선종에서의 좌선관 변천

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine historical trends in the practice of sitting meditation (坐禪) with an emphasis on the middle periods of the Mazu (馬祖) and Shitou (石頭) Chan lineages and to study how these changes have influenced Chan practitioners and the direction of Chan since then. Bodhidharma had Chan practitioners attain the composed mind of mahā-yāna through 'wall contemplation' (壁觀). He upgraded the practice of mahā-yāna Chan through providing the 'four practices (四行).'Hongren (弘忍), the fifth patriarch of Chan lineage, emphasized the practice of sitting meditation. However, Shenxiu (神秀) regarded sitting meditation as an expediency. On the other hand, Shenhui (神會) said that the meditative concentration (定) is not prerequisite requirement in a state of non-discriminative thought. Mazu solidified the Southern School of Chan that was differentiated from the primitive, early Chan by emphasizing 'Pure Mind is the Way (平常心是道). However, some of Mazu's disciples claimed that the sitting meditation is the essence in the attaining enlightenment. At the that time Shitou and the other lineages also emphasized the sitting meditation. Accordingly, the importance of sitting meditation has been emphasized in the tradition of Chinese Chan as a typical method of meditation.