We all know the word Zen and even use it in our day to day conversations. "How did you stay so Zen while the boss was yelling at you", we might say. But have you ever wondered what really is Zen?
In this new series of fortnightly talks we will go back to the roots of Zen and explore the sutra of Huineng, a 1300 year old text about the most influential Zen master in history - Huineng. Through this, we not only hope to help people understand what Zen is really about, but also experience a little of the flavour of Zen too. Zen is often best found in the interactions between people, so we will be focusing in particular on the dialogues between master and disciple recorded in this sutra (a term in Buddhism for classic texts).
Huineng was a Zen master born in 7th century Tang dynasty China. He was a poor, illiterate woodcutter from a small minority group that lived in the back blocks of China, all of which placed him at the very bottom of China’s social hierarchy. Yet, his story was so profound that it changed the history of Buddhism and China forever. The sutra that records his life story and teachings also became the only sutra not from India, Buddhism’s birth place, and his unique interpretations and insights on Buddhism spawned the movement that we know today as Zen.
Huineng’s story shows us that the real Zen is not about country, nationality, education level or even time period, making it the perfect topic for us in 2025 Melbourne to explore the essence of Zen.
