Dharma Drum Journal of Buddhist Studies

        The Linji school in the Tang Dynasty inherited the tradition of criticizing seated meditation from Huineng’s Southern Chan School, and mainly used wise conversations to attract literati. In the Song Dynasty, the attitude towards seated meditation in various schools seemed to have changed, which is observable in the attitude of the “Seated Meditation Inscription” by Qingyuan of the Yangchi Branch and the “Seated Meditation Etiquette” by Bencai of the Huanglong Branch in the Linji School in the late Northern Song dynasty. This study mainly investigates the changes in perspective on seated meditation of the Linji school in the Song dynasty based on these two works. Based on the historical context, firstly, this study examines the daily practice of seated meditation of the Linji school Chan masters in the Northern Song dynasty and how the schools at that time emphasized the plain atmosphere and ignored the importance of enlightenment in the practice process. Qingyuan and Bencai emphasized that seated meditation must reach a certain level of enlightenment to change the disadvantages of various schools. Besides, Qingyuan’s branch was closely related to the Caodong school, and Bencai’s Buddhist practice journey was inspired by the Chan method of the Caodong school. Therefore, they paid special attention to seated meditation. Secondly, this study interprets the perspective on seated meditation of the two seated meditation texts in detail based on the overall context. Qingyuan’s “Seated Meditation Inscription” attaches great importance to the critical role of seated meditation in the process of realizing the self-nature. After reaching deep tranquility, practitioners can move to seated meditation and freely apply it. Bencai’s “Seated Meditation Etiquette” emphasizes that practitioners should start with seated meditation. As long as they realize that “there is no other Buddha outside the mind,” they can “reach enlightenment, enhance practice, and realize Buddhism through meditation.” Apparently, in the late Northern Song dynasty, in the Linji school, both the Yangchi and Huanglong branches no longer denied physical seated meditation, which is different from the Linji Chan masters in the Tang dynasty who opposed physical seated meditation. On the contrary, they all affirmed that seated meditation is the basis for enlightenment of the self-nature, and they all agreed that there must be gradual practice in various stages and there is still a process of complete practice after enlightenment, in order to reach the ultimate state of seated meditation. Therefore, the trend of return of seated meditation in the Linji school was observable in the late Northern Song dynasty.

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