초기불교 중심교리와 선정수행의 제문제 - 화두선 전통과의 교두보 확보를 위하여

Critical Review of Meditative Practice and the Heart of Early Buddhism. - For the Establishment of a Bridgehead between Vipassanā and Kongan-seon(公案禪) -

&nbsp;&nbsp;The aim of the present work is to review the understanding of meditative practice in the aspect of main doctrine of Early Buddhism. Besides, it has another aim to establish a bridgehead between Vipassan？ and Kongan-seon(公案禪). For those purposes, I will examine the original concept of jh？na-practice and how the original concept of jh？na-practice turned out false. The first introduction of such transfiguration might be derived from a story of Mah？parinibb？na Suttanta and its parallels Chinese translation, and another sutta of Majjhima Nik？ya. According to theses suttas, once, the Buddha was meditating at ？tum？, at the threshing-floor, the rain-god streamed and splashed, lightning flashed and thunder crashed, and two farmers, brothers, and four oxen were killed. And a lot of people went out of Atum？ to where the two brothers and the four oxen were killed. However, the Buddha neither see nor hear when the rain-god streamed and splashed, lightning flashed and thunder crashed. There is another story of the monk, Sa？j？va, who was in a state of jh？na in a forest. But woodmen, thought that he was dead and burnt his body. But Sa？j？va came out of his jh？na at the right time and shook out his robes and entered the village for alms.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;This state of jh？na is regarded as sa？？？vedayita-nirodha(Cessation of Feeling and Perception), the last attaintment of Buddhist meditative system in the stage leading to the ultimate salvation of Nibb？na. Therefore, completion of "intensive and motionless absorption" was thought to be the purpose of Buddhist meditation. Buddhist celebrates a suspension of all consciousness and activities. Such annihilation of the senses can be called as the "theory of motionless-sam？dhi". More serious problem was that such an idea brought about misconception of the relation between Samatha and Vipassan？, and Nibb？na. For example, It was thought that the mutual exclusive of Samatha and Vipassan？, and the limitation of Vipassan？ is the first jh？na to ？ki？ca？？？yatanasam？patti(attaintment of No-Thingness). Moreover, it was thought to attain Nibb？na in the limitation of the first jh？na, etc.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;However, the essential core of Buddhist meditation is a cultivation of adhicitta-sampad？(or citta-sampad？ : perfection of higher thought, i.e., mental purity and clarification), not a completion of intensive absorption. That is the reason why the higher degree of clarification of mind indicates the higher stage of jh？na in early Buddhism. Further, the completion of purity(p？risuddhi) is the stage of the fourth jh？na, and it generates the next division of sikkh？(the 3-fold division of training), i.e., "knowledge of things as they truly are" (yath？bh？ta？a？adassana). Yath？bh？ta？a？adassana means pa？？？(insight) of yath？-bh？ta, and vipassan？ is name of practice in the state of pa？？？.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;Therefore, the accurate understanding of Buddhist meditation directly opposes to the view of mutual exclusive of Samatha and Vipassan？, to the limitation of Vipassan？ up to ？ki？ca？？？yatansam？patti etc.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;For the concluding remarks, the present examination basically deals with the critique of recent discussions by other scholars for the foundation ground of further discussion on the relation of Vipassan？ and Kongan-seon.