Zen ranks and hierarchy: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:18, 28 October 2020

Revision as of 12:09, 28 October 2020

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Shihō is done "one-to-one in the abbot's quarters (hojo)".<ref name=Antaiji2 group=web /> Three handwritten documents certify the dharma transmission;

{{quote|a) Shisho (the scripture of transmission, the names of the ancestors arranged in a circle - the teacherdharma has passed on from to Shakyamuni to yourself, and now you give it back to Shakyamuni. There is a small piece of paper, probably originally written by Sawaki Roshi, with some comments. This paper is also copied by the student when doing dharma transmission at [[Antai-ji]].)

b) Daiji (the great matter, a cryptic symbolization of the content of the teaching. Again, there is a small extra sheet of test paper that explains about the meaning of the symbols.)

c) Kechimyaku (the blood lineage, looks quite similar to the blood line transmission that you already wrote at the time of ordination)

d) Actually, in the lineage of Sawaki Roshi (and maybe other lineages as well) a student is told to write a fourth document on an extra sheet of paper, which is called ShinghotHisho (the secret document, which is encoded, but the code for deciphering is on the same paper, so once you hold it in your hands it is not so "secret" anymore.)<ref name=Antaiji2 group=web />}}

The procedure has to take place only once in one's life, and binds the student to the teacher forever:

{{quote|Dharma transmission can happen once, and only once, or never at all. Multiple dharma transmission is nonsense. If you receive dharma transmission from one teacher, from then on that is your one and only teacher, your real teacher (jap. hon-shi). The multiple lineage holders that you hear of in the West are bullshit. Therefore it is important that both sides, but speciallyespecially the kidsstudent, make sure that this is the right time for them to make this important step.<ref name =Antaiji2 group=web />}}

If a student does not have the feeling he wants to be tied to this teacher for the rest of his life, he may refuse to take dharma transmission from this particular teacher.<ref name=Antaiji2 group=web /> Since the time of Manzan Dokahu (1636–1714), multiple dharma transmissions are impossible in Sōtō Zen.<ref name=Antaiji2 group=web />{{sfn|Dumoulin|2005b|p={{pn|date=May 2020}}}}