Svasaṃvedana

Apr 23, 2026 - 08:30
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Svasaṃvedana

In East Asian Buddhism: Added material from the Yongjia Chan Zong Ji.

← Previous revision Revision as of 02:59, 23 April 2026
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Nothing remains
Nothing is harboured in memory
Void, clear, self-illumining [自照, ''zizhao'']
The heart-strength does not struggle
It is not the place of calculated thinking
Difficult for understanding and sentiment to fathom
In the Dharma realm of true Suchness
There is no other, no selfRecords of the Transmission of the Lamp, Volume 8, Chan Poetry and Inscriptions, translated by Randolph Whitfield, page 88 (for the Chinese, see page 240, note 356), Books on Demand, 2020
Nothing remains
Nothing is harboured in memory
Void, clear, self-illumining [自照, ''zizhao'']
The heart-strength does not struggle
It is not the place of calculated thinking
Difficult for understanding and sentiment to fathom
In the Dharma realm of true Suchness
There is no other, no selfRecords of the Transmission of the Lamp, Volume 8, Chan Poetry and Inscriptions, translated by Randolph Whitfield, page 88 (for the Chinese, see page 240, note 356), Books on Demand, 2020


The Japanese [[Sōtō]] Zen master [[Menzan Zuihō]] (1683–1769) comments in his ''Jijuyū-Zanmai'' that this means that "the light of the Self shines brightly," saying that it is "similar to the light of a jewel illuminating the jewel itself." As such, there is no need to engage in mental struggle.Heart of Zen: Practice without Gaining-mind, pages 44-45, Sotoshu Shumucho
The Japanese [[Sōtō]] Zen master [[Menzan Zuihō]] (1683–1769) comments in his ''Jijuyū-Zanmai'' that this means that "the light of the Self shines brightly," saying that it is "similar to the light of a jewel illuminating the jewel itself." As such, there is no need to engage in mental struggle.Heart of Zen: Practice without Gaining-mind, pages 44-45, Sotoshu Shumucho


Other Chan materials express that it is unnecessary for a knower to know knowing. For example, the ''Yongjia Chan Zong Ji'', attributed to [[Huineng|Huineng's]] disciple [[Yongjia Xuanjue]], states, "What is meant now by 'knowing' is that one need not 'know the knowing.' It is simply knowing and nothing more." (今言知者。不須知知。但知而已).{{Cite web |last=Xuanjue |first=Yongjia |title=禪宗永嘉集序 |url=https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/en/T2013_001 |website=Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association (CBETA)}}
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The ''[[Śūraṅgama Sūtra]]'', generally regarded to be an East Asian [[Apocrypha|apocryphon]], explains the coming into being of the world of illusion in terms of "adding understanding to understanding." According to the sutra, [[Original enlightenment|intrinsic enlightenment]] is inherently pure and endowed with understanding, but on the basis of an additional understanding which has been added to it, there arises illusion.The Śūraṅgama Sūtra with Excerpts from the Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsüan Hua, a New Translation, pages 141-144, Buddhist Text Translation Society, 2009. The text explains, "nothing need be added to true enlightenment, but once an understanding is added nevertheless, that understanding must understand something."The Śūraṅgama Sūtra with Excerpts from the Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsüan Hua, a New Translation, page 144, Buddhist Text Translation Society, 2009. This is taken to refer to the self-verifying division of the ''ālayavijñāna,'' or storehouse consciousness, which is the subtlest aspect of delusion.The Śūraṅgama Sūtra with Excerpts from the Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsüan Hua, a New Translation, page 144, note 4, Buddhist Text Translation Society, 2009.

⚫
In a similar fashion, the ''[[Śūraṅgama Sūtra]]'', generally regarded to be an East Asian [[Apocrypha|apocryphon]], explains the coming into being of the world of illusion in terms of "adding understanding to understanding." According to the sutra, [[Original enlightenment|intrinsic enlightenment]] is inherently pure and endowed with understanding, but on the basis of an additional understanding which has been added to it, there arises illusion.The Śūraṅgama Sūtra with Excerpts from the Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsüan Hua, a New Translation, pages 141-144, Buddhist Text Translation Society, 2009. The text explains, "nothing need be added to true enlightenment, but once an understanding is added nevertheless, that understanding must understand something."The Śūraṅgama Sūtra with Excerpts from the Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsüan Hua, a New Translation, page 144, Buddhist Text Translation Society, 2009. This is taken to refer to the self-verifying division of the ''ālayavijñāna,'' or storehouse consciousness, which is the subtlest aspect of delusion.The Śūraṅgama Sūtra with Excerpts from the Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsüan Hua, a New Translation, page 144, note 4, Buddhist Text Translation Society, 2009.


==Modern debates==
==Modern debates==
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