Shakyamuni Buddha was the originator and Master in the line of 52 Ancestors or Patriarchs - as they have been called - in the Soto Zen Buddhist tradition. Each successive ancestor represents a generation of the teaching of the UNBORN and how it was passed down to each successive Master in the line of the transmission. Although not much is known about the lives of many of these great Patriarchs, the moment of transmission was preserved due to the diligent efforts of the Master Keizan Zenji when in 1300 he began writing The Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of Light to record each moment of enlightenment for future generations of monks.
Origination of Soto Zen Ceremonies
Most of the religious ceremonies used in the Soto Zen Tradition were written by the Master Keizan Zenji who was author of many works including the Sankon-Zazen-Setsu and Denkoroku.
Becoming Chief Abbot of Shogakuji Monastery in 1321, he’d lived a life of great devotion to reach this great pinnacle. In 1267, he was born in the Fukui Prefecture. Entering a monastery in Eiheiji, he learned from Koun Ejyo and Tettsu Gikai. He became one of the greatest of the Soto Zen Ancestors with his greatest work having been to document the line of the transmission of the Way all the way back to Shakyamuni Buddha. The Shogakuji Monastery was later made one of the two primary temples in Japan for the Soto Zen Church.
Transmission of the Way
Recording the actual moment in which the Way was transmitted from one successive generation of Masters to the next The Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of Light shows the continuum of Zen Transmission for 52 generations. Every story contains the exact narrative on record as to the exact manner in which each of the great ancestors and patriarchs received the TEACHING and understood the UNBORN.
Saint Manura, The Twenty Second Ancestor
“When Manura asked Bashyubanzu, ‘When Manura asked Bashyubanzu, ‘Just what is the enlightenment of the Buddhas?’ Bashyubanzu answered, ‘It is none other than your ORIGINAL NATURE.’ Manura then asked, “What is ORIGINAL NATURE like?’ Bashyubanzu replied, ‘The eighteen realms of the senses (i.e. all experiences) are void, unstained and pure.’ When Manura heard this, he understood enlightenment.” The Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of Light.
Manura’s name means Good for Mankind’ and came from the country of Nadi. The son of a King, his father’s name was King Jojizai who’se name means ‘The Eternally Free One. He was thirty years old when he met Bashyubanzu and became the next in the line of the Soto Zen Ancestors.
Manura’s teachings could be summed up thus: “Even though this sight and hearing are not sight and hearing, even more is it impossible to present you with sound or colour. If you fully grasp that there is nothing whatsoever within these, what difference does it make whether you distinguish ULTIMATE REALITY from ITS functioning or not?” The Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of Light.
“The spirit of SHUNYATA
is neither inside nor outside
Seeing and hearing, sound and form,
Are all as the empty sky.”
Keizan Zenji summarizes the teaching of Manura
Sources: The Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of Light – Keizan Zenji, Shasta Abbey Buddhist Monastery
 |
