Bridging Ecologies through Contemplative Technologies: Existential Relevance of Huatou 話頭 and the Huayan sanmei men 華嚴三昧門 for Oxytocin and Environmentally Sustainable Behavior
Abstract
:1. Introduction
“We must see the organism and environment as bound together in reciprocal specification”.
“In the body of each being are various lands, in the lands, beings”.
“The creature that wins against its environment destroys itself”.
2. Bridging Ecologies
3. Contemplative Technologies
3.1. Huayan Practice as Contemplative Technology
The five methods Dushun prescribes can thus be understood as contemplative technologies to be applied medicinally, as appropriate to the practitioner-patient’s existential illness. Although the Huayan wujiao zhiguan appears to have played a less central role in Huayan than the Huayan fajie guanmen, its weaving of the meditator into Indra’s net makes it significantly more existentially and ecologically evocative.Prescriptions are designed in response to illness; when the illness is ended, the prescription is finished with. Medicine is dispensed to quell attachments; when attachments are gone, the medicine is done with. Since illnesses are manifold, the medicines given are not one. According to potentials, progress and practice differ; therefore techniques are not the same.
3.2. Huatou Practice as Contemplative Technology
Whether in its pre-natal or post-mortem forms,24 the methodology of huatou may be characterized as leveraging the beginnings of a thought to still all thought, without relying on the full rational faculty or pursuing thought to its furthest end. Its use of language functions as a form of “spiritual homeopathy” in which a minimal yet potent dosage of the “poison of words” is utilized in order to “cure the malady of conceptualization” (Buswell 1987, p. 348). The self-referential content of huatou is an expedient and ought not reify or reinforce the assumption of any self-existent referent. Dahui’s instructions offer additional clarification for the practice of huatou by way of negation:The aim of this method was to use a single thought to oppose and arrest myriad thoughts because the masters had no alternative. It was like an operation which became imperative when poison had been introduced into the body. There were many kung ans (devised by the ancients but) later only hua t’ous were taught such as: “Who is dragging this corpse here?” and “What was my fundamental face before I was born [i.e., before my parents gave birth to me]?” In the present day, the masters use the hua t’ou: “Who is the repeater of Buddha’s name?”
Parallel to its provisional use of language, the existential urgency that huatou conjures in the form of saṃvega is likewise not to be indulged, but to be exhausted and transcended. As Dahui confirms, “While one can access the path through the gate of expedients, it is a sickness to conserve expedients and not discard them” (Buswell 1987, p. 349).26 Once a medicine serves its purpose and the patient is free of disease, that medicine is to be discontinued lest it become an addiction or poison,27 just as a raft is to be set aside upon crossing a river and reaching the further shore.When you observe it, do not use extensive evaluation, do not try to explicate it, do not seek for understanding, do not take it up when you open your mouth, do not make meaning when you raise it, do not fall into vacuity, do not hold onto your mind waiting for enlightenment, do not catch a hold of it when your teacher speaks, and do not lodge in a shell of no concerns.
4. Methods
5. Results
“Definitely the most immersive experience so far. Almost like being inside and a part of a fractal pattern—of human bodies […] of consciousness. I was able for the first time so far to overcome the discomfort of sitting upright by thinking about the idea of no-self”.
Representative examples from nianfo include:“I felt varying degrees of out-of-body experience. Certainly there was a loss of individual identity […] My sense of ‘I’ was melded with a bigger, more universal, sense of ‘we’. Yet, I felt very awake—not mindless or diminished in terms of attention and clarity”.
“The chanting was a very metaphysical experience. At some point the words stopped becoming words and more of a fluid sound”.
“As soon as I shut my eyes I felt an invigorating rush. Almost a bit like vertigo, I felt a sense of momentum, which was in tune with my visualisation of soaring across grass hills towards a bright sky with a glowing Buddha. I also saw ‘electric’ sparks and streaks”.
Interpretation of phenomenological reports will be carried out in the following discussion.“The experience was very unusual. At times it felt psychedelic. I stopped understanding the words o mi tuo fo and just heard sounds. I couldn’t distinguish the words at one point”.
6. Discussion
Such alteration in the sense of self is consistent with a previous study on the effects of huatou practice among Chinese Buddhist monks, whose brain waves reflected greater flexibility in self-schema processing via decreased differences in self-oriented vs. other-oriented neural activity (Gao et al. 2023). These findings begin to address previously acknowledged gaps in existing scientific research regarding forms of insight that may arise through self-inquiry (Dahl et al. 2015). Contemplative insight into the malleability of the self–other boundary, found instantiated in neuroelectrical correlates such as brain waves and neuroendocrine correlates such as oxytocin, may in turn contribute to behavioral change reflective of increased awareness of interrelational ecologies, a possibility awaiting further empirical research.Whereas previously all of one’s experiences were seen to revolve around one’s self, and interpreted as either self or other, through k’an-hua practice the mind opens into a new, all-inclusive perspective from which the limiting “point of view” that is the ego (ātmavāda) is eliminated. Awareness now has no fixed locus. The distinctions ordinarily perceived between self and other disappear, and consciousness expands infinitely, encompassing the entire universe both spatially and temporally.
6.1. Limitations
“I am not into this chanting liturgic stuff. Strange for me”.
“Tonight’s Pure Land service was interesting, but it didn’t get me anywhere”.
“I approached this evening’s chanting service with the usual scepticism”.
While such doubt may be phenomenologically comparable to that intentionally instigated through huatou, its target (nianfo) is not the traditional target of huatou practice. Thus, further research is needed in order to examine the effects of standardized forms of huatou, with and without nianfo, among participants across multiple time-points, including those who are more familiar with these contemplative technologies, whether long-term lay practitioners or monastics, especially in comparison to an active control group.“During the session I kept thinking that I wanted it to be over. The service was also opposed to my own personal beliefs, so it was particularly hard to maintain focus. I felt bitter and couldn’t wait for it to be finished”.
6.2. Continuations
7. Conclusions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
J | Jiaxing dazang jing 嘉興大藏經; see (Xinwenfeng chuban gongsi, comp. 1987). |
T | Taishō shinshū daizōkyō 大正新修大藏經; see (Takakusu and Watanabe 1924–1932). |
X | Shinsan dainihon zokuzōkyō 卍㕘纂大日㛔續啷經; see (Maeda and Nakano 1980–1989). |
1 | T no. 279, 10: 198c22: 刹中種種衆生身 身中復有種種刹 (T = Taishō shinshū daizōkyō; see (Takakusu and Watanabe 1924–1932)); sattvakāyi sugatā vividhakṣetrā/kṣetri sattva […] Sanskrit from Vaidya, Daśabhūmikasūtram, 8.8ab. |
2 | German: Ökologie; from Greek: οἶκος, oîkos; house/home. |
3 | Huayan 華嚴 is a tradition of Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhism that flourished during the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) and derives its orientation from the Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Huayan jing 華嚴經), a Buddhist scripture translated twice in full into Chinese, first (T no. 278) by Buddhabhadra 佛陀跋陀羅 c. 420 CE and second (T no. 279) by Śikṣānanda 實叉難陀 c. 699 CE under the royal patronage of Empress Wu Zetian 武則天. Reflecting its multifaceted character and contents, the Huayan jing has been described in such colorful terms as “holographic”, “fractal”, “psychedelic”, and “a hodgepodge” (Fox 2013, p. 181). |
4 | T no. 279, 10: 25b17-18: 廣大修行慧海地 一切法門咸遍了 普現國土如虚空 樹中演暢此法音。 |
5 | See note 1. |
6 | T no. 279, 10: 248c14-15: 知一切法。皆從縁起。盡無有餘。知一切世界種。盡無有餘。知一切法界中。如因陀羅網。 |
7 | 「一般系統論所說的整體性是指生命有機體或生態系統是由系統內在諸要素之間相互關聯、相互作用組成的有機整體。「緣起相由」將法界以及任何一事物(「一緣」)均視作諸緣或要素構成的整體,體現了同樣的整體性」 (Chen 2015, p. 478). |
8 | 「『華嚴法界觀』是緣起說之頂峰,亦可為提供生態學的『整體觀』與環保之『共生思想』深入的理論基礎」(Lai 2010). |
9 | 「諸法無盡相融緣起的根本原因是緣起之法即空無自性,因此能夠全體相收而不礙彼此差別,彼中有此,此中有彼」 (Zhao 2015, p. 335). |
10 | 「这张“网”表达了宇宙万物处在复杂的多层次的相互关联之中的思想, 这也是对现象世界整体性最贴切、真实的比喻」 (Zhang and Ren 2003, p. 45). |
11 | 「人类与所有生命物种在生态系统中的相互依存关系是一个事实,人们不应当把自己一个物种当成是整个生态系统,就像不应当把一颗宝右误认为是整个“因陀罗网”一样」(Shan 2007, p. 126). |
12 | 「虽然把改变环境 、维护生态平衡的希望寄托在佛教上并不现实, 但佛教文化中的生态伦理思想及其实践无疑对生态环境保护仍具有积极意义」 (Bi 2013, p. 124). |
13 | E.g., T no. 279, 10: 198c16-17: 一毛孔内無量刹 各有四洲及大海 須彌鐵圍亦復然 悉見在中無迫隘 “In a single pore are infinite lands, each with four continents and seas,/As well as polar and peripheral mountains, all seen therein, uncrowded” (Cleary 1993, p. 764). Note that this passage does not appear to occur in the Sanskrit Daśabhūmikasūtram edited by Vaidya, nor the earlier version of the Huayan jing translated by Buddhabhadra c. 420 CE, nor the Shizhu jing 十住經 (T no. 286) translated by Kumārajīva 鳩摩羅什 c. 402–409 CE, but occurs in the later version of the Huayan jing translated by Śikṣānanda c. 699 CE, as well as slightly modified (using 有 in place of 在) in the Foshuo shidi jing 佛説十地經 (T no. 287) translated by Śīladharma 尸羅達摩 c. 790 CE. |
14 | Based on its peculiar terminological, historical, and ideological details, Gimello (1976) asserts the Huayan wujiao zhiguan is not the work of Dushun, but plausibly an early draft of the Huayan youxin fajie ji 華嚴遊心法界記 (T no. 1877) by Fazang 法藏 (643–712 CE). The same conclusion is drawn by Yūki (1930), as well as by Liefke and Plassen (2016). Meanwhile, Choe (1918) and Plassen (2020) suggest Wonhyo 元曉 (617–686 CE), a Korean contemporary and student of Fazang, as possible author. Authorship particularities aside, the meditation account in the Huayan sanmei men is of far greater relevance to the present investigation. |
15 | T no. 1867, 45: 509b2-4: 夫對病而裁方。病盡而方息。治執而施藥。執遣而藥已。爲病既多。與藥非一。隨機進修異。所以方便不同。 |
16 | T no. 279, 10: 108b18: 入因陀羅網法界。 |
17 | T no. 1867, 45: 513b6-7: 若於一珠中坐時。即坐著十方重重一切珠也。 |
18 | Interestingly, Kai Ji identifies Dahui Zonggao as playing a crucial role in Huayan-Chan, asserting that while Dahui was not the first to fuse Huayan thought with Chan, he was the first to specifically promote Huayan-Chan thought (Kai 1996, p. 41). Dahui used 相即相入 and 重重無盡 as bridges between Chan and Huayan (Ibid., p. 53) while his orientation toward Huayan-Chan entailed “crushing” (打散) and “reshaping” (再形) Huayan teachings to form new meanings out of them (Ibid., pp. 54–55). |
19 | Variations on the practice of huatou 話頭 are expressed in terms such as kan huatou 看話頭 and kanhua Chan 看話禪. For the purposes of this article, the term huatou will be used throughout. |
20 | Such practice is also called “nianfo gongan” 念佛公案, “investigating nianfo” 參究念佛, or “investigating Chan through nianfo” 參禪念佛 and usually takes the form of the inquiry “nianfozhe shi shei” 念佛者是誰 or “nianfo shi shei” 念佛是誰. Identical references to “investigating nianfo” are included in the Yunqi fahui 雲棲法彙, J no. B277, 33: 194c27 and the Hanshan laoren mengyou ji 憨山老人夢遊集, X no. 1456, 73: 656a12-13, e.g., 從參究念佛得力。至是遂開淨土一門。 (J = Jiaxing dazang jing; see (Xinwenfeng chuban gongsi, comp. 1987); X) = Shinsan dainihon zokuzōkyō; see (Maeda and Nakano 1980–1989)). |
21 | |
22 | Shi Yinqian attributes the flourishing of kanhua Chan in the early Republic era to Xuyun and Laiguo (Shi Yinqian 1999, p. 108). |
23 | 「目的在以一念抵制萬念。這實在是不得已的辦法。如惡毒在身。非開刀療治。難以生效。古人的公案多得很。後來專講看話頭。有的『看拖死屍的是誰。』有的『看父母未生以前。如何是我本來面目。』晚近諸方多用『看念佛是誰。』」(Xuyun 1998, p. 40). |
24 | See also the Boshan chan jingyu 博山禪警語, X no. 1257, 63: 756a15-19: 做工夫。貴在起疑情。何謂疑情。如生不知何來。不得不疑來處。死不知何去。不得不疑去處。生死關竅不破。則疑情頓發。結在眉睫上。放亦不下。趂亦不去。忽朝樸破疑團。生死二字是甚麼閑家具。噁。古德云。大疑大悟。小疑小悟。不疑不悟。 |
25 | T no. 1998A, 47: 901c28-a3: 看時不用博量。不用註解。不用要得分曉。不用向開口處承當。不用向擧起處作道理。不用墮在空寂處。不用將心等悟。不用向宗師説處領略。不用掉在無事甲裏。 |
26 | T no. 1998A, 47: 919a5-6: 借方便門以入道則可。守方便而不捨則爲病。 |
27 | See various discussions of Chan sickness, including those instances occurring in the process of fording the stream, prior to reaching dry land, either from abuse or misuse of meditation, or as troubling side-effects of meditation properly undertaken. One textual source among many is the Zhi chanbing miyao fa 治禪病祕要法 (T no. 620). |
28 | For elaboration, see the following assessment Eichman provides on the existential potency of huatou: “Both Zhuhong and Deqing saw this practice as one that delved into questions about the nature of reality—Deqing specifically refers to ‘life and death’ (shengsi 生死)—and the gap between the awakened Buddha and the unenlightened self. Such quandaries were framed in terms of the following questions: Where am I from? Who am I? Where did the sound go? From whence did it arise? In other words, they are not asking practitioners to entertain ‘doubt’ in a fuzzy, abstract sense, but to participate in a quite focused, inwardly directed spiritual inquiry” (Eichman 2016, p. 282). |
29 | J no. B277, 33: 78c16: 疑是參究體察之意。 |
30 | X no. 1456, 73: 499b8-10: 要你參究自己。不是向他玄妙言句取覓。今人參禪做工夫。人人都說看話頭。下疑情。不知向根底究。只管在話頭上求。 |
31 | For elaboration, see the following linkage Næss provides between ecology and sense of self: “‘To have a home’, ‘to belong’, ‘to live’ and many other similar expressions suggest fundamental milieu factors involved in the shaping of an individual’s sense of self and self-respect. The identity of the individual, ‘that I am something’, is developed through interaction with a broad manifold, both organic and inorganic. There is no completely isolatable I, no isolatable social unit. To distance oneself from nature and the ‘natural’ is to distance oneself from a part of that which the I is built up. Its ‘identity’, ‘what the individual I is’, and, thereby, sense of self and self-respect, are broken down. Some milieu factors, e.g., mother, father, family, one’s first companions, play a central role in the development of an I, but so do home and the surroundings of home” (Næss 1989, p. 164). |
32 | See variations on the relation between 父母未生 and 本來面目 in the Yuanwu foguo chanshi yulu 圓悟佛果禪師語録 (T no. 1997), Dahui pujue chanshi yulu 大慧普覺禪師語録 (T no. 1998A), and Mi’an heshang yulu 密菴和尚語録 (T no. 1999), among others. |
33 | E.g., T no. 1867, 45: 513b13-15: 只由不出此珠。是故得入一切珠。若出此一珠入一切珠者。即不得入一切珠也。何以故。離此珠内無別珠故。 “It is only because one does not leave this one jewel that one can enter into all jewels. If one left one jewel to enter into all jewels, it would not be possible to enter into all the jewels. Why? Because outside of this one jewel there are no other jewels” (Fox 2015, p. 266). |
34 | T no. 1867, 45: 513a25-26: 明多法互入猶如帝網天珠重重無盡之境界也。 “The manner in which all dharmas interpenetrate is like an imperial net of celestial jewels extending in all directions infinitely, without limit” (Fox 2015, p. 265). |
35 | T no. 1867, 45: 513b2: 取一顆珠驗之。 “[W]e can pick one particular jewel and examine it closely” (Ibid.). |
36 | T no. 1867, 45: 513b6-7: 若於一珠中坐時。即坐著十方重重一切珠也。 “When one sits within one jewel, one is simultaneously sitting in all the infinite jewels in all ten directions” (Ibid.). |
37 | T no. 1867, 45: 513b9-11: 既於一珠中入一切珠。而竟不出此一珠。於一切珠入一珠。而竟不起此一珠。 “Just as one goes into one jewel and thus enters every other jewel while never leaving this one jewel, so too one enters any jewel while never leaving this particular jewel” (Ibid.). |
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Time-Practice | Mean (M) | Standard Deviation (SD) | Standard Error (SE) |
---|---|---|---|
pre-nianfo | 36.4652 | 25.63092 | 4.67954 |
post-nianfo | 31.8623 | 20.05921 | 3.66229 |
pre-huatou | 37.6425 | 21.58006 | 3.93996 |
post-huatou | 44.2473 | 30.67912 | 5.60122 |
(a) | |
---|---|
Day | Average Mass (grams) |
2 | 8.07 |
9 | 1.72 |
14 | 1.28 |
21 | 3.27 |
(b) | |
Day | Total Mass (grams) |
5 | 41.1 |
10 | 168.1 |
15 | 279.6 |
20 | 254.8 |
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Morseth, B.K. Bridging Ecologies through Contemplative Technologies: Existential Relevance of Huatou 話頭 and the Huayan sanmei men 華嚴三昧門 for Oxytocin and Environmentally Sustainable Behavior. Religions 2024, 15, 1164. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101164
Morseth BK. Bridging Ecologies through Contemplative Technologies: Existential Relevance of Huatou 話頭 and the Huayan sanmei men 華嚴三昧門 for Oxytocin and Environmentally Sustainable Behavior. Religions. 2024; 15(10):1164. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101164
Chicago/Turabian StyleMorseth, Brianna K. 2024. "Bridging Ecologies through Contemplative Technologies: Existential Relevance of Huatou 話頭 and the Huayan sanmei men 華嚴三昧門 for Oxytocin and Environmentally Sustainable Behavior" Religions 15, no. 10: 1164. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101164
APA StyleMorseth, B. K. (2024). Bridging Ecologies through Contemplative Technologies: Existential Relevance of Huatou 話頭 and the Huayan sanmei men 華嚴三昧門 for Oxytocin and Environmentally Sustainable Behavior. Religions, 15(10), 1164. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101164