Jie Xin: Lectures on the Heart's Method for Solving Problems

Author: Haiyun Jimeng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-09-01
Features: The essay "The Heart's Essential Method" is a response by the Huayan Master of the Tang Dynasty—Clear Cool National Master—to Emperor Shunzong of the Tang Dynasty regarding the essentials of cultivation. It is a classic work both in ancient and modern times, across China and the world. The "Heart's Essential Method" is written in elegant prose, concise yet profound, reading like a powerful and flowing stream. Except for the "Essays of Zeng Zhao" by Zeng Zhao and the "Confidence Dharani" by Sengcan, there is no work that surpasses it in both literary and philosophical depth. The "Heart's Essential Method" addresses the dualistic nature inherent in human consciousness. Therefore, the focus of its writing lies in breaking the state of mental rigidity and pure logical reasoning? In other words, it aims to dismantle the deluded concepts of dualistic attachment. As a result, its style is characterized by well-structured parallelism. In just 507 words, Clear Cool National Master has achieved an extraordinary feat in the realm of theoretical writing. This refined linguistic achievement, apart from the "Tao Te Ching" and the "Commentary on the Changes," has yet to be paralleled.
In terms of the exposition of the Dharma's meaning, although this essay also belongs to the category of "breaking and establishing simultaneously," in terms of its logical techniques and the norms of practicing the Dharma, it still falls under the system of "breaking alone." Due to its mature thought, it achieves a thorough "breaking of delusion," allowing its ideas to naturally "reveal truth." Thus, the logical techniques in the text often employ methods such as "breaking delusion," "revealing delusion," and "highlighting attachment," rather than presenting "establishing truth." This writing style is called "breaking delusion to reveal truth," and its focus remains on inner experience, practice, and perception.
In the "Heart's Essential Method," Clear Cool National Master skillfully combines Huayan thought with the practice of Zen. Of course, within the brief 507 words, it is impossible to fully grasp the macroscopic exploration. First, let us examine the background of Tang Dynasty Buddhist thought in terms of scholasticism, practice, pedagogy, and Zen philosophy:
1. Scholasticism: The Huayan thought of the Tang Dynasty, particularly the Bhiksu system, inherited the Huayan thought of the Northern Dialectical Masters. From the "Compendium of the Profound Secrets" by Zhiyan, we can see that the Bhiksu system of Huayan thought was a comprehensive synthesis in a summarized form. Xianshou's "Exploration of the Profound Secrets" and Qingliang's "Compendium of Huayan Commentaries" both inherited this line of thought. Since it was a collection and summary, it was absolutely dependent on the contemporary historical context.
2. Practice: Whether it was the Buddhist teachings of Fotu Cheng, the Zen practice of Bodhidharma, or the Zen arithmetic of An Shigao and later, they all centered in the North and intermingled with each other. An Shigao's Zen arithmetic became a preparatory and cultivation stage for the patriarchal Zen tradition during the time of Bodhidharma. Historically, this was a period of maturation. Therefore, when Bodhidharma arrived, after three generations of adjustment and adaptation, the Chinese patriarchal Zen tradition flourished even more.
3. Pedagogy: During the transition between small and large Zen practices, the budding ideas of Prajna and Buddha-nature, as well as the re-establishment of the thoughts of Laozi and the "Book of Changes," led to the fusion of Buddhist and Daoist ideas, fostering the growth and expansion of Chinese thought. Moreover, it moved from the realm of "knowing" to the realm of "doing," planting the seeds of well-established practices in the land of China. This expansion from "knowing" to "doing," or from "cultivation" to "practice," represents a breakthrough and transformation in the pedagogical methods of Confucianism in traditional Chinese culture. This change in pedagogy brought new life to Chinese thought, particularly in the great transformations and innovations of both Buddhist and philosophical traditions.
4. The Formation of Chinese Zen: Chinese Zen refers to the four major schools of Zen, Pure Land, Vinaya, and Esoteric Buddhism. Chinese Buddhism refers to the four major teachings of Consciousness-Only, Tathagatagarbha, Tendai, and Huayan. The Zen practice and doctrinal thought of Chinese Buddhism were deeply influenced by the philosophical ideas of Chinese Daoism. In terms of scholastic interpretation, analysis, and interpretation of the Dharma, it was almost inseparable from the range of traditional Chinese philosophy. Even the interpretation and realization of Buddhist realms were entirely an exhaustion and transcendence of Chinese life perspectives. In terms of guidance and models for practice, it was a fusion of the natural tranquility of Laozi and Zhuangzi with the "vigorous movement of Heaven" in the "Book of Changes." Under such circumstances, calling it "Chinese Buddhism" is more "appropriate" than simply "Buddhism."
On this grand premise, Buddhism itself also stirred several ripples. First, in the "Guarding the Mind Sutra" and the "Entering the Yin Sutra" by An Shigao, the concepts of "mind," "emptiness," and "Prajna" appeared. However, since these texts were more about practice, they did not delve deeply into scholasticism. Later, the metaphysical discussions of the Wei and Jin periods not only did not advance Zen practice but also led to significant progress in the study of Prajna, laying a solid foundation for the later flourishing of scholasticism. And Bodhidharma's Zen practice took root, grew, and flourished on this fertile ground, leading to a profusion of flowers.
Under this cultural background and the style of learning and the way of the Dao, Clear Cool National Master developed his intellectual framework. Here, he extensively and flexibly employed the traditional "thinking patterns" and "linguistic patterns" familiar to the Chinese to express the profound spiritual realm of Buddhism. In his vast writings, the "Heart's Essential Method" is a successful representative. And in the integration of Chinese and Indian cultures, he achieved even greater success. He made it clear to both the people of his time and modern Chinese people where the "essentials of cultivation" lie and why. This is like modern people, educated in the West, who are filled with Western modes of thinking and language. If one wants to express the profound spiritual realm of the East to the masses for understanding and experience, the best method is to use the "Western modes of thinking" and "Western linguistic patterns" to express it most effectively. Clear Cool National Master deeply understood this.
Today, if we wish to re-express it, it is merely to restate it once again using new modes of thinking and language. At this time of publication, I briefly mention this to convey the meaning of "explaining without creating"! The strength of the "Heart's Essential Method" lies in breaking the dualistic nature of "mind and environment," "subject and object," and "means and result." This dualistic attachment is a product of the developed human brain. By distinguishing deluded states as true and correct, it leads to the rise of right and wrong, good and evil. Yet, this delusion is merely a limited perspective, not only failing to promote the well-being of individuals or humanity as a whole but also interfering with the "spirit of life" that humans could otherwise return to their original nature.
Therefore, Clear Cool National Master, from the standpoint of breaking delusion, points out the common faults of the world and naturally reveals the target of the existence of truth. His writing style of not pointing yet revealing, not establishing yet manifesting, not only earns him the title of "Master of Truth" but also places him among the "Masters of Language."
However, in the translation and annotations, I lack the literary grace of Clear Cool National Master and cannot reach such a high level. I can only rely on the Western-style logical modes of thinking and language of today to try to imitate it, perhaps reaching a point where people can truly understand it. I hope to cast a brick to draw jade, and invite the great masters to join in this endeavor!