Abstract
In Chan/Seon/Zen (禪, hereafter referred to as Chan) Buddhism, the gongan (公案), a word that can be literally translated as “public case”, is conceived as both the tool by which enlightenment is brought about and an expression of the enlightened mind itself. Among the diverse styles of gongan, perhaps the most puzzling is a form of its key phrase, huatou (話頭), that utilizes specific things in the world. These things are either real and empirically observable, or conversely, unreal and merely hypothetical. A typical example is the figure of the “cypress tree in the front yard”. This paper tries to demonstrate that such a huatou has a structural similarity to the dṛṣṭānta (喩), an element within the three-part syllogism of Buddhist logic, insomuch as it functions as an epistemic instrument for the disclosing of a truth.
Highlights
In Chan/Seon/Zen (禪, hereafter referred to as Chan) Buddhism, the gongan (公案), a word that can be literally translated as “public case”, is conceived as both the tool by which enlightenment is brought about and an expression of the enlightened mind itself
Even though it is fairly certain that some Chan masters were aware of the three-part syllogism, it is unclear whether they really adopted the idea of dr.s..tānta in their gongan formulations
Since the “cypress tree in the front yard” is an instance which presents a positive concomitance—i.e., “Whatever is a Dharma body reveals the true reality of the Dharma realm”—it is entirely plausible to propose that Zhaozhou’s gongan is expressed in the following three-part syllogism, a logical formula which was already known in the China of his time
Summary
The idea that religious language, in paradoxical and esoteric forms, brings about enlightenment is fundamental to most Chan texts. The term “these words” refers to what is called gongan (公案) in the Chan school. They are brief sayings, dialogues, or anecdotes that have been excerpted from the biographies and discourses of. Gongans provide an authoritative standard of evaluation for the heuristic insights of Chan practitioners. They are meant to serve as an objective and universal principle through which all claims to the attainment of Buddhahood can be judged with discretion. Its form could be traced back to the moment of its formation as manifesting a truth.2 In this respect, Chan masters employ the term xiancheng gongan (現成公案), which refers to the fundamental point that has to be actualized.. Japanese Zen master Dōgen Kogon (ca. 1200–53) deeply appreciates the gongan as an expedient to bring about enlightenment; yet, he lends significance to its realization as absolute truth dynamically present in life (Kim 1985, p. 56)
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