. Later China, Korea, Japan and the Modern World; edited by Takeuchi Yoshinori, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass
- Torei (2010), The Undying Lamp of Zen. The Testament of Zen Master Torei, Boston & London: Shambhala (translator: Thomas Cleary)
- Tweed, Thomas A. (2005), "American Occultism and Japanese Buddhism. Albert J. Edmunds, D. T. Suzuki, and Translocative History", Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 32/2: 249–281
- Verstappen, Stefan H. (2004), Blind Zen
- Victoria, Brian Daizen (2006), Zen at war (Second Edition ed.), Lanham e.a.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
- Victoria, Brian Daizen (2010), "The "Negative Side" of D. T. Suzuki's Relationship to War", The Eastern Buddhist 41/2: 97–138
- Waddell, Norman (2010), Foreword to "Wild Ivy: The Spiritual Autobiography of Zen Master Hakuin", Shambhala Publications
- Wai-tao (translator) (1994), The Diamond Sutra. In: A Buddhist Bible, Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press
- Wayman, Alex and Hideko (1990), The Lion's roar of Queen Srimala, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers
- Welter, Albert (Year unknown), The Textual History of the Linji lu (Record of Linji): The Earliest Recorded Fragments
- Welter, Albert (year unknown-B), The Formation of the Linji lu: An Examination of the Guangdeng lu/Sijia yulu and Linji Huizhao Chanshi yulu. Versions of the Linji lu in Historical Context
- Welter, Albert (2000), Mahakasyapa's smile. Silent Transmission and the Kung-an (Koan) Tradition. In: Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright (eds)(2000): "The Koan. Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Wolfe, Robert (2009), Living Nonduality: Enlightenment Teachings of Self-Realization, Karina Library
- Wright, Dale S. (2010), Humanizing the Image of a Zen master: Taizan Maezumi Roshi. In: Zen Masters, edited bySteven Heine and Dale S. Wright, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Yampolski, Philip (1967), The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. Translated with notes by Philip B. Yampolsky, Columbia University Press, ISBN
- Yampolski, Philip (2003-A), Chan. A Historical Sketch. In: Buddhist Spirituality. Later China, Korea, Japan and the Modern World; edited by Takeuchi Yoshinori, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass
- Yampolski, Philip (2003-B), Zen. A Historical Sketch. In: Buddhist Spirituality. Later China, Korea, Japan and the Modern World; edited by Takeuchi Yoshinori, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass
- Yanagida, Seizan (2009), Historical Introduction to The Record of Linji. In: The record of Linji, translated by Ruth Fuller Sasakia e.a. Pages 59-115, University of Hawaii Press
- Yen, Chan Master Sheng (1996), Dharma Drum: The Life and Heart of Ch'an Practice, Boston & London: Shambhala
- Yoshizawa, Katsuhiro (2009), The Religious Art of Zen Master Hakuin, Counterpoint Press
- Young, Stuart (2009), Linji Lu and Chinese Orthodoxy. Review of "Albert Welter. The Linji lu and the Creation of Chan Orthodoxy: The Development of Chan's Records of Sayings Literature.
Web sources
- ^ a b "Rinzai-Obaku Zen - What is Zen? - History". Zen.rinnou.net. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
- ^ "Pointing at the moon". Khandro.net. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
- ^ "Lankavatara Sutra, chapter LXXXII, p.192 Suzuki-translation, p.223/224 in brackets". Lirs.ru. 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
- ^ "Soto Zen". The Soto Zen Buddhist Association. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
- ^ Sheng, Yen. "Fundamentals of Meditation".
- ^ Soto Zen Text Project. "Zazengi translation". Stanford University. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ Soto Zen Text Project. "Fukan Zazengi". Stanford University. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ aqua-palette,Inc. "Ningen Zen". Ningen Zen. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
- ^ "Andre van de Braak, ''ZEN SPIRITUALITY IN A SECULAR AGE. Charles Taylor and Zen Buddhism in the West''". Retrieved 2013-02-04.
Further reading
Modern classics
Sowing the seed
- D.T. Suzuki, Essays in Zen Buddhism, First Series (1927), Second Series (1933), Third Series (1934)
- R. H. Blyth, Zen and Zen Classics, 5 volumes (1960–1970; reprints of works from 1942 into 1960's)
- Alan Watts, The Way of Zen (1957)
- Lu K'uan Yu (Charles Luk), Ch'an and Zen Teachings, 3 vols (1960, 1971, 1974), The Transmission of the Mind: Outside the Teaching (1974)
Growing roots
- Paul Reps & Nyogen Senzaki, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones (1957)
- Philip Kapleau, The Three Pillars of Zen (1966)
- Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (1970)
- Katsuki Sekida, Zen Training: Methods & Philosophy (1975)
Classic historiography
- Dumoulin, Heinrich (2005), Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 1: India and China. World Wisdom Books. ISBN 978-0-941532-89-1
- Dumoulin, Heinrich (2005), Zen Buddhism: A History. Volume 2: Japan. World Wisdom Books. ISBN 978-0-941532-90-7
Critical historiography
- Heine, Steven (2007), A Critical Survey of Works on Zen since Yampolsky. In: Philosophy East & West Volume 57, Number 4 October 2007 577–592
Formation of Chán in Tang & Song China
- Mcrae, John (2003), Seeing through Zen. Encounter, Transformation, and Genealogy in Chinese Chan Buddhism. The University Press Group Ltd . ISBN 978-0-520-23798-8
- Welter, Albert (2000), Mahakasyapa's smile. Silent Transmission and the Kung-an (Koan) Tradition. In: Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright (eds)(2000): "The Koan. Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Schlütter, Morten (2008), How Zen became Zen. The Dispute over Enlightenment and the Formation of Chan Buddhism in Song-Dynasty China, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, ISBN
- Bodiford, William M. (1993), Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan, University of Hawaii Press, ISBN
Modern times
- Victoria, Brian Daizen (2006), Zen at war (Second Edition ed.), Lanham e.a.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
- Sharf, Robert H. (1995-A), Whose Zen? Zen Nationalism Revisited
Orientalism and east-west interchange
- Borup, Jorn (Year unknown), Zen and the Art of inverting Orientalism: religious studies and genealogical networks
- King, Richard (2002), Orientalism and Religion: Post-Colonial Theory, India and "The Mystic East", Routledge
- McMahan, David L. (2008), The Making of Buddhist Modernism. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-518327-6
Contemporary practice
- Borup, Jørn (2008), Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhism: Myōshinji, a Living Religion, Brill
- Hori, Victor Sogen (1994), Teaching and Learning in the Zen Rinzai Monastery. In: Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol.20, No. 1, (Winter, 1994), 5-35
- Buswell, Robert E. (1993-A), The Zen Monastic Experience: Buddhist Practice in Contemporary Korea, Princeton University Press
External links
- thezensite
- Zen Buddhism WWW Virtual Library
- Chart of (Asian) Zen schools
- Sweeping Zen: Who's who in Zen
- Glossary of Japanese Zen terms
- Articles containing traditional Chinese-language text
- Articles containing simplified Chinese-language text
- Articles containing Korean-language text
- Articles containing Japanese-language text
- Articles containing Chinese-language text
- Articles containing Vietnamese-language text
- All articles with unsourced statements
- Articles with unsourced statements from February 2013
- Articles with unsourced statements from January 2012
- CS1 errors: dates
- All articles with dead external links
- Articles with dead external links from October 2013
- Commons category without a link on Wikidata
- Zen
- Schools of Buddhism
- Mahayana


text:
Value Line is regarded as the best independent research available. More than just recommendations, Value Line provides the rationale behind its picks for greater understanding.
The genetically modified food industry has recently garnered increased attention as various opposition groups have ramped up their activities. On May 25, 2013, the global movement against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) was able to mobilize an estimated two million protestors in 436 cities across 52 countries. As these anti-GMO sentiments grow ever stronger, prudent investors will definitely want to keep a close eye on these developments.
The impressive global outcry earlier this year targeted the entire GMO industry, but market-leader Monsanto (MON) captured the bulk of the headlines. As the unwilling poster child of the anti-GMO movement, Monsanto finds itself in an unenviable position. Indeed, Monsanto's share prices retreated shortly after the May protests, undoubtedly due in part to some erosion of shareholder confidence.
The other major GMO companies, like Bayer, Dow Chemical (DOW), DuPont (DD - Free DuPont Stock Report), and Syngenta, have fared slightly better when it comes to public relations, even though they also provide similar GMO products. For example, Dupont offers a drought-tolerant corn seed called "AQUAmax" that offers similar performance to Monsanto's "DroughtGard" and Syngenta's "Artisian." One major difference, however, lies in the ways that these seed lines were developed. Whereas Monsanto used transgenic gene splicing to introduce a bacterial gene into its drought-tolerant corn, the other two used more traditional selective breeding approaches to emphasize desired traits over many generations.
Monsanto has not historically shied away from risks, and has consequently generated a fair share of controversy along the way. By embracing relatively newer and less-proven transgenic techniques, the company has earned the ire of some segments of the public. This is partially rooted in the fear that splicing genes from different organisms will eventually result in uncontrollable and harmful "Franken organisms." In comparison to the laser-like precision of transgenesis, however, a mutagenic selective breeding approach tends to generate a greater number of modified genes and changes that are not always fully mapped and understood. As a result, from an empirical perspective, one method is not necessarily any safer than the other at the moment.
Throughout human history, progress and innovation have often encountered resistance in their nascent stages. Monsanto's proclivity for living on the leading edge, however, extends beyond its operating activities. Within the courtrooms, the company has won a series of favorable judgments that will ultimately benefit the GMO industry as a whole. In Bowman v. Monsanto, the U.S. Supreme Court recently decided that companies like MON have the right to patent their GMO seeds and retain rights on subsequent generations of seeds produced from those of the original sale. By upholding these intellectual property rights, companies will be further encouraged to dedicate additional resources to the development of newer and hopefully even safer GMOs.
In the political arena, Monsanto has also led the way by defeating Proposition 37 last year, and more recently saw the Senate reject a GMO labeling amendment to the Farm Bill in May 2013. Even more controversial was the Farmer's Assurance Provision which can provide temporary deregulation that allows growers to continue using biotech crops during any legal challenges – so long as they have been previously approved by the USDA. Although it is often nicknamed the "Monsanto Protection Act," this provision actually applies to other GMO companies as well, and has created a favorable short-term operating environment for biotech companies that specialize in crops.
That said, for better or for worse, people all over the world seem to be concerned about genetically modified foods. When news broke regarding the discovery of stray GMO wheat in Oregon earlier this year, countries like Japan and Korea immediately banned all wheat imports from the U.S. Although GMO wheat has not been shown to cause any health problems, people seem to be erring on the side of caution. Expect these cautious sentiments to deepen, at least until additional research can conclusively show the long-term safety of ingesting GMOs.
In the meantime, GMO companies will continue to be bogged down in legal issues against the triad of customers, consumer groups, and fellow competitors. Already, class action suits over the GMO wheat found in Oregon have been filed against Monsanto on the grounds of negligence. Too, law makers in states like Vermont and Hawaii seem to be giving some serious consideration to issues like mandatory GMO labeling or even an outright GMO ban in the latter case.
Fearful of a legal backlash from these corporate giants, the governments of some states like Connecticut have hedged their bets by passing mandatory labeling laws that will only take effect if a minimum requisite number of other states representing sufficiently large populations also pass similar laws. As this trend continues, states are setting themselves to fall like a line of dominos once a few of the more populated states take the plunge. Most recently, lawmakers in Los Angeles have introduced a motion that would ban the cultivation of GMO plants in the city. This bill would not prevent the sale of foods containing GMO ingredients. Moreover, since small-scale local farmers in the LA area do not typically use GMO seeds, this bill would be mostly a symbolic show of support for the anti-GMO movement. However, well aware of this growing wave of unrest, companies like Monsanto have allocated sizable budgets to lobby against this trend. Instead going on the defensive, perhaps these GMO companies ought to consider a more proactive strategy of embracing these labelling requirements and showing that there is nothing to hide. In the absence of any real food safety issues, these GMO labels would quickly become an afterthought like the numerous other disclaimers, warnings, and fine print with which consumers are bombarded on a daily basis.
Despite a mixed short-term outlook, the GMO industry continues to hold much long-term growth potential, as these high-yield biotech crops will be necessary to feed the ever growing population of the world. Indeed, according to the USDA's 2013 Agricultural Survey, 93% of soybeans and 90% of corn grown within the U.S. were classified as biotech varieties. Unless global resource constraints suddenly disappear for some miraculous reason, GMOs are most likely here to stay. As the undisputed leader for GMO research, Monsanto will likely continue to carry the GMO banner well into the future. That said, the company's unproven transgenic approaches and legal issues seem to be losing some ground in the battle for popular opinion. Investors looking to mitigate their risks in this promising growth sector will want to consider some of the other more diversified GMO producers who have thus far stayed relatively outside the limelight of the growing backlash of public opinion.
At the time of this article's writing, the author did not have positions in any of the companies mentioned.


text:
Circumstantial reactive powers?
Ask M&M 2e rules questions that your fellow gamers can't answer. Only Mutants & Masterminds Line Developer (and creator) Steve Kenson can post replies. He visits the boards in between projects and convention appearances so please be patient!
1 post • Page 1 of 1
Circumstantial reactive powers?
How would you do this? A power that can only be used under certain circumstances, but can happen at any time. Such as a power that makes you move after a successful REF save, a penalty to an opponent if they are bit by you. Yes, this is inspired by 4e, but that is the one and only thing that I really liked.
"I contend we are both atheists, I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." -Stephen F Roberts
1 post • Page 1 of 1


text:
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Early experiences shape children's brain architecture and lay the groundwork for all future learning, behavior, and health.
All Our Kin builds high-quality, sustainable family child care programs, giving our youngest and most vulnerable children the quality learning experiences that they need and deserve.
Josie came to the United States in 1993 as a nanny. With the help of All Our Kin, she went on to open her very own family child care program. In this story, Josie relates her journey to All Our Kin's 2013 conference theme, "Caterpillar to Butterfly."