Abstract:

Chan Buddhism occupies a unique position in the intellectual history of the world, and its originality comes from Huineng’s Platform Sutra. However, there seems to have been a trend in the development of Chan Buddhism, which is characterized by a significant reduction of Huineng’s originality and an institutional effort to attribute Huineng’s Chan to Chinese Buddhism. Hence, it is necessary to trace back to the origin of Huineng’s Chan and restore its revolutionary feature. Adopting an approach that integrates historical research with psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, this paper closely examines Huineng’s interpretation of The Diamond Sutra and his innovative ideas and methods of cultivation in the Dunhuang version of The Platform Sutra in comparison with Laozi and Zhuangzi’ Daoism so as to discover the originality and universal appeal of Chan and the secret of Chan-enlightenment. It concludes that Chan, whose essence lies in thoughtlessness, is originated from Daoist Nothingness rather than Buddhist Emptiness, and Chan-enlightenment is not Buddhist satori.

Key words: Chan Buddhism, Buddhism, Indian Dhyana, The Platform Sutra, Chan-enlightenment