Buddha Nature Research Articles

The Bodhisattva in T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land”: A Journey through Spiritual Desolation

T.S. Eliot's seminal modernist poem "The Waste Land" has long been recognized for its intricate web of literary and philosophical allusions, including references to Mahayana Buddhism. This paper aims to examine the presence and significance of the Bodhisattva, a central figure in this tradition, within the poem. By leveraging Sallie B. King's theory of Buddha Nature (1992), which posits the inherent potential for enlightenment within all beings, this analysis seeks to shed new light on Eliot's portrayal of spiritual desolation, disillusionment and the quest for transformation. Through the lens of Buddha Nature, the fragmented characters and desolate landscapes depicted in "The Waste Land" are re-examined, revealing hidden layers that resonate with the notion of inherent enlightenment in apparent spiritual crisis. The paper explores how Eliot's engagement with Buddhist philosophy, as reflected through the concept of Buddha Nature, bridges eastern and western worldviews, offering a platform for cross-cultural dialogue and interpretation. By synthesizing King's scholarly insights with literary analysis, this paper sheds light on the transcendent potential embedded within the poem. It seeks to unravel Eliot's nuanced exploration of human suffering, the quest for enlightenment, and the interplay between spiritual emptiness and the inherent Buddha Nature. The Bodhisattva's commitment to guiding others toward enlightenment echoes the potential for transformation and renewal embedded within Eliot's desolate world. Through this analysis, the paper aims to contribute to the ongoing scholarly discourse surrounding Eliot's masterpiece, offering fresh perspectives on the poem's engagement with Buddhist philosophy and its universal themes of suffering, enlightenment and the human condition. By illuminating the presence and significance of the Bodhi-sattva and Buddha Nature in "The Waste Land", this paper hopes to inspire further exploration of the transcendent potential within Eliot's work and its enduring relevance in the modern world.

Meditation as a mental revolution in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution: Focusing on Ken Wilber’s Integral theory and Transformation of Seon Buddhism’s consciousness

This study used Ken Wilber's integral theory to discuss the possibility of mental revolution necessary in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution through Seon Buddhism's theory of transformation of consciousness. This study was discussed from a meditative perspective in four ways. First, I examined that the perspective of the 4th Industrial Revolution presented by Klaus Schwab emphasizes the need for spiritual and cultural values for human coexistence from the existing technology and material-centered perspective. Second, it was discussed that research on the 4th Industrial Revolution needed to be conducted in an integrated manner, and this possibility was examined through Ken Wilber's integrated approach, IOS (Integral Operating System). Third, among the 'four quadrants of the integrated 4th industrial revolution', 'I [self-transcendence(Seon Buddhism)]' in the left-top quadrant is again categorized into 'I(Buddha nature)', ‘We(no difference between oneself and others)’, ‘It [body (Interaction)]’, and ‘Them (hyper-connected society)’. Fourth, this study discussed from the perspective of Seon Buddhism’s theory of transformation of consciousness, focusing on ‘I (Buddha nature)’ among the ‘four quadrants in integrated self-transcendence (Seon Buddhism)’.

Redefinition and Interpretation of “Religiosity” Based on the Reflection of Buddha Nature

Nowadays, scholars expect to measure religiosity in different ways, but these measurements run counter to the purpose for which “religiosity” was originally coined, which was to be highlighted and differentiated from “religion” under the “the crisis of modernity of religion”; so, this important concept should be redefined. However, the redefinition and analysis of religiosity needs to include the contribution of religious studies, thus correcting the bias of sociology of religion towards sociology, as well as the reflection on pluralism of religions. Among them, thinking about Buddha nature can provide a valuable reference for the redefining of “religiosity”. First of all, the discussion of Buddha nature can provide a philosophical and value-level supplement to the understanding of “religiosity”, making the originally flattened empirical interpretation three-dimensional; secondly, the reflection on Buddha nature influenced by Chinese culture can provide oriental wisdom for the definition of religiosity. For example, Chineseized Buddhist thought incorporates the traditional Chinese understanding of human nature. On the basis of the discussion of Buddha nature, it can be seen that “religiosity” has different emphases in different religions, but there are still areas of consistency under these different understandings and expressions. Thus, the redefinition of “religiosity” should both reflect these consistencies and address the reasons for the inconsistencies through a hierarchical division. Since the redefinition of “religiosity” is not only conducive to inter-religious dialogue, but also relates to the answer to a series of important questions, such as the prediction of the future of religions, its meaning needs to be updated in accordance with the changes in the times.

(Re-)invented Chan Lineage, Unique Vietnamese Meditation School, or Both? Thích Thanh Từ’s “Revived” Trúc Lâm Tradition of Thiền Tông

This study explores how images of the past have been deployed to set up current arrangements of leadership and institutional identity by considering the career and teachings of Thích Thanh Từ in connection with his “revived” Buddhist tradition in Vietnam. Promoted as a continuation of the unique and pure Vietnamese Buddhist meditation tradition and associated with the Vietnamese national identity, the contemporary Trúc Lâm (Bamboo Grove) is a pride of many Vietnamese Buddhists. The original Trúc Lâm is claimed to be founded by the heroic King-turned-monk Trần Nhân Tông in the thirteenth century. The tradition was supposedly transmitted through the next two generations and died out. In the twentieth century, a Southern Vietnamese monk, Thích Thanh Từ (1924–), who had quit Pure Land (Tịnh Độ, C. Jingtu 淨土) Buddhism to self-learn and practice meditation, decided to reinvent the medieval Trúc Lâm tradition and became the founder of the contemporary Trúc Lâm. Despite growing up during French colonization and American war, Thanh Từ was not politically involved; instead, he focused on setting up new monasteries, taught meditation, and discouraged his followers from political and social engagement. This paper examines how successful Thích Thanh Từ and his disciples are in popularizing Trúc Lâm in Vietnam, given that the majority of Vietnamese Buddhists follow Pure Land devotional practices. More importantly, it describes how Thích Thanh Từ combines the teachings attributed to Trần Nhân Tông and two Chinese Chan masters, Huike 慧可 (the Second Patriarch) and Huineng 惠能 (the Sixth Patriarch), to form Trúc Lâm’s philosophical views and meditation techniques. With the clear-cut distinction between the delusional mind of sentient beings and the perfect mind of enlightened beings, Thích Thanh Từ presents the goal of Trúc Lâm practice as attaining the state of no-thought and sharpening it to perfection to perceive the “buddha nature” (phật tính, S. buddhadhātu, C. foxing 佛性) understood as the pure mind of nonduality and nonform. Outlining that process, he emphasizes the importance of “sudden awakening” (đốn ngộ, C. dunwu 頓悟) followed by “gradual cultivation” (tiệm tu, C. jianxiu 漸修). His meditation manual for ordinary practitioners with no experience of sudden awakening contains key techniques of (1) stabilizing the mind by counting and then observing breaths, (2) recognizing the “true mind” (chân tâm, C. zhenxin 真心) through practicing “no abiding in thoughts” (biết vọng không theo), “no mind for the externals” (đối cảnh vô tâm), “no dualistic discrimination” (không kẹt hai bên), and then proceeding to the stage of permanently abiding in the nature of true mind. These meditation methods are pertinent to Trúc Lâm’s view that all phenomena that emerge via speculative thoughts are unreal and illusory, and that only the true mind is real. The first section of this paper explores historical connections between Vietnamese and Chinese forms of Buddhism, shedding light on why Trúc Lâm embraces Thiền Tông, which is transmitted from Chinese Chan zong, and how Thích Thanh Từ builds connections between Thiền Tông and the Vietnamese national identity. The second section focuses on Thích Thanh Từ’s own life story, on how he practiced meditation and suddenly experienced “unlearned wisdom” (trí vô sư/vô sư trí, C. wushi zhi 無師智, an alternative term for true mind and buddha nature as a result of his practice) and how he succeeded in spreading the “revived” Trúc Lâm. With the first two sections as a background, in the third section, this paper explores Thích Thanh Từ’s views and practices and critically analyzes those views and practices in the conclusion. Overall, I argue that Thích Thanh Từ’s instructions on meditation are closely intertwined with his view of reality, which in turn is based on the mainstream Chan zong ideas.

Exploring Personal Yidam Practices in Vajrayana Tradition: A Journey to Enlightenment

Personal Yidam practices in the Vajrayana tradition serve as a meaningful pathway to uncover one's inherent Buddha nature and nurture enlightened qualities. These practices, deeply rooted in ancient teachings and lineage transmissions, provide a direct path for individuals to engage with the wisdom and compassion of meditational deities called Yidams. The study explores the essence of personal Yidam practices, exploring their purpose, methods, significance, and transformative potential. The primary aim of personal Yidam practices is to dissolve dualistic perceptions and awaken the practitioner's inherent potential for enlightenment. Through elaborate visualization techniques and concentrated meditation, practitioners immerse themselves in the divine qualities and enlightened attributes of their chosen Yidam deity. Guided by a spiritual teacher, practitioners select a Yidam that resonates with their temperament, aspirations, and spiritual path, embarking on a journey of inner transformation and realization. In conclusion, personal Yidam practices in the Vajrayana tradition represent a sacred journey of self-discovery, transformation, and enlightenment, rooted in devotion, wisdom, and compassion, these practices offer a direct path toward enlightenment, guiding practitioners to realize their fullest potential and embody the awakened mind of the Yidam.

『법화문구』에서 삼인불성의 용례와 해석에 관한 연구 - 「석방편품」의 내용을 중심으로 -

『법화문구』에서 삼인불성의 용례와 해석에 관한 연구 - 「석방편품」의 내용을 중심으로 -

원효의 ‘일심불성’론을 둘러싼 몇 가지 문제

원효의 ‘일심불성’론을 둘러싼 몇 가지 문제

PERAN DHARMADUTA DAN METODE PEMBABARAN DHARMA

Every religion needs students who are loyal, caring, and have a soul to spread the teachings of their religion, and have good competence to carry out their duties. Efforts to spread religion are known as da'wah. Each religion has its own understanding of dharmaduta. In Buddhism, the propagator of the religion is called Dharmaduta. Compared to other followers of religion, Buddhists are known to be less aggressive in spreading their religious teachings. The method used by the authors in this research is the literature review research method, which means the researcher examines from various books as a research source. The method used is the interpretation of texts in the Tripitaka holy book and various studies. To carry out the duties of Dharmaduta, appropriate competencies are needed so that the teachings can be conveyed properly and can be well understood by the recipients of the teachings. The efforts of the Buddhist dharmaduta will benefit both the teacher and the recipient of the teachings. Dharmaduta is obliged to change the new paradigm in the spread of Buddhism, which was originally oriented towards suffering to become an approach to happiness. This conclusion is in line with the nature of Buddha's existence in this universe which teaches all human beings how to eliminate suffering to achieve happiness.

PHẬT TÍNH DÂN GIAN NAM BỘ – ĐÔI ĐIỀU SUY NGẪM [THE POPULAR PERCEPTION OF BUDDHA NATURE IN SOUTHERN VIETNAM – SOME CONSIDERATIONS]. By Trần BãoĐịnh. TP Hồ Chí Minh: NXB Tổng Hợp Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh, 2021. . Pp. 287. Paperback, 95.000VND.

Religious Studies ReviewVolume 49, Issue 1 p. 95-95 Short Reviews of Recent Publications: East Asia PHẬT TÍNH DÂN GIAN NAM BỘ – ĐÔI ĐIỀU SUY NGẪM [THE POPULAR PERCEPTION OF BUDDHA NATURE IN SOUTHERN VIETNAM – SOME CONSIDERATIONS]. By Trần Bão Định. TP Hồ Chí Minh: NXB Tổng Hợp Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh, 2021. . Pp. 287. Paperback, 95.000VND. First published: 24 April 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/rsr.16305Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume49, Issue1Special Issue: Unique Approaches to Christianity in Africa and BeyondMarch 2023Pages 95-95 RelatedInformation

The Transformation of the Human Self through Religious Practice in Sufism and Buddhism

This article offers a comparative analysis of the transformation of the human self in Sufism and Mahāyāna Buddhism focusing particularly on the nature and role of religious practice in human transformation. It first outlines the Qur’ānic concept of innate human nature (fiṭra) and the Sufi practice of invocation of God (dhikr, lit. “remembrance”), and explores how the practice of dhikr is conceived as a process of uncovering a primordial awareness of God possessed by all human beings. This article then examines the concept of Buddha nature and practices of invocation of the Amida, aka Amitābha, Buddha (buddhānusmṛti/nembutsu) and zazen (sitting meditation). Specifically, it discusses how these practices are intended to facilitate the realization of Buddha nature, which is likewise considered to be latent in all sentient beings. Based on this doctrinal and ritual background, this article concludes with a comparative analysis of human nature and spiritual transformation through religious practice in Sufism and Mahāyāna Buddhism.

The Basic Human Nature of Someone who Brings the Buddha-Dharma into Life

The person who brings Buddhism into the world must have the qualities to learn and practice the Buddha's Dharma. The material of Buddha's dharma/ or quality of Buddha's dharma is to help sentient beings return to live with their inherent awareness or the nature of awareness and Buddha-nature. This awareness and Buddha nature in the Avatamsaka Sutra is called "the wisdom of the Tathagata." The Lotus Sutra (Suddharma-Pundarika Sutra) is "knowledge of the Buddha." In the Shurangama Sutra, it is the true mind. Zen Buddhism calls it "the original face or Buddha-nature." Phenomenologically, dharmas in the world are governed by the law of impermanence: birth, old age, illness, death, birth and death, and samsara, but in essence, the "true face – original face" of the human being hidden behind the birth and death person is a person with whole nature: permanence, happiness, ego, and purity. A person's abilities when he realizes his enlightenment and Buddha nature are also the core qualities of a person who wants to bring Buddhism into the world to transform his life.

The nature of Buddha and the Middle Way concept in teaching of the School of Chinese Buddhism San-Lun

  This article explores the philosophical system of the School of Chinese Buddhism San-Lun, as well as continuity of traditions of the Indian School Madhyamaka (one of the two schools of Mahayana along with Yogachara) in China. The teaching of San-Lun is based on the doctrines of Sunyavada and declaration of the principle of the middle way. The founder of San-Lun School in China monk Chi-tsang not only developed the concept of two truths, but also advanced the theories of three and four types of the two truths. The object of this research is the soteriological concept of the Middle Way through the prism of Buddha, which represents the peculiarity of the philosophical system of San-Lun in the context of Chinese Buddhism. San-Lun is the Chinese version of Madhyamaka School of Indian Buddhism. In the history of establishment of the trend Mahayana – Madhyamaka – in China it was of crucial importance to fill the gaps in translations from Sanskrit to Chinese language. The key role in this process played the prominent translator Kumārajīva, who translated the texts that have become fundamental for this school, and thus, created the theoretical framework for the Chinese scholars to study the teaching of Madhyamaka. The article examines the core philosophical concept of San-Lun: the doctrine of two truths and the concept of “eight negations”. Analysis is conducted on the concept of the nature of Buddha in San-Lun teaching, which demonstrates the introduction of the new understanding of Madhyamaka and determines the degree of scientific novelty.  

Women Healing the Globe, Preserving the Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau’s Permafrost is melting at an alarming rate. Six of the world’s major rivers are sourced in the Tibetan Himalayas that are warming at a faster rate than the rest of the earth. If the temperature of the region continues to increase, the rivers will dry up and the earth will warm at an even faster rate. Buddha Yeshe Tsogyal (ye shes mTsho rgyal) (757–817 CE), long considered the Mother of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, was the consort of Padmasambhava. She reached “complete liberation” or Nirvana in a single lifetime. Her stories are preserved in rman thar. Her life was an exemplary practice of compassion, responsible care, and non-violence toward all sentient beings and the world. Can we follow her proto-eco-feminist example? Can we build responsible care for our planet and humanity across disciplines and faith traditions? What does compassionate, non-violent Buddhist thought and Roman Catholic pastoral care bring to eco-feminism? Can an eco-feminist epistemology informed by Buddhist EcoDharma construct programs of sustainability into humanity’s excessive habits integrating science’s ability to quantify, with Buddha nature? Can Catholicism’s pastoral ability to show dependence on God, the peaceful, compassionate Creator of all allow us to see our dependence on God and our earth? Many women have already begun this work around the globe. In 2002, Rosemary Radford Ruether brought 16 women together from around the globe in Women Healing Earth: Third World Women on Ecology, Feminism, and Religion to tell us how they are doing it and succeeding. Each is highlighted here for their visions on how to heal the planet at the grassroots level. From their insights, this article explores their contributions as being still relevant today and adding new concerns about the dangers arising on the Tibetan Plateau. The article emphasizes their ideas, provides a warning and other ideas that collective activation might inspire to address climate change.

󰡔천태전불심인기󰡕의 불성론과 실상론의 적용 및 그 계승 연구

본 논문은 천태종의 종파적 정설과 그 수증론에 접근하기 위한 연구이다. 『천태전불심인기』(1권)는 국내에서 처음으로 보고되는 자료로서 천태종의 불성론과 실상론, 조통론의 요약이 훌륭하다. 천태종은 조선초 종명을 상실한 이후 세력을 잃었고 종학연구 또한 미미했다. 현 천태종이 수 백 년의 공백을 넘어 중흥을 선언(1966)한 만큼 종학연구가 필수라고 할 때, 본 책에 수록된 교학이 시사하는 바가 크다. 이 책을 지은 虎谿懷則은 元 천태종의 흥교존자로 불리운다. 그는 천태지의가 수립한 正·了·緣의 삼인불성론이 천태교관에 적용되는 과정을 밝혔으며, 그것이 당 담연과 송 지례에 의해 성구설로 발전한 과정을 기술하였으며, 그 내용이종학으로 계승되었음을 적시하였다. 그는 또 이 교설에 의해 발전된 성악설이 선종 등 타 종파에 비해 수승한 법문임을 주장하였다. 이 책의 본론은 觀境의 대상인 삼천 제법의 하나하나에 삼제를 적용한다는 것을 기술하고 있다. 그 一法이 삼제원융에 의해 破·立이 자재하다는 관법을 밝혔으며, 여기에 불성이 내재하며 삼인이 작용한다고 하였다. 그 삼인 자체가 본래 융즉하므로 어떤 경계를 觀하더라도 3해탈의 聖果를 얻게 된다는 것을 일깨웠다. 이로써 삼인·삼천·삼제·삼관·삼해탈이 연기의 순차적인 관계에 놓인다. 따라서 三因이 일심삼관에서 작용하므로 이 관행 역시 불성 현현을 위한 軌에 실리게 된다고 하였다. 一法의 경계에 대하여 卽× (空·假·中)을 적용하며 그 결과로서 실상을 체득하므로 곧 제법실상의 宗旨를 구현하게 된다는 것이다. 이에 실상구현을 위한 종파적 수증법인 觀心, 觀佛로 모아진다. 천태종은 이행도로서 관불의 행법을 채택했고, 그 경증은 『관무량수경』, 지의의 『관무량수경소』와 지례의 『관무량수경소묘종초』이다. 이는 極樂依正을 觀想하되 심외무불·신불불이의 원칙을 전제한다. 그 觀想을 회칙은 卽心念佛·約心觀佛의 수행법으로 요약하여 『정토경관요문』(1권)에 수록하였다. 이 내용을 요약하여 본 논에 첨부한다.

Hōnen’s Pure Land Thought Manifested through His Understanding of Amitābha Buddha and Buddha Nature

Hōnen’s Pure Land Thought Manifested through His Understanding of Amitābha Buddha and Buddha Nature

法藏의 能詮敎體에 나타난 제문제

法藏의 能詮敎體에 나타난 제문제

“Writing as enlightenment”: Don DeLillo’s Buddhism and postsecular writing

This essay conducts a cross-cultural study of Don DeLillo’s novels from a Buddhist perspective. DeLillo’s writing has long been concerned with profound spiritual and religious yearning, but it has often been read within a Catholic context due to the author’s Catholic background. This essay argues that DeLillo’s engagement with mysticism also owes debts to his knowledge of Buddhism. By referring to DeLillo’s early adulthood experience in the 1960s, I position DeLillo’s novels in a postsecular narrative which means not only the resurgence of religious belief in a secular age but the coexistence of various beliefs in both social and literary context proposed by John McClure. Specifically, this essay will examine DeLillo’s Buddhist engagement within the framework of three turnings of the dharma wheel, namely, the four noble truths, emptiness and Buddha nature. This new framework would allow me to explore systematically how DeLillo’s Buddhist imagination has filtered into the fabric of everyday life of his characters. And reading through the lens of Eastern religion would also open up new possibility in understanding both DeLillo and contemporary American postsecular literature.

A Muslim's Reflections on Saddharamapundariksutra—The Lotus Sutra

This paper seeks to introduce the general reader to the history of Muslim–Buddhist dialogue, reviewing early instances of interreligious conversation between the two traditions, while also offering a speculative reflection on the Lotus Sutra from an Islamic perspective and highlighting some points of contact between the spirituality of this Buddhist text and the overarching transformative vision of the Qur’an. The author questions the conventional understanding that Islam effectively ignores all religions apart from Judaism and Christianity, noting, for instance, that according to Muhammad Assad, the term kafir—ordinarily translated as “infidel”—actually refers to anyone rejecting spiritual truth, and as such it could not be automatically applied to anyone outside the three Abrahamic traditions. The author also surveys a number of early studies of Buddhism written from an Islamic perspective, such as the work by Abd al-Karim al-Shahrastani (1086–1153 CE), concluding with a striking quote by the mystic Rumi (1207–1273), who claimed that the path to the Mecca and the path to the Buddhist monastery were one and the same. The first section of the paper concludes with the observation that contemporary Islamic scholarship on Buddhism is almost exclusively based on Western sources and on a Western understanding of the religion, while failing to engage original Buddhist texts or to develop a fully Islamic perspective. In the second section of the paper, the author discusses the Lotus Sutra as a source for wisdom that can be fruitfully read by Muslim scholars and practitioners alike. Relying on the classical Qur’anic notion that all nations received prophets before the coming of Muhammad, the author views the sutra as a channel of divine wisdom, highlighting the parallelism between certain claims of the Mahāyāna tradition—such as the belief in the Buddha nature—and some lesser-known Islamic traditions, such as the belief in the light of Mohammed (nur-Muhammad). The author expresses the hope that Islamic–Buddhist dialogue will foster greater interreligious understanding, while underscoring that he does not espouse a perennialist or pluralist theology of religions.

The Korean Dilemma: Assuming Perfectibility but Recognizing Moral Frailty

For centuries a question at the core of Korean philosophical and religious thinking has been how to reconcile the recognition of moral frailty with the assumption that human beings have the ability to become morally perfect. One Buddhist solution has been to call for the gradual replacement of preenlightenment habits with moral habits after becoming enlightened to one’s own Buddha nature. Confucians have instead focused on managing the relationship between innate moral tendencies and equally innate selfish emotions. Christians offered another solution to this conundrum: dropping the assumption that human beings on their own can achieve moral perfection and instead focusing on relying to God’s help to overcome moral frailty. Indigenous new religions have proposed yet another solution: waiting for the unfavorable conditions that prevail in the world today to change so that it will be easier to act the way we know we should act. None of these proposed solutions satisfy everyone. As a result, Koreans continue their search for a way to explain, and overcome, moral failure while maintaining confidence in their ability to do so.

Chan Ways of Dying: Insights into the Great Matter of Death

Surprisingly little research has been published about Chan perspectives on death, and even less is known about how Chan conceptions of death and dying have evolved over time. Sometime during the twelfth century, the Caodong Chan master Weizhao famously admonished his disciples to “be like someone who has died the great death,” alluding to the death of the deluded mind, or enlightenment. In a twist on Zhuangzi’s famous adage, Weizhao tells a student: “Why be concerned about returning to life if one does not yet know how to die? Why be concerned about enlightenment if one does not know how to put out the flames of delusion?” The great matter of death seems to render all other koans irrelevant. At the same time, pre-Buddhist influences and human emotions continue to affect the ways in which Chan practitioners face the reality of death. In discussing the transmission, revitalization, and transformation of Chan Buddhism in modern East Asia, this inquiry is more relevant than ever. Ignoring its iconoclasm and iconic spontaneity, traditional Chan was understood within the Buddhist doctrinal framework as a path to awakening that traverses the six realms of cyclic existence toward a clearly defined goal. A path that does not liberate one from birth and death, does not qualify to be Chan. Weizhao’s interpretation of the great matter of death that supersedes all other koans seems to allude to a total quietude that allows one’s Buddha nature to shine forth. In the eleventh century text Yiqing xingchuan, too, the great death seems to be equated with silent illumination. Rest and cessation are not some distant place, but imminently accessible. Danxia Zichun counsels the Chan student to “let go of all worldly concerns and sit totally still.” Susuki Roshi concurs: “Don’t move. Just die. Moment after moment. This is your last moment, so nothing can save you now. Not even enlightenment will help you now, because this is your last moment. So be true to yourself and express yourself fully.” The koan is whether “broad and penetrating comprehension” can arise from a simple absence of mental activity or whether it expresses something beyond that. This paper will apply a multidisciplinary approach to explore the social, religious, and psychological implications of Chan Buddhist thought and practice related to death and dying, both in Chinese literature and in contemporary Chinese communities.