On the Meaning of “Faith (信)” in Early Chan School

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 동국대학교 불교학술원
· 수록지 정보 : International Journal of Buddhist Thought and Culture / 12권 / 95 ~ 108페이지
· 저자명 : 강문선

초록

Kanhua Chan investigates a specific gongan 公案 or hwadu 話頭, gives
rise to a doubt-mass from it, reaches the state of no division between the
doubt-mass and gongan before achieving final enlightenment. Based on the
faith in original enlightenment, such methodology is in turn considered the
actualization of the faith. At all events Chinese Chan, whether before or after
the emergence of Kanhua Chan, is centered around the faith.
This article examines the meaning of ‘faith’ suggested in the early
Chinese Chan School from Bodhidharma to Daoxin 道信 (580-651), and
further investigates the perspectives of ‘faith’ in the original enlightenment
proposed in the Mahayana tradition and the Chan training system of the Song
Dynasty.
The meaning of faith in Chinese Chan school is summarized as follows:
1. Faith in the Way, or faith in the Buddhist Way
2. Faith in self (on the ground that self and others have the same
Buddha nature)
3. Faith in the sitting meditation (three prerequisites for the training of
Kanhua Chan)
4. Faith in the Buddhas and patriarchs
Since Kanhua Chan takes the view of actualizing enlightenment rather
than original enlightenment, it may seem to develop from faith to practice,
and then to actualization by stages; but ultimately it is an attempt to acquire
self-faith through a gongan. The faith put forward in Kanhua Chan involves
doubt (or a thorough self-criticism), which is in turn derived from the faith.
From the standpoint of Kanhua Chan, the faith suggested by the early
Chan masters like Bodhidharma involves the idea of sudden enlightenment,
while in Kanhua Chan that is used as the confidence or belief in the
doctrine, showing similarities to that of early Buddhism.

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