In this section of Bendowa, Master Dogen recounts the tale of Zen Buddhism’s coming from India to China …

Much of the story, we now know, is fictional … centered on historical characters who (if they lived at all) are composites of real persons remade via the creative imaginations of later writers. 

But that does not matter is the least, not one bit. Because, in Master Dogen’s view … merely by sitting a moment of Zazen, all the Lineage is made real, present with us, and all the Buddhas and Ancestors are sitting as we sit … are no other than the sitting.

Buddha Sakyamuni transmittedthe right law to Mahakasyapa on Grdhrakuta Mountain, and a long lineof patriarchs handed it down to Bodhidharma. And Bodhidharma went to China andtransmitted the right law to Hui-k’o (Eka).

This started the transmissionof Zen Buddhism to the East. Transmitted thus in its essential purity, it camedown by a natural route to the Sixth Patriarch, Hui-neng. At this time trueBuddhism was transmitted to China,and it expressed a meaning free from [conceptual distinctions]. The Sixth Patriarch had twooutstanding disciples- Nan-yueh Huai-jang and Ch’ing-yuan Hsing-ssu. Togetherthey transmitted the Buddha seal; they were [guiding teachers for all beings]. Thesetwo schools spread, and five styles of Zen appeared. They were the schools ofFa-yen, Wei-yang, Ts’ao-tung (Soto), Yun-men, and Lin-chi (Rinzai). In present-day China only theLin-chi (Rinzai) school is flourishing. Although the five schools differ, theyare all based on the single seal of the Buddha Mind.

 From: Bendowa – A Soto Approach to Zen  – Reiho Masunaga  [with slight changes following Uchiyama]

a sitting time of 20 to 35 minutes is recommended)

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