Then what is the key word of the Dharma teachings of Great Monk Jajae Manhyon?
It will be the great conversion from 'Buddhism that has given the first importance to
the concept of the Dharma Body' to 'that which gives the first importance to the
Reward Body.
It is to reorganize the whole Buddhist world with the concept of the Reward Body.
As Great Monk Jajae Manhyon said, the present writer stands on the side of seeing
such a view of Buddhism as an introduction and efforts to build a new paradigm in
the world of Buddhism. It is because the core information and contents appearing
in Mahayana Sutras are newly understood.
Let us read.
In Chapter 16 in the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha repeats his admonishment three times,
"My words are the truth and believe in my words", and then speaks clearly that he
was not Sakyamuni at the historical level who had expounded on this land over the
past forty years, but he had already been the Buddha for hundreds, thousands and
tens of thousands of nayuta kalpas. He made it clear that he is the Buddha as 'the
ultimate being' existing separately namely in the Absolute Realm. Consequently
Sakyamuni Buddha who came to the world 2500 year ago was no more than a
method of manifestation that he showed for the sake of sentient beings.
Confined in the level of their usual life, the disciples at that time were just
bewildered at the words of the Buddha. The Buddha performs miracles right in
front of his bewildered disciples. We remember that in Chapter 11 "The
appearance of a jeweled stupa", the Tower of Prabhutaratna Tathagath rose out
of the earth at the very place of the Spirit Mountain that was the ground of reality.
More surprisingly, Prabhutaratna Tathagata was sitting there in the Tower
of Prabhutaratna Tathagata who made a vow that he would praise the Buddha,
appearing wherever the Buddha expounded his teachings. Sakyamuni Buddha
showed all the more puzzled disciples another miracle in the state of samadhi.
He clearly showed the scene of the magnificent land of the Buddha, namely, the
detailed aspect of the Absolute Realm once again. What was more, Sakyamuni
Buddha showed himself sitting on the lion seat by Prabhutaratna Tathagata, while
his disciples were looking.
This was a sudden manifestation of the ultimate existence, namely, the Absolute
Realm that the Buddha showed by acting in the space and time of the historical level.
It was an enormous miracle that the Buddha showed that the ultimate existence and
historical Sakyamuni were one.
The problem is that we have read this kind of story with a poetic imagination.
We have taken this as a skillful explanation to teach and convert sentient beings,
and have also understood it with an abstract thought or an ideal thought. From this
very point, Great Monk Jajae Manhyon starts to speak of. He has stressed that
it is a concrete description of the Buddha Realm that is transcendental with human
character. Here appears the thorough principle of putting the Reward Body in the
center which characterizes the viewpoint of Great Monk Jajae Manhyon on the
Buddha Realm. It is to completely reorganiz the Buddhist world by taking the
Reward Body made of Immeasurable Light, namely, the Reward Body existing
definitely in the Absolute Realm as the central axis. The Dharma Body is light
itself symbolized as Vairocana Buddha, the truth itself, or the universal body
meaning the universe itself. Hence, the Dharma Body is in non-dualism
relationship with the Reward Body. The Reward Body originates from the Dharma
Body as its basis. In other words, the Reward Body is the concrete aspect of the
Buddha Body existing in the ultimate Absolute Realm.
What we should take note of is that this has not come from the desk of a Buddhist
scholar, but is connected with the theory of independent practice, and with
establishment of the viewpoint of birth and death of Buddhism. In addition,
the practice process of Great Monk Jajae Manhyon is also closely related. The
report on this issue is no other than "The 21st Century Buddha's Message."
Therefore, Great Monk Jajae Manhyon has raised a question publicly from the
perspectives of the new interpretation on breaking through Hwadu (a head phrase)
that Korean Buddhism mentions, that is to say, awakening to one's original nature.
It is commonly said that 'Seeing one's original nature is namely accomplishing
Buddhahood', but he denies it completely. In a word, he has indicated that it is more
than "a dangerous expression." On the other hand, he said that seeing original nature
is no more than the starting point toward a long practice.
Great Monk Jajae Manhyon says like this based on the experience of his practice.
"At the moment when I came to see the original nature of mind by breaking through
Hwadu (a head phrase), the phenomena of the sky and the earth were suddenly
overturned, I saw the light of my self nature, and at this very moment, "I realized
that everything before me was empty, and there disappeared not only my body,
but also the notions of I." It was the original nature of mind before thinking. I can
realize at this time that one's physical body is like 'false clothes', and the notion of
I is 'a salse I' and an impermanent existence. The problem starts from this passage.
'The stage of seeing the original nature is not the perfect enlightenment; it is far from
being freed from the transmigration of life and death, and from leaping over the Three
Realms (the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, and the Formless Realm) completely.'
It is noticeable that in this passage, Great Monk Jajae Manhyon speaks of his
experience of having entered the state of samadhi, after having broken through
Hwadu (head phrase) without attaching himself to logic and letters.
He said that, one day when he entered samadhi completely, he had slept together
with a seriously afflicted leper under the same blanket. Even in this situation of
samadhi, the Great Monk repeatedly became conscious of the existence of the leper.
Also, when a large snake was approaching him, while he was maintaining practice
after enlightenment in his practicing cave, he found himself sweating hard in extreme
tension. Even when he happened to see a beautiful woman, he felt uneasy. As he
described, "he disliked himself, feeling disgusting." The Great Monk came to an
interim conclusion that the state of his breaking through Hwadu and his meditative
concentration had not reached the stage of the real samadhi that the Buddha spoke of.
At that moment, I myself started to become suspicious of my Dharma talks of the
past, in which I asserted, "The afflictions of ignorance, karma, or so on are
completely melted down in the melting furnace called the true nature of suchness,
and do not leave and trace behind. Through these experiences, I have realized that
I cannot become a Buddha right away, though I see the self nature of suchness.
I wished to see the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, but I could neither have a personal
meeting, nor see Hell or the deva realm. After all, I was unable to see the Tushita
Pure Land, nor the Western Pure Land." (summary of pages 26~30)
For these reasons, having been a Seon practicing monk, he switched his direction to
meditation of chanting the sacred name of the Buddha in a decisive manner. It is
clear that this change of direction was an astonishing event in two points. It is
because meditation of chanting the Buddha's name was taken as a non-Buddhist in
Korean Buddhism which had been based on patriarchal Seon for a long time.
However, taking note that meditation of chanting a Buddha's name had been the
practice method of Nagarjuna and Asvaghosha of India, Hui-yuan, Shan-dao, and
Jue-xian of China, and Eui-sang, Wonhyo, and Seo-san of Korea, Great Monk
Jajae Manhyon continued chanting the sacred name of the Buddha, keeping silent.
It is indeed surprising.
source /Culture of Seon(zen)
publication/Hyonjisa, Yongsan Buddhism
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