The Research On Fa Rong And Fa Rong’s Niutou Zen

Since Buddhism was introduced to China from India,many different kinds of sinicized Buddhist sects have been multiplied after the continuous integration of Chinese native traditional culture.There is no doubt that Zen is a very important one.Niutou Zen was created in the Jiang Dong region by Fa Rong.It integrates the essence of Prajna(般若)thought and other Zen theories,and it is deeply influenced by Lao Zhuang and the metaphysics of Wei Jin.It is different from the Zen school of Bodhidharma.It played a pivotal role in the development of Zen Buddhism,particularly in the rise of Huineng’s Zen Buddhism.The view that Niutou Zen was created by Fa Rong is recognized by most experts and scholars in the academic world,but the issue of the relationship between Fa Rong and his successor is still inconclusive now.Some insisted on Fa Rong’s inheritance from the fourth ancestor of Zen,Dao Xin,while others believed that Fa Rong was from a master of the Three-Treatise school(三论宗).Others held a neutral attitude admitting that Fa Rong was apprentice to the Master Ming,at the same time,they did not oppose the existence of the relationship between Fa Rong and the the fourth ancestor of Zen,Dao Xin.However,rather than entangled in the relationship between Fa Rong and the teacher,it is better to study the important ideas of Niutou Zen created by Fa Rong and its important role in the history of Zen development,and use this as a starting point to deeply grasp the development context of Chinese Zen thought and even evolution of Buddhist thought.First of all,with the reference of“Jue-guan Lun”and“Xin Ming”written by Fa Rong,combined with“Transmission of the Lamp”,“Zong-jing Lu”and“Chinese Zen Teachers Inheritance Map”(中华传心禅门师资承袭图),written by Zong Mi,you can basically grasp the Fa Rong’s institute.The creation of Niutou Zen thought can be summarized from three main aspects,namely:the idea that“emptiness is the essence of Tao”is the root of Niutou Zen thought and the core content that runs through its Zen thought;the thought of“grass and woods in harmony with Tao”is an important supplement to the theoretical basis of Zen thought;the idea of“cultivating without cultivating”is the convenience of entering the path in meditation practice which is different from Dharma.Secondly,when Fa Rong established the Niutou Zen in the Jiang Dong area,its area has already been fully baptized by Lao Zhuang and Wei Jin metaphysics.Therefore,it is inevitable that it will have a certain degree of influence with Lao Zhuang thought and Wei Jin metaphysics during the establishment of Niu Tau Zen.And this kind of negotiation can also be discussed from three aspects,namely:the“Ontology”aspect,the“Epistemology”aspect and the“Sage View”issue.In addition,the Niutou Zen thought created by Fa Rong is closely related to the later establishment of Caoxi Huineng Zen and the establishment of He-ze Zen,Hong-zhou Zen and Stone Zen.