Topics for Paper I, REL407 Zen Buddhism

Due date changed to Monday, January 29, 2001

• You may have a free extension until Monday, January 29 (However, I suggest you complete it earlier since the exam will be on February 1.)
• Double-spaced, not more than 700 words. (You may use parenthetical notation to indicate page numbers for textual references.)
• I encourage you to discuss these topics with one another. You might find the Discussion Board on the Blackboard site for this course to be a convenient way to exchange ideas.
• Be sure to write your name, the name of the class, and the title of your topic (The Goddess and Hui-neng, Bodhidharma and Hui-neng ) at the top of the page.
• I also strongly encourage you to read the essays on my Writing web pages, especially "Four Keys to Writing in the Humanities," "Paper Writing Guidelines," "Checklist for Papers," and "Writing: The Bridge between Consciousness and Unconsciousness."

Topics

1. The Goddess and Hui-neng

Through the episodes of the flower petals, Sariputra's silence, and the magical exchange of gender, the Goddess from the "Goddess" chapter of The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti demonstrates the teaching of emptiness to Sariputra. In the Platform Sutra, Hui-neng discusses the nature and role of the teacher (152). Select any two of the three episodes from the "Goddess" chapter and have Hui-neng provide commentary on the Goddess' capability as a teacher. (Suggested point to consider: Hui-neng discusses the relation between the external teacher, the "inner" teacher, and emptiness ["self-nature" = buddha-nature = emptiness]).

2. Karma and the Sudden Teaching

In Chapter 2 "In and Out of the Rokudo" of his Karma of Words, LaFleur outlines four ways to escape the karmic cycle of rebirth (rokudo-bakku) (49-59). How might Bodhidharma evaluate these four types? Would he see one of them as superior to the others? Explain. (The obvious answer is the ludic [playful] mode that LaFleur attributes to the Zen masters (54-57), but of course, you need not feel compelled to agree.) This is a challenging topic because Bodhidharma does not discuss karmic rebirth directly in the selections that we read, but there are still plenty of ideas to infer from.

3. Bodhidharma and Hui-neng

Bodhidharma asks his four greatest disciples for the essence of their Zen attainment (93), and he ranks them in order of understanding with Hui-k'o having the most profound. As the sixth generation successor to Bodhidharma, Hui-neng should exhibit an equally profound understanding of Zen. According to the passages we have read in the Platform Sutra, does Hui-neng actually measure up? Can you provide evidence to this effect? To the contrary? (You should have no problems writing 700 words on this topic, but if you do, remember that you can strengthen your argument by taking into account counter-evidence and counter-arguments.)

4. Hui-neng and the Sudden Teaching

Hui-neng teaches the path of the "sudden teaching" and "sudden awakening" ("awaken to the sudden doctrine of no-thought" (153). Ever since Hui-neng, the path of sudden awakening (in contrast to the path of gradual awakening) has dominated Zen Buddhism and in fact all of East Asian Buddhism. Discuss the ways in which the poem by Shen-hsiu (130) fails to capture the essence of the sudden path and how Hui-neng's verse(s) (152) does express the standpoint of sudden awakening. Do you have any disagreements with or criticisms of Hui-neng? (The challenge of this topic is how to answer within the suggested paper length, as we will cover most of these points in class.)