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Five Ranks

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48-627: The "goal" Background Chinese texts Classical Post-classical Contemporary Zen in Japan Seon in Korea Thiền in Vietnam Western Zen The "Five Ranks" ( Chinese : 五位 ; pinyin : Wuwei ; Japanese : goi ) is a poem consisting of five stanzas describing the stages of realization in the practice of Zen Buddhism . It expresses the interplay of absolute and relative truth and

96-639: A Zen Buddhist interpretation of the ten Bodhisattva bhumi , the ten stages on the Bodhisattva -path. The pictures first became widely known in the West after their inclusion in the 1957 book, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings , by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki . Alan Watts included a description of the Ten Bulls in The Spirit of Zen . The pictures went on to influence

144-509: A certain extent in South Korea , remain virtually identical to traditional characters, with variations between the two forms largely stylistic. There has historically been a debate on traditional and simplified Chinese characters . Because the simplifications are fairly systematic, it is possible to convert computer-encoded characters between the two sets, with the main issue being ambiguities in simplified representations resulting from

192-488: A person; even Buddhas and Zen masters can do nothing". But even this "cannot be considered the place to sit in peace [...] You must know there is another rank, attainment in both". Who dares to equal him Who falls into neither being nor non-being! All men want to leave The current of ordinary life, But he, after all, comes back To sit among the coals and ashes. If you are not trapped in being or nonbeing, who can dare to join you? Everyone wants to leave

240-444: A plethora of miseries". A sleepy-eyed grandma Encounters herself in an old mirror. Clearly she sees a face, But it doesn't resemble her at all. Too bad, with a muddled head, She tries to recognize her reflection! A woman who's overslept encounters an ancient mirror; clearly she sees her face- there is no other reality. Nevertheless, she still mistakes her reflection for her head The second rank describes

288-644: A poem attributed to Shitou Xiqian (traditional Chinese: 石頭希遷). The work is highly significant in both the Caodong / Sōtō and Linji / Rinzai schools of Zen that exist today. Eihei Dogen , the founder of the Japanese Sōtō School, references the Five Ranks in the first paragraph of one of his most widely studied works, Genjōkōan . Hakuin integrated the Five Ranks in his system of koan-teaching . The Five Ranks are listed below with two translations of

336-869: Is 産 (also the accepted form in Japan and Korea), while in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan the accepted form is 產 (also the accepted form in Vietnamese chữ Nôm ). The PRC tends to print material intended for people in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and overseas Chinese in traditional characters. For example, versions of the People's Daily are printed in traditional characters, and both People's Daily and Xinhua have traditional character versions of their website available, using Big5 encoding. Mainland companies selling products in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan use traditional characters in order to communicate with consumers;

384-411: Is a spirit spontaneously soaring. The fourth rank describes "the bodhisattva of indomitable spirit" who " go[es] into the marketplace extending their hands, acting for others". It is powerful enlightened behaviour. "This is what is called being on the road without leaving home, leaving home without being on the road. Is this an ordinary person? Is this a sage? Demons and outsiders cannot discern such

432-596: Is based on the teachings of Asaṅga (4th CE), who delineating the nine mental abidings in his Abhidharmasamuccaya and the Śrāvakabhūmi chapter of his Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra It is also found in the Mahāyānasūtrālaṅkāra of Maitreyanātha , which shows considerable similarity in arrangement and content to the Bodhisattva-bhūmi-śāstra . In this scheme, śamatha practice is said to progress through nine "mental abidings" or Nine stages of training

480-677: Is one of the earliest similes for meditation practice. It comes from the Maha Gopalaka Sutta ( Majjhima Nikaya 33). It is also used in the commentaries, especially the one on the Maha Satipatthana Sutta ( Digha Nikaya 22) and the Satipatthana Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 10). In Indian Buddhism the simile of the bull is compatible to the ancient traditional Chinese view within Cosmology that includes

528-493: The Chinese Commercial News , World News , and United Daily News all use traditional characters, as do some Hong Kong–based magazines such as Yazhou Zhoukan . The Philippine Chinese Daily uses simplified characters. DVDs are usually subtitled using traditional characters, influenced by media from Taiwan as well as by the two countries sharing the same DVD region , 3. With most having immigrated to

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576-515: The Kensiu language . Ten Bulls Ten Bulls or Ten Ox Herding Pictures ( Chinese : shíniú 十牛 , Japanese : jūgyūzu 十牛図 , korean : sipwoo 십우) is a series of short poems and accompanying drawings used in the Zen tradition to describe the stages of a practitioner's progress toward awakening , and their subsequent return to society to enact wisdom and compassion. The calf, bull, or ox

624-682: The Ox (niú 牛) as a birth year and quality, as a result this similarity helped with the early assimilation of Buddhism into Chinese culture and then on to the rest of East Asia. Buddhaghosa , in his commentary on the Satipatthana Suttas gives a simile of the taming of a wild calf. The calf is the wild mind which is to be tamed. The same idea was developed by the Chan/Zen tradition. The well-known ten ox-herding pictures emerged in China in

672-640: The Shanghainese -language character U+20C8E 𠲎 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-20C8E —a composition of 伐 with the ⼝   'MOUTH' radical—used instead of the Standard Chinese 嗎 ; 吗 . Typefaces often use the initialism TC to signify the use of traditional Chinese characters, as well as SC for simplified Chinese characters . In addition, the Noto, Italy family of typefaces, for example, also provides separate fonts for

720-526: The "laughing Buddha", who is bodhisattva Maitreya . Liaoan Qingyu (了菴清欲, Jp. Ryōan Seiyoku) (1288-1363) made another version with five pictures. In Japan, Kuòān Shīyuǎn's version gained a wide circulation, and many variations of these illustrations were made, the earliest one probably belonging to the fifteenth century. The following illustrations include the verses by Kuòān Shīyuǎn translated by Senzaki Nyogen (千崎如幻) (1876–1958) and Paul Reps (1895-1990). The paintings below are traditionally attributed to

768-550: The 12th century. D.T. Suzuki mentions four Chinese versions of the Oxherding Pictures, by Ching-chu (Jp. Seikyo, c. 11th century), Tzu-te Hui (Jp. Jitoku, c. 1090-1159), an unknown author, and Kuòān Shīyuǎn (Jp. Kaku-an) (c. 12th century). The first series was probably made by Ching-chu in the 11th century, who may have been a contemporary of Kuòān Shīyuǎn. There are only five pictures in Ching-chu's version and

816-559: The Japanese monk painter Tenshō Shūbun (天章周文) (1414-1463). The following set was drawn by the court calligrapher Karasumaru Mitsuhiro (1579–1638). The set includes ten waka (Japanese poems in thirty-one syllables) rendered in high Heian period Japanese calligraphic style. The ox-herding pictures had an immediate and extensive influence on the Chinese practice of Chan Buddhism . According to Chi Kwang Sunim , they may represent

864-555: The People's Republic of China, traditional Chinese characters are standardised according to the Table of Comparison between Standard, Traditional and Variant Chinese Characters . Dictionaries published in mainland China generally show both simplified and their traditional counterparts. There are differences between the accepted traditional forms in mainland China and elsewhere, for example the accepted traditional form of 产 in mainland China

912-532: The United States during the second half of the 19th century, Chinese Americans have long used traditional characters. When not providing both, US public notices and signs in Chinese are generally written in traditional characters, more often than in simplified characters. In the past, traditional Chinese was most often encoded on computers using the Big5 standard, which favored traditional characters. However,

960-555: The absolute within the relative does not extend to one's behavior towards others. Hakuin describes that at this point one "is neither conversant with the deportment of the bodhisattva , nor does he understand the causal conditions for a Buddha-land . Although he has a clear understanding of the Universal and True Wisdom, he cannot cause to shine forth the Marvelous Wisdom that comprehends the unobstructed interpenetration of

1008-535: The album, the song Sitting refers to meditation, and the apprehensions that may result from the experiences resulting from enlightenment. Catch Bull at Four was commercially successful and spent 3 weeks at number one in the Billboard album charts in 1972. Leonard Cohen based his song 'Ballad of the Absent Mare', which appeared in his album Recent Songs published in 1979, on the Ten Bulls stories. In

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1056-406: The beginning of Zen insight, but it can become a trap for people who take the absolute to be the end-station: "Although inside and out may be perfectly clear as long as you are hidden away in an unfrequented place where there is absolute quiet and nothing to do, yet you are powerless as soon as perception touches upon different worldly situations, with all their clamor and emotion, and you are beset by

1104-695: The fundamental non-dualism of Buddhist teaching. The ranks are referenced in the Song of the Precious Mirror Samadhi . This work is attributed to the Chinese Caodong ( Sōtō ) monk Dongshan Liangjie (Japanese: Tōzan Ryōkan), who lived during the end of the Tang dynasty , as well as two sets of verse commentaries by him. The teachings of the Five Ranks may be inspired by the Sandokai ,

1152-461: The heart is the beauty of former days This rank describes the Absolute, insight into the empty nature or not-"thing"-ness of everything. The scholar Heinrich Dumoulin describes the first rank as the realization that "all diverse things and events are in their essence the same, formless and empty. Emptiness is undisturbed by any subjective element". According to Hakuin , this rank is only

1200-493: The inverse is equally true as well. In digital media, many cultural phenomena imported from Hong Kong and Taiwan into mainland China, such as music videos, karaoke videos, subtitled movies, and subtitled dramas, use traditional Chinese characters. In Hong Kong and Macau , traditional characters were retained during the colonial period, while the mainland adopted simplified characters. Simplified characters are contemporaneously used to accommodate immigrants and tourists, often from

1248-468: The liner notes to the album, Cohen thanks his Zen Master Roshi for inspiring one of the songs: "I owe my thanks to Joshu Sasaki upon whose exposition of an early Chinese text I based 'Ballad of the Absent Mare.'" In the 1989 South Korean film Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? , an ox escapes into the forest and one of the protagonists, a young boy, attempts to hunt it down through the bushes. During

1296-725: The mainland. The increasing use of simplified characters has led to concern among residents regarding protecting what they see as their local heritage. Taiwan has never adopted simplified characters. The use of simplified characters in government documents and educational settings is discouraged by the government of Taiwan. Nevertheless, with sufficient context simplified characters are likely to be successfully read by those used to traditional characters, especially given some previous exposure. Many simplified characters were previously variants that had long been in some use, with systematic stroke simplifications used in folk handwriting since antiquity. Traditional characters were recognized as

1344-682: The majority of Chinese text in mainland China are simplified characters , there is no legislation prohibiting the use of traditional Chinese characters, and often traditional Chinese characters remain in use for stylistic and commercial purposes, such as in shopfront displays and advertising. Traditional Chinese characters remain ubiquitous on buildings that predate the promulgation of the current simplification scheme, such as former government buildings, religious buildings, educational institutions, and historical monuments. Traditional Chinese characters continue to be used for ceremonial, cultural, scholarly/academic research, and artistic/decorative purposes. In

1392-522: The manifold dharmas." Within nothingness there is a path Leading away from the dusts of the world. Even if you observe the taboo On the present emperor's name, You will surpass that eloquent one of yore Who silenced every tongue. Within nothingness is a road out of the dust; just be able to avoid violating the present taboo name and you will surpass the eloquence of yore that silenced every tongue. This rank describes enlightened behaviour: "Enlightened beings do not dwell in

1440-983: The merging of previously distinct character forms. Many Chinese online newspapers allow users to switch between these character sets. Traditional characters are known by different names throughout the Chinese-speaking world. The government of Taiwan officially refers to traditional Chinese characters as 正體字 ; 正体字 ; zhèngtǐzì ; 'orthodox characters'. This term is also used outside Taiwan to distinguish standard characters, including both simplified, and traditional, from other variants and idiomatic characters . Users of traditional characters elsewhere, as well as those using simplified characters, call traditional characters 繁體字 ; 繁体字 ; fántǐzì ; 'complex characters', 老字 ; lǎozì ; 'old characters', or 全體字 ; 全体字 ; quántǐzì ; 'full characters' to distinguish them from simplified characters. Some argue that since traditional characters are often

1488-451: The mind (S. navākārā cittasthiti , Tib. sems gnas dgu ), leading to śamatha proper (the equivalent of "access concentration" in the Theravāda system), and from there to a state of meditative concentration called the first dhyāna (Pāli: jhāna ; Tib. bsam gtan ) which is often said to be a state of tranquillity or bliss. However, this Indo-Tibetan series of stages is not equivalent to

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1536-677: The official script in Singapore until 1969, when the government officially adopted Simplified characters. Traditional characters still are widely used in contexts such as in baby and corporation names, advertisements, decorations, official documents and in newspapers. The Chinese Filipino community continues to be one of the most conservative in Southeast Asia regarding simplification. Although major public universities teach in simplified characters, many well-established Chinese schools still use traditional characters. Publications such as

1584-515: The opening scene of Apichatpong Weerasethakul 's 2010 film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives , a water buffalo stands tied to a tree before breaking loose and wandering into a forest. A similar series of meditative stages is depicted in the Nine Stages of Tranquility , used in the Mahamudra tradition, in which the mind is represented by an elephant and a monkey. This

1632-489: The ordinary current, but in the final analysis you come back and sit in the ashes. The fifth rank describes "the mellow maturity of consciousness". According to Sekida, this rank is described in case 13 of the Mumonkan: Traditional Chinese characters Traditional Chinese characters are a standard set of Chinese character forms used to write Chinese languages . In Taiwan ,

1680-454: The original poem, the first by Miura and Sasaki, and the second by Thomas Cleary, followed by commentary and analysis: In the third watch of the night Before the moon appears, No wonder when we meet There is no recognition! Still cherished in my heart Is the beauty of earlier days. In the third watch, beginning of the night, before the moon is bright, do not wonder at meeting without recognition; still held hidden in

1728-700: The original standard forms, they should not be called 'complex'. Conversely, there is a common objection to the description of traditional characters as 'standard', due to them not being used by a large population of Chinese speakers. Additionally, as the process of Chinese character creation often made many characters more elaborate over time, there is sometimes a hesitation to characterize them as 'traditional'. Some people refer to traditional characters as 'proper characters' ( 正字 ; zhèngzì or 正寫 ; zhèngxiě ) and to simplified characters as 簡筆字 ; 简笔字 ; jiǎnbǐzì ; 'simplified-stroke characters' or 減筆字 ; 减笔字 ; jiǎnbǐzì ; 'reduced-stroke characters', as

1776-464: The ox's colour changes from dark to white, representing the gradual development of the practitioner, ending in the disappearance of the practitioner. Tzu-te Hui (自得慧暉, Zide Huihui, Jp. Jitoku ki) (1090-1159) made a version with six pictures. The sixth one goes beyond the stage of absolute emptiness, where Ching-chu's version ends. Just like Ching-chu's version, the ox grows whiter along the way. A third version by an unknown author, with ten pictures,

1824-399: The oxherding pictures was drawn by the 12th century Chinese Rinzai Chán (Zen) master Kuòān Shīyuǎn (廓庵師遠, Jp. Kaku-an Shi-en), who also wrote accompanying poems and introductory words attached to the pictures. In Kuòān Shīyuǎn's version, there is no whitening process, and his series also doesn't end with mere emptiness, or absolute truth, but shows a return to the world, depicting Putai ,

1872-833: The predominant forms. Simplified characters as codified by the People's Republic of China are predominantly used in mainland China , Malaysia, and Singapore. "Traditional" as such is a retronym applied to non-simplified character sets in the wake of widespread use of simplified characters. Traditional characters are commonly used in Taiwan , Hong Kong , and Macau , as well as in most overseas Chinese communities outside of Southeast Asia. As for non-Chinese languages written using Chinese characters, Japanese kanji include many simplified characters known as shinjitai standardized after World War II, sometimes distinct from their simplified Chinese counterparts . Korean hanja , still used to

1920-400: The recognition of the Absolute within "the midst of the variety of different situations in action; you see everything before your eyes as your own original true clean face, just as if you were looking at your face in the mirror" (Hakuin). That is, unlike the insight of the first rank, which can be easily disturbed, the second rank has greater constancy in the face of distractions. However, seeing

1968-521: The set of traditional characters is regulated by the Ministry of Education and standardized in the Standard Form of National Characters . These forms were predominant in written Chinese until the middle of the 20th century, when various countries that use Chinese characters began standardizing simplified sets of characters, often with characters that existed before as well-known variants of

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2016-410: The state of result they have realized; from the ocean of effortlessness, they radiate unconditional compassion". When two blades cross points, There's no need to withdraw. The master swordsman Is like the lotus blooming in the fire. Such a man has in and of himself A heaven-soaring spirit. When two blades cross, no need to flee; an expert is like a lotus in fire- clearly there

2064-636: The traditional character set used in Taiwan ( TC ) and the set used in Hong Kong ( HK ). Most Chinese-language webpages now use Unicode for their text. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommends the use of the language tag zh-Hant to specify webpage content written with traditional characters. In the Japanese writing system , kyujitai are traditional forms, which were simplified to create shinjitai for standardized Japanese use following World War II. Kyūjitai are mostly congruent with

2112-985: The traditional characters in Chinese, save for minor stylistic variation. Characters that are not included in the jōyō kanji list are generally recommended to be printed in their traditional forms, with a few exceptions. Additionally, there are kokuji , which are kanji wholly created in Japan, rather than originally being borrowed from China. In the Korean writing system , hanja —replaced almost entirely by hangul in South Korea and totally replaced in North Korea —are mostly identical with their traditional counterparts, save minor stylistic variations. As with Japanese, there are autochthonous hanja, known as gukja . Traditional Chinese characters are also used by non-Chinese ethnic groups. The Maniq people living in Thailand and Malaysia use Chinese characters to write

2160-518: The ubiquitous Unicode standard gives equal weight to simplified and traditional Chinese characters, and has become by far the most popular encoding for Chinese-language text. There are various input method editors (IMEs) available for the input of Chinese characters . Many characters, often dialectical variants, are encoded in Unicode but cannot be inputted using certain IMEs, with one example being

2208-587: The words for simplified and reduced are homophonous in Standard Chinese , both pronounced as jiǎn . The modern shapes of traditional Chinese characters first appeared with the emergence of the clerical script during the Han dynasty c.  200 BCE , with the sets of forms and norms more or less stable since the Southern and Northern dynasties period c.  the 5th century . Although

2256-474: The work of John Cage , particularly in his emphasis on rhythmic silence, and on images of nothingness. The pictures, especially the last one ('In the Marketplace'), have provided a conceptual umbrella for those Buddhists seeking a greater engagement with the post-industrial global marketplace. Cat Stevens ' sixth studio album Catch Bull at Four is a reference to the 4th step towards enlightenment. On

2304-442: Was the most popular in China. It derives from the Ching-chu and Tzu-te Hui series of pictures, and has a somewhat different series of pictures compared to Kuòān Shīyuǎn's version. The 1585 edition contains a preface by Chu-hung, and it has ten pictures, each of which is preceded by Pu-ming's poem, of whom Chu-hung provides no further information. In this version the ox's colour changes from dark to white. The most famous version of

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