Expert: Joe McSorley - 12/6/2005

Question
Hello Again Joe,
What is your understanding of the difference between either of the two main philosophies (Theravada and Mahayana) of Buddhism and Zen Buddhism?
Thanks again,
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Followup To
Question -
Since Zen Buddhism is not cognitive, how would a Zen Buddhist know whether or not they have attained buddhahood?  Thank you.
Answer -
Dear Ron,
You are right, ultimately Zen is not cognitive but in the beginning you must make a cognitive choice to overcome the dualistic mind.  This is similar to playing a musical instrument.  You want to practice to the point where you are no longer cognitive of what you are doing so you are just doing it. When a musician becomes aware of himself or herself in a performance is when they make mistakes because they are separate from what they are doing, they are not just it.  So the cognition needs to be overcome and this is freedom from knowing, or more accurately, it's knowing without knowing. So the short answer to your question is you know without knowing, you are purely it.  To know something is to be externally cognitively and objectively aware of it; to be outside of it.  When you are free of this dynamic you are it fully and abundantly.  A deer does not know it is a deer, it is fully a deer.  Awakening fully transforms you in the moment, fully alive and aware freeing you from having to ‘know' cognitively.  It is the wanting to know that prevents us from awakening.
  I hope this helps you, take care,
         Joe


Answer
Dear Ron,

Generally the distinction made between the schools of Buddhism is between Theravada and Mahayana and not between those schools and Zen. Mahayana is thought of as the precursor to Zen.  There are very technical differences between Theravada (Hinayana, lesser vehicle) and Mahayana (greater vehicle) like the ideals of the arhat and the bodhisattva, the metaphorical gods of Theravada and the Absolute (bhutatahata) of Mahayana.  Many say the difference is that Theravada sees awakening as a process over time while Mahayana sees it as happening all at once, now.  Theravada has also become a religion in the East.  Many of its followers worship the historical Buddha as a god and offer prayer to him.  
 Zen is thought of as a distilled version of Mahayana. Its origins go to Bodhidharma who was a Brahman who brought Buddhism to China in about 520 A.D.  He is called the wall gazing Brahman and the first Patriarch of Zen.  In the story of Bodhidharma a man approaches him one day by the name of Hui ka.  Hui ka came to Bodhi's cave and waited for the monk to accept him.  As the legend goes he stood there for days but the Brahman did not come forth.  It started snowing and the snow reached Hui's waist and finally Bodhi came out and asked, “ What is it you want?”  To that Hui replied ‘ My heart mind is not at ease' (I have great existential anxiety).  Bodhi replied “ the way is long and difficult'.  With that Hui took out his sword and chopped off his left arm and handed it to Bodhi.  This obviously symbolizes the great dedication that he had to solving his problem.  With that Bodhi says he will accept him and asks again “ what is your problem?”  Hui replies “ My heart/mind is not at ease”.  Then Bodhi replies, “ Hand it to me that I may pacify it”.  With that Hui realized the true self and was awakened.    Please note here that Bodhidharma did not tell him to meditate, chant, pray or to do any other technique and he is the founder of Zen.  What he did do was to tell Hui to face himself, here and now in the immediate and present the source of his problem.  This forced Hui ka to see that he himself was the problem.  Now it is obvious in this story that Hui had gone through an arduous process of searching to reach the point of such extremity that his concept of self would be shattered by Bodhi's words.  Bodhi wanted him to open his eyes to himself and the process that his mind was creating.  It is the object of Zen to stop the ruminations of the mind, to answer the question “ who is it that seeks” above all other questions first.  This is not done by ritual or chanting or any other device but by a deep and profound inquiry of the individual to the point that he realizes that the very act of searching itself is self-defeating.  This is the point where we realize that we ourselves are the problem and we reach the paradox of self-overcoming self to become awakened.  The first of the eightfold path is right thought and it's extremely important to understand that we must realize with every fiber in our body that the mind cannot realize awakening and yet may be the vehicle to that realization.  Awakening cannot be contingent upon body posture or chanting or any other particular physical manifestation but any one of those things might trigger it. So you don't pray to Buddha for this but come upon it by your own self effort.  Historically in Zen those on the path have been so involved with answering their own existential dilemma or natural koan that anything can trigger awakening when the moment is ripe.  This is why you have stories of monks or laymen becoming awakened when a bird chirps, a bell rings, rock hits bamboo or keys drop.  Any one of these things was at the right moment in the striving of the individual.
Buddhism should be the ‘religion' of self-awakening; i.e.- it does not rely on anything outside of self to reach fulfillment.  Zen is the epitome of this philosophy.  So that the Buddha is worshipped in so many sects really misses the point of his teachings. It is non-theistic and does not have a heaven that is to be attained beyond this world.  In Buddhism it is the individual who must realize that his being is problematic and overcome that problem.  Only the individual can do this, it cannot be forced upon someone.  It is not a matter of belief but a matter of true realization.  It is the difference between believing you can swim and being able to swim.  Zen, in particular, is most concerned that the individual must come to an awakening in this life.  Other sects do believe in reincarnation and hope to awaken over time but not Zen.
 I hope this helps you, take care,
         Joe