Compassion in Zen

Last Saturday (5th April) Daizan Roshi led an excellent 1-day retreat at Yugagyo Dojo focussing on the subject of compassion within Zen practice. Some people, it seems, criticise the Zen approach for lacking that strong emphasis put on compassion that's found in other Buddhist traditions. As Daizan Roshi pointed out at the very beginning, this is potentially a weak point of Zen if not properly understood. Most people associate Zen with the practices of generating personal power, energy, and presence, and its emphasis on developing insight, whereas the development of the heart-aspect is much less well-known. However, as Daizan Roshi said, understanding and practising compassion is just as important and central a part of our spiritual development as any of the other things mentioned.

"Karuna" is the Sanskrit word for compassion, or in Japanese "Jihi". The Buddha said:

"Karuna is that which makes the heart of the good move at the pain of others... It is called karuna because it shelters and embraces the distressed."

The English word "compassion" actually means pretty much the same thing. It's from the Latin "com" meaning "with", and "passion" meaning "pain" – to be with pain.

Often what is thought of as compassion practice, though, is actually better thought of as loving kindness, or "metta" – a practice emphasised in the Theravadan and Tibetan traditions (known as tonglen). Where karuna, Daizan said, is "the desire to remove harm and suffering from others", metta is "the desire to bring about the wellbeing and happiness of others" – there's a distinct difference.

Over the centuries since the Buddha, a number of archetypes, or idealised figures have developed within Buddhism that embody certain virtues of practice. The archetype, or Bodhisattva (meaning a fully awakened being that has put off entering nirvana in order to live in the world to help others) of compassion is called in Sanskrit Avalokitesvara, or in Japanese Kannon or Kanzeon. The name literally means "regarder of the cries of the world", and in east Asia has takes a feminine form. She's often depicted as having 1000 arms, each with an eye in the palm so she can see all the world's suffering.

Kannon

We explored three meditation practices in this retreat day. The first is something that in modern-day psychology terminology is referred to as "responsibility transferral". It's where we literally give our (or any other) worries, doubts, and suffering to another – in this case Kannon. To help us bring to mind the spirit of Kannon we used a short sutra called the "Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo" (the Ten-phrase Boundless-life Kannon Sutra), which was a big favourite of the great Zen master Hakuin.

Enmei Jikku Kannon Gyo

kan ze on
na mu butsu
yo butsu u in
yo butsu u en
bu pō sō en
jō raku ga jō
chō nen kan ze on
bo nen kan ze on
nen nen ju shin ki
nen nen fu ri shin.

Kanzeon!
Praise to Buddha!
Buddha is my origin;
Buddha is my causal factor.
The Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) are my causal factors
eternal, joyous, selfless, pure.
Through the day mindfulness of Kanzeon—
through the night mindfulness of Kanzeon.
This moment arises from Mind;
this moment itself is Mind.

The idea is that in surrendering to something greater than our small finite selves, we can let go and become free of that suffering. We chanted the short sutra a number of times, and after each, spent some time looking within for any suffering on any level, then lifting it off and giving it wholly to Kannon.

One of the interesting things Daizan Roshi pointed out about this practice is that it makes a deliberate (dualistic) distinction between "I/me" and "Kannon". In fact only after a short time of practising this meditation it was obvious that the line separating me and Kannon really is quite blurry. What is my suffering? Who am I giving this to?

So in the second practice session we explored actually becoming Kannon. Zen master Hakuin explained this in terms of the koan of the one hand clapping. In the world of duality, we all know what the sound of two hands clapping is – but what about with just one hand? Here we're looking into the place where there's no separation between self and other, where there is no split. Hakuin said "if you understand this meaning then you're truly awake. And when you're truly awake, the whole world is Kannon." The essence of this practice is that when you become one with even the tiniest thing, you become one with everything; and when you become one with everything, there are no problems, there is no suffering.

The third compassion-related topic we looked at was in the area of merit (punya) and the wishing of wellbeing and happiness (metta). There's a Zen saying, said Daizan Roshi: "The universe is not answerable to my personal will" – meaning you can't just wish for a Ferrari and one will turn up! But, he said, the universe is very much influenced by our personal will. In fact our wills and intentions shape everything around us, especially living in the city. Merit (punya in Sanskrit) is defined as "that which accumulates as a result of good/wholesome deeds, speech and thought." One way to think of this is in terms of building up positive energy. It's a tricky concept to get your head wrapped around since there's some subtlety around the idea of accumulation...

The Buddha taught that merit particularly applies to the areas of generosity, virtue, and mental development (i.e. meditation). So being generous generates positive energy (merit), but one of the best things to do with this energy is give it away (being generous), and that generates further merit... Daizan Roshi calls this the law of multiplication. His teacher, Shinzan Roshi, says it's a bit like a bank account where the more money you spend, the more money ends up in the account! So there's the subtlety – it's in direct opposition to our culture of accumulation, where more, bigger, faster, stronger are seen as the only ways to measure progress. However, since merit is all about positive development and generosity we don't actually end up accumulating anything!

The Zen tradition has developed a formalised way of practicing this 'offering of merit' in the form of an Eko. An Eko is a chant read to dedicate the merit of practice to all beings (and/or any particular beings). The example Daizan Roshi gave was:
"Having chanted the preceding sutra, we offer the merit generated thereby to [the deceased family member of ...] and to all beings in all worlds. May they be well and happy, wherever they may be."

In the final practice of the day we followed this last line of the Eko, in wishing all beings to be well, to be happy, and to be at peace. Beginning the meditation by invoking a feeling of wellbeing in ourselves and centring it in our belly/hara, we made the intention to radiate it out to the whole universe and to all beings. Likewise with feelings of happiness, and with wishing all beings to be at peace. This beautiful practice is the Zen version of metta. (In the Theravadan tradition, this is often taught as bringing to mind a friend or loved one and wishing them loving kindness, then a neutral person, and finally someone you find difficult.)

For more information about Daizan Roshi, our Zen group, or about activities and events at Yugagyo Dojo see zenways.org.