荷澤神會의 修證論에 관한 고찰

Abstract

Heze Shenhui (荷澤神會 684-758) criticized teaching the gradual and habitual way to enlightenment as the Northern Chan School did. Instead he insisted that direct sudden enlightenment is the only true method, as Bodhidharma taught. He believed in ‘directly seeing nature through sudden enlightenment (頓悟見性禪)’ in which one sees one's own originally enlightened mind and immediately beholds the Buddha-nature within oneself. This assertion shows the drastic change in the teaching of gradual practice at the that time, emphasizing ‘sudden awakening or realization rather than gradual 'practice’. Here he contended the fundamental thoughts of free from false thought (無念)․notion of non-abiding (無住)․equal theory of meditation and wisdom (定慧等學). The absence of false thought and notion of non-abiding are the state of mind without the afflictions that does not seek the artificial enlightenment. However, the mind of emptiness and tranquility always function inside. The equal theory of meditation and wisdom, as a mean of practicing method to realize the absence of false thought and notion of non-abiding, explains that the inseparable relationship between meditation and wisdom. In addition, Heze Shenhui discussed in his theory of practice and realization whether his practice method is sudden enlightenment and gradual practice or sudden enlightenment and sudden practice. In his theory of practice and realization, he mentioned that “sudden realization of Buddha nature and gradual practice of causal situation (頓見佛性 漸修因緣).” Even though there are a couple of cases of gradual aspects in his theory, his theory of practice and realization, as a whole, might be classified as sudden enlightenment and sudden practice category.