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Living Tradition of Meditation Practice P G 32
Vietnamese Zen began with Zen Master Tang Hoi, followed by Zen Master Hue Thang—the one who transmitted the Lotus Samadhi to China. The Vinītaruci Zen school teaches dwelling peacefully: staying still, feeling your true home in this very moment; Bodhidharma’s Zen is about resting the mind; Vo Ngon Thong’s Zen is about non-attainment—you are already what you want to become. Returning to I have arrived, I am home, calling back the three souls and seven spirits, or three souls and nine spirits, opening the door of the ultimate dimension, taking the Buddha’s hand and walking together, dwelling peacefully and non-attainment manifesting at the same time.
- Vinītaruci Zen: the Zen of dwelling peacefully
- Vo Ngon Thong Zen: the Zen of non-attainment
- historical dimension: the dimension of history, phenomena
- ultimate dimension: the ultimate, noumenal dimension
The Lotus Samadhi presents the historical and ultimate dimensions as wave and water: the wave is subject to birth and death, water is unborn and undying. The jeweled stupa of Prabhutaratna appears; its door only opens when the countless transformation bodies of Shakyamuni gather together; we too must call ourselves back to be fully present. Pulling weeds, sweeping leaves, playing, sitting—every action in the historical dimension is an opportunity for contemplation: the leaf pretends to be born and to die, I pretend to exist and not exist; looking deeply, both the leaf and I are manifestations, neither coming nor going.
