1 00:00:00,262 --> 00:00:02,036 The more sutras you read the more contradictions you find 2 00:00:02,342 --> 00:00:04,577 Did one line from the Lotus Sutra change everything 3 00:00:05,301 --> 00:00:06,956 At the end of the last episode we said 4 00:00:07,062 --> 00:00:09,196 After the Faxiang school faded 5 00:00:09,262 --> 00:00:12,317 Chinese Buddhists did something even more remarkable 6 00:00:12,502 --> 00:00:15,916 They stopped waiting for Indians to tell them how to practice 7 00:00:16,141 --> 00:00:19,716 Tiantai Huayan Chan and Pure Land 8 00:00:19,782 --> 00:00:22,861 Schools born entirely on Chinese soil 9 00:00:22,861 --> 00:00:23,957 Were about to take the stage 10 00:00:24,301 --> 00:00:26,437 But before they could appear 11 00:00:26,501 --> 00:00:28,196 There was one unavoidable obstacle 12 00:00:28,804 --> 00:00:29,120 Hello 13 00:00:29,285 --> 00:00:29,760 Hello everyone 14 00:00:30,004 --> 00:00:31,179 I am Wang Lijie 15 00:00:31,445 --> 00:00:33,139 Imagine this scene 16 00:00:33,525 --> 00:00:35,239 From the Eastern Han to the Northern and Southern Dynasties 17 00:00:35,764 --> 00:00:36,819 Over several centuries 18 00:00:36,845 --> 00:00:40,900 Wave after wave of Sanskrit scriptures entered China from India 19 00:00:41,324 --> 00:00:41,959 They were translated 20 00:00:42,285 --> 00:00:43,819 And placed before Chinese scholars 21 00:00:44,245 --> 00:00:46,220 The more they read the more confused they became 22 00:00:46,565 --> 00:00:48,900 Because these scriptures were fighting each other 23 00:00:49,903 --> 00:00:50,578 One sutra said 24 00:00:50,903 --> 00:00:52,078 Everything is empty 25 00:00:52,223 --> 00:00:54,638 There is no fixed self anywhere in the world 26 00:00:54,903 --> 00:00:55,837 Another sutra said 27 00:00:55,903 --> 00:00:58,598 Everyone carries a seed of Buddhahood within 28 00:00:58,663 --> 00:01:00,917 And that seed truly exists 29 00:01:01,142 --> 00:01:02,197 Yet another sutra said 30 00:01:02,263 --> 00:01:04,798 Practice takes three incalculable eons 31 00:01:04,902 --> 00:01:06,637 A span of time beyond counting 32 00:01:07,223 --> 00:01:08,257 But another teaching said 33 00:01:08,583 --> 00:01:10,598 Drop the butcher knife and become a Buddha at once 34 00:01:10,702 --> 00:01:12,637 You can turn around in a single thought 35 00:01:13,063 --> 00:01:14,757 Emptiness and existence were in conflict 36 00:01:15,143 --> 00:01:17,158 Gradual practice and sudden awakening were in conflict 37 00:01:17,503 --> 00:01:19,757 The Lesser Vehicle and the Great Vehicle were also in conflict 38 00:01:20,778 --> 00:01:22,112 We discussed this before 39 00:01:22,177 --> 00:01:24,192 When Buddhist scriptures first entered China 40 00:01:24,377 --> 00:01:27,216 Monks borrowed Daoist terms to translate them 41 00:01:27,218 --> 00:01:28,272 This was called concept matching 42 00:01:28,457 --> 00:01:31,352 But now the problem went deeper than translation 43 00:01:31,578 --> 00:01:33,192 It was not a matter of inaccurate wording 44 00:01:33,377 --> 00:01:35,992 The translated teachings contradicted one another 45 00:01:36,218 --> 00:01:39,233 If all these sutras came directly from the Buddha 46 00:01:39,257 --> 00:01:41,132 What was the Buddha actually trying to say 47 00:01:41,537 --> 00:01:43,417 Did he side with emptiness 48 00:01:43,418 --> 00:01:44,692 Or did he side with existence 49 00:01:45,218 --> 00:01:45,733 Or perhaps 50 00:01:46,058 --> 00:01:48,233 Some of these sutras were true and others false 51 00:01:48,377 --> 00:01:49,533 Some were spoken by the Buddha 52 00:01:49,698 --> 00:01:50,412 And some were not 53 00:01:51,742 --> 00:01:55,238 Put yourself in the place of a Chinese monk of that time 54 00:01:55,622 --> 00:01:58,518 He might study only a few sutras deeply in his whole life 55 00:01:59,063 --> 00:02:00,238 Whichever ones he chose 56 00:02:00,382 --> 00:02:02,798 Would completely shape his understanding of Buddhism 57 00:02:03,303 --> 00:02:04,598 This was not an academic question 58 00:02:05,102 --> 00:02:06,878 It was a question of spiritual direction 59 00:02:07,462 --> 00:02:08,137 Choose wrongly 60 00:02:08,503 --> 00:02:10,078 And you might spend a lifetime on a detour 61 00:02:10,635 --> 00:02:12,809 In India this was not a major problem 62 00:02:13,115 --> 00:02:15,569 The various Indian schools and Mahayana traditions 63 00:02:15,835 --> 00:02:17,369 Had always taught their own views 64 00:02:17,675 --> 00:02:18,950 You taught your Abhidharma 65 00:02:19,194 --> 00:02:20,490 I taught my Prajna 66 00:02:20,635 --> 00:02:22,129 And neither interfered with the other 67 00:02:22,395 --> 00:02:24,129 A plurality of ideas could coexist 68 00:02:24,274 --> 00:02:26,249 And Indians accepted that naturally 69 00:02:26,594 --> 00:02:30,930 They never thought every teaching had to form one complete line 70 00:02:31,235 --> 00:02:32,770 But the Chinese were different 71 00:02:33,538 --> 00:02:35,513 Think about the Chinese scholarly tradition 72 00:02:35,818 --> 00:02:38,432 Beginning with the tradition that Confucius edited the Six Classics 73 00:02:38,538 --> 00:02:41,233 Chinese scholars felt a powerful urge 74 00:02:41,617 --> 00:02:44,353 To bring order to scattered materials 75 00:02:44,698 --> 00:02:45,413 Which teaching was the source 76 00:02:45,818 --> 00:02:46,872 And which was a later branch 77 00:02:47,418 --> 00:02:48,172 Which was orthodox 78 00:02:48,538 --> 00:02:49,672 And which was peripheral 79 00:02:50,017 --> 00:02:51,013 Classics histories masters and collections 80 00:02:51,378 --> 00:02:52,172 Four clearly defined categories 81 00:02:52,457 --> 00:02:53,593 Everything was neatly arranged 82 00:02:53,978 --> 00:02:55,913 Every position carried meaning 83 00:02:56,297 --> 00:02:58,033 This urge was not a bad thing 84 00:02:58,337 --> 00:03:00,712 It was how the Chinese organized the world 85 00:03:01,054 --> 00:03:03,893 But when this urge met Indian Buddhism 86 00:03:03,894 --> 00:03:06,028 It produced a strange chemical reaction 87 00:03:06,334 --> 00:03:09,028 Faced with hundreds of contradictory scriptures 88 00:03:09,093 --> 00:03:11,532 Chinese Buddhists did not simply say 89 00:03:11,533 --> 00:03:12,989 Let everyone believe what they want 90 00:03:13,133 --> 00:03:15,628 They chose a completely different path 91 00:03:15,894 --> 00:03:18,628 They would rank all the Buddhist scriptures 92 00:03:19,014 --> 00:03:19,528 This practice 93 00:03:19,774 --> 00:03:21,652 Later received a special name 94 00:03:21,653 --> 00:03:22,709 Doctrinal classification 95 00:03:23,294 --> 00:03:25,429 Doctrinal classification began with one conviction 96 00:03:25,813 --> 00:03:29,549 If you believed all these sutras came from the Buddha 97 00:03:29,653 --> 00:03:32,348 Then they could not truly contradict one another 98 00:03:32,693 --> 00:03:33,948 If they seemed contradictory 99 00:03:33,973 --> 00:03:38,053 It must be because the Buddha spoke at different times to different listeners 100 00:03:38,054 --> 00:03:39,748 And taught at different levels of depth 101 00:03:40,822 --> 00:03:42,716 You may have had a similar experience 102 00:03:42,982 --> 00:03:43,917 You read a book 103 00:03:44,022 --> 00:03:47,596 And chapter one seems to say the opposite of chapter ten 104 00:03:47,941 --> 00:03:50,756 At first you wonder why the author contradicts himself 105 00:03:51,101 --> 00:03:53,436 But by the end you suddenly understand 106 00:03:53,781 --> 00:03:54,917 He was not contradicting himself 107 00:03:55,341 --> 00:03:58,237 He was speaking at different levels for different stages 108 00:03:58,742 --> 00:04:00,517 Chapter one was for beginners 109 00:04:00,621 --> 00:04:03,957 Chapter ten was for readers who understood everything before it 110 00:04:04,381 --> 00:04:05,297 Doctrinal classification 111 00:04:05,501 --> 00:04:06,517 Did exactly this 112 00:04:06,901 --> 00:04:09,020 It took everything the Buddha taught in his lifetime 113 00:04:09,022 --> 00:04:11,981 And sorted it by audience period and depth 114 00:04:11,982 --> 00:04:13,397 Into a sequence 115 00:04:13,830 --> 00:04:15,148 What gave them confidence 116 00:04:15,150 --> 00:04:17,004 Was a passage from the Lotus Sutra 117 00:04:17,390 --> 00:04:21,085 The Expedient Means chapter contains a crucial line 118 00:04:21,669 --> 00:04:22,924 It reads 119 00:04:23,270 --> 00:04:24,585 The Buddhas use the power of expedient means 120 00:04:24,950 --> 00:04:27,484 To distinguish three within the One Buddha Vehicle 121 00:04:27,950 --> 00:04:28,784 What does this mean 122 00:04:29,669 --> 00:04:31,244 According to the Lotus Sutra 123 00:04:31,270 --> 00:04:33,224 The Buddha really taught only one thing 124 00:04:33,590 --> 00:04:34,844 The One Buddha Vehicle 125 00:04:35,029 --> 00:04:37,765 Through which all beings can ultimately become Buddhas 126 00:04:38,029 --> 00:04:39,784 But beings have different capacities 127 00:04:40,109 --> 00:04:41,244 And different powers of understanding 128 00:04:41,469 --> 00:04:43,229 So the Buddha used expedient means 129 00:04:43,229 --> 00:04:46,125 To present that one teaching in three versions 130 00:04:46,469 --> 00:04:49,125 The Shravaka Pratyekabuddha and Bodhisattva Vehicles 131 00:04:49,270 --> 00:04:50,804 They appear to be three roads 132 00:04:50,830 --> 00:04:53,044 But they lead to the same destination 133 00:04:53,354 --> 00:04:55,890 The Lotus Sutra also gives a parable you may know 134 00:04:56,354 --> 00:04:58,010 A large house caught fire 135 00:04:58,515 --> 00:05:00,729 A father outside called for his children to come out 136 00:05:00,794 --> 00:05:02,969 But the children were happily playing inside 137 00:05:02,995 --> 00:05:03,849 And refused to leave 138 00:05:04,195 --> 00:05:05,289 The father grew desperate 139 00:05:05,635 --> 00:05:07,349 He knew what each child liked 140 00:05:07,555 --> 00:05:08,209 So he called out 141 00:05:08,555 --> 00:05:11,110 There are goat carts deer carts and ox carts outside 142 00:05:11,594 --> 00:05:12,714 They are wonderful fun 143 00:05:12,714 --> 00:05:13,849 Come out quickly 144 00:05:14,235 --> 00:05:14,990 When the children heard this 145 00:05:15,394 --> 00:05:17,250 They raced outside 146 00:05:17,594 --> 00:05:18,229 Once they were out 147 00:05:18,675 --> 00:05:20,729 The father did not give them three little carts 148 00:05:20,914 --> 00:05:22,690 He gave them one great white ox cart 149 00:05:23,115 --> 00:05:24,570 Something even better than he had promised 150 00:05:25,692 --> 00:05:27,207 Were the three carts a lie 151 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:28,639 No 152 00:05:29,051 --> 00:05:30,226 They were expedient means 153 00:05:30,772 --> 00:05:32,866 They appealed to what each child liked 154 00:05:32,892 --> 00:05:36,067 And gave them a reason to run out of the burning house 155 00:05:36,611 --> 00:05:37,567 There was only one purpose 156 00:05:37,931 --> 00:05:39,226 To save them from danger 157 00:05:40,046 --> 00:05:41,981 When Chinese Buddhists read this 158 00:05:42,005 --> 00:05:44,581 They found a framework that explained every contradiction 159 00:05:44,925 --> 00:05:46,700 The Buddha was not contradicting himself 160 00:05:47,005 --> 00:05:49,260 He was an exceptionally skillful teacher 161 00:05:49,606 --> 00:05:50,721 When teaching different students 162 00:05:50,925 --> 00:05:52,461 He used different expedient means 163 00:05:52,846 --> 00:05:54,524 The early Buddhist scriptures were not wrong 164 00:05:54,526 --> 00:05:56,060 They were the teaching of the first stage 165 00:05:56,445 --> 00:05:58,700 The Prajna sutras were not attacking early Buddhism 166 00:05:58,765 --> 00:05:59,940 They taught at a deeper level 167 00:06:00,286 --> 00:06:02,000 The Lotus Sutra was the final revelation 168 00:06:02,365 --> 00:06:03,164 It told you 169 00:06:03,166 --> 00:06:06,500 All earlier teachings were guiding you toward this point 170 00:06:07,125 --> 00:06:08,324 With this idea in place 171 00:06:08,325 --> 00:06:11,191 Doctrinal classification could formally begin 172 00:06:11,455 --> 00:06:13,350 It was not invented by one person 173 00:06:13,415 --> 00:06:14,775 Beginning in the Northern and Southern Dynasties 174 00:06:14,775 --> 00:06:17,830 Several eminent monks proposed their own systems 175 00:06:18,015 --> 00:06:18,970 According to later records 176 00:06:19,256 --> 00:06:21,150 Between the Southern Dynasties and the Sui 177 00:06:21,176 --> 00:06:24,191 More than ten systematic classifications emerged 178 00:06:24,256 --> 00:06:26,390 Known later as Three Schools of the South and Seven of the North 179 00:06:26,535 --> 00:06:29,991 Everyone was trying to build a timeline for the Buddha teachings 180 00:06:30,215 --> 00:06:32,455 But the most thorough and influential system 181 00:06:32,455 --> 00:06:34,311 Came from a man named Zhiyi 182 00:06:34,816 --> 00:06:37,895 Zhiyi lived from the late Northern and Southern Dynasties into the early Sui 183 00:06:37,895 --> 00:06:40,830 Roughly from 538 to 597 184 00:06:41,056 --> 00:06:43,590 He practiced and taught at Mount Tiantai in Zhejiang 185 00:06:43,655 --> 00:06:46,590 And was later honored as the true founder of the Tiantai school 186 00:06:47,335 --> 00:06:49,710 It is said that he read the Lotus Sutra in his youth 187 00:06:49,856 --> 00:06:52,790 And entered deep meditation while reading the Bodhisattva Medicine King chapter 188 00:06:52,856 --> 00:06:56,378 From then on he held a profound faith in the Lotus Sutra 189 00:06:56,563 --> 00:06:58,259 Zhiyi did something remarkable 190 00:06:58,603 --> 00:07:02,259 He divided the traditional forty nine years of Buddha teaching 191 00:07:02,324 --> 00:07:03,618 Into five periods 192 00:07:04,043 --> 00:07:06,618 Later generations called it the Five Periods and Eight Teachings 193 00:07:06,964 --> 00:07:08,498 Today I will focus on the Five Periods 194 00:07:08,683 --> 00:07:11,339 We will discuss the Eight Teachings with Tiantai next time 195 00:07:11,363 --> 00:07:13,139 The first period was the Huayan period 196 00:07:13,563 --> 00:07:15,819 The Buddha had just awakened beneath the Bodhi tree 197 00:07:15,964 --> 00:07:19,699 And wanted to teach his deepest realization directly 198 00:07:20,003 --> 00:07:21,579 So he taught the Avatamsaka Sutra 199 00:07:21,964 --> 00:07:23,259 But it was too profound 200 00:07:23,524 --> 00:07:23,998 According to tradition 201 00:07:24,363 --> 00:07:26,923 Most people there were as if deaf and speechless 202 00:07:26,923 --> 00:07:28,534 They could not understand it at all 203 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:30,495 The Buddha realized this would not work 204 00:07:30,719 --> 00:07:32,414 So he lowered the level 205 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:34,214 And began with the most basic teachings 206 00:07:34,719 --> 00:07:35,834 This was the second period 207 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:37,334 The Agama period 208 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:40,454 The Four Noble Truths the Eightfold Path and dependent origination 209 00:07:40,479 --> 00:07:42,079 The foundations of early Buddhist practice 210 00:07:42,079 --> 00:07:43,375 All belonged to this period 211 00:07:43,639 --> 00:07:45,935 Imagine a university professor 212 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,774 Who starts with doctoral material and finds that nobody understands 213 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,199 So he goes back and teaches the first year fundamentals 214 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:53,454 The third period was the Vaipulya period 215 00:07:53,839 --> 00:07:56,135 The Buddha began introducing Mahayana ideas 216 00:07:56,479 --> 00:07:58,695 He still cared for those suited to early Buddhist teachings 217 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:01,735 While gradually guiding them toward a larger vision 218 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:04,175 It was like offering elective courses 219 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:08,192 So students could see a wider world beyond the basics 220 00:08:08,457 --> 00:08:10,432 The fourth period was the Prajna period 221 00:08:10,778 --> 00:08:12,512 The Buddha systematically taught emptiness 222 00:08:13,017 --> 00:08:15,832 The Prajna sutras and Diamond Sutra belonged to this period 223 00:08:16,098 --> 00:08:19,713 The wisdom of emptiness formed a bridge from early Buddhism to Mahayana 224 00:08:20,017 --> 00:08:23,113 Students at this stage already had enough grounding 225 00:08:23,137 --> 00:08:25,192 To receive deeper teachings 226 00:08:25,618 --> 00:08:28,512 The final period was the Lotus Nirvana period 227 00:08:28,897 --> 00:08:30,913 Near the end of his life 228 00:08:30,937 --> 00:08:32,913 The Buddha revealed what he truly wanted to say 229 00:08:33,298 --> 00:08:35,192 The Lotus Sutra appeared here 230 00:08:35,577 --> 00:08:38,832 The Shravaka Pratyekabuddha and Bodhisattva Vehicles 231 00:08:38,857 --> 00:08:40,873 Merged here into the One Buddha Vehicle 232 00:08:41,217 --> 00:08:43,553 Everyone could ultimately become a Buddha 233 00:08:43,697 --> 00:08:46,347 No one was excluded 234 00:08:46,771 --> 00:08:47,687 Do you see it now 235 00:08:48,171 --> 00:08:49,087 In this arrangement 236 00:08:49,332 --> 00:08:51,347 The Lotus Sutra stood at the summit 237 00:08:51,651 --> 00:08:55,146 I think this design has several layers worth considering 238 00:08:55,572 --> 00:08:55,926 First 239 00:08:56,332 --> 00:08:57,666 It resolved the contradictions 240 00:08:58,092 --> 00:09:01,666 The austerities precepts and Four Noble Truths in early Buddhist scriptures 241 00:09:01,692 --> 00:09:02,611 Were not wrong 242 00:09:02,612 --> 00:09:03,546 They were the first step 243 00:09:03,771 --> 00:09:06,107 Without the first step you could never reach the fifth 244 00:09:06,411 --> 00:09:06,766 Second 245 00:09:07,131 --> 00:09:09,107 It drew a map for spiritual practice 246 00:09:09,371 --> 00:09:12,467 You no longer had to panic before hundreds of scriptures 247 00:09:12,732 --> 00:09:13,607 Zhiyi told you 248 00:09:13,812 --> 00:09:14,866 This is a path 249 00:09:15,092 --> 00:09:15,847 Start here 250 00:09:16,051 --> 00:09:16,807 Then go there 251 00:09:17,011 --> 00:09:18,386 And finally arrive here 252 00:09:18,692 --> 00:09:19,046 Third 253 00:09:19,452 --> 00:09:21,467 It established the status of the Lotus Sutra 254 00:09:21,812 --> 00:09:22,687 Among all the scriptures 255 00:09:23,011 --> 00:09:25,067 The Lotus Sutra was the ultimate revelation 256 00:09:25,212 --> 00:09:26,246 Only it told you 257 00:09:26,572 --> 00:09:28,467 That everything before it was expedient means 258 00:09:29,332 --> 00:09:30,046 Only at this point 259 00:09:30,332 --> 00:09:32,036 Could you see the whole picture 260 00:09:32,620 --> 00:09:33,536 But there is one thing 261 00:09:33,940 --> 00:09:35,556 I must make clear 262 00:09:35,820 --> 00:09:37,276 This Five Periods timeline 263 00:09:37,340 --> 00:09:40,074 Was almost certainly not historical fact 264 00:09:40,421 --> 00:09:42,074 What we can now confirm 265 00:09:42,220 --> 00:09:45,074 Is that the actual order of teachings during the Buddha lifetime 266 00:09:45,100 --> 00:09:47,834 Did not match the Five Periods arranged by Zhiyi 267 00:09:48,060 --> 00:09:49,954 Take the formation of the Prajna sutras 268 00:09:50,021 --> 00:09:53,516 Scholars generally place it centuries after the Buddha death 269 00:09:53,820 --> 00:09:55,954 The Avatamsaka Sutra was compiled even later 270 00:09:56,300 --> 00:09:58,660 Zhiyi placed Huayan in the first period 271 00:09:58,661 --> 00:10:00,676 And Prajna in the fourth 272 00:10:00,781 --> 00:10:02,636 He was not reconstructing history 273 00:10:02,740 --> 00:10:05,276 He was building a teaching system 274 00:10:05,620 --> 00:10:06,334 In other words 275 00:10:06,700 --> 00:10:09,114 The Five Periods were not events that actually occurred 276 00:10:09,580 --> 00:10:11,246 They were a method of organization 277 00:10:11,751 --> 00:10:12,766 Let me give you an analogy 278 00:10:13,231 --> 00:10:14,886 Imagine visiting a large museum 279 00:10:15,271 --> 00:10:19,006 The curator does not display objects by the date they entered the museum 280 00:10:19,470 --> 00:10:23,526 The curator rearranges them according to the logic of civilizational development 281 00:10:23,991 --> 00:10:24,786 First you see stone tools 282 00:10:25,271 --> 00:10:25,986 Then bronze 283 00:10:26,430 --> 00:10:27,486 Then iron 284 00:10:28,031 --> 00:10:28,866 After walking through the exhibition 285 00:10:29,190 --> 00:10:31,069 History seems to follow an orderly sequence 286 00:10:31,070 --> 00:10:32,406 And everything makes sense 287 00:10:32,911 --> 00:10:35,126 But the dates those objects entered the museum 288 00:10:35,151 --> 00:10:37,126 Have nothing to do with that sequence 289 00:10:37,631 --> 00:10:39,724 Doctrinal classification did the same thing 290 00:10:40,111 --> 00:10:41,295 It was a form of curation 291 00:10:41,560 --> 00:10:42,679 Once you understand this 292 00:10:42,680 --> 00:10:45,015 You can see an even more interesting phenomenon 293 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:47,815 Zhiyi was not the only person classifying teachings 294 00:10:48,121 --> 00:10:50,295 About a century after him 295 00:10:50,481 --> 00:10:53,935 Fazang of the Huayan school created his own system 296 00:10:54,241 --> 00:10:58,216 Fazang lived roughly from 643 to 712 297 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:01,736 He divided all Buddhist teachings into five levels 298 00:11:02,121 --> 00:11:07,055 The Lesser Vehicle Initial Mahayana Final Mahayana Sudden and Perfect Teachings 299 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:07,795 Can you guess 300 00:11:08,201 --> 00:11:09,679 In the system arranged by Fazang 301 00:11:09,680 --> 00:11:11,435 Which sutra stood at the top 302 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:13,055 The Avatamsaka Sutra 303 00:11:13,721 --> 00:11:16,576 Tiantai said the Lotus Sutra was the ultimate revelation 304 00:11:16,882 --> 00:11:19,696 Huayan said the Avatamsaka Sutra was the perfect teaching 305 00:11:19,961 --> 00:11:21,936 Whenever a school classified the teachings 306 00:11:22,042 --> 00:11:25,216 It placed its favorite sutra at the summit 307 00:11:25,561 --> 00:11:26,897 This was no coincidence 308 00:11:27,321 --> 00:11:28,296 Think about it 309 00:11:28,681 --> 00:11:32,056 If your school was built around one particular sutra 310 00:11:32,162 --> 00:11:36,377 Your practices theories and lineage 311 00:11:36,402 --> 00:11:38,296 All depended on that sutra 312 00:11:38,522 --> 00:11:39,816 When you classified the teachings 313 00:11:39,882 --> 00:11:41,796 How could you possibly rank your own sutra second 314 00:11:42,481 --> 00:11:44,056 So doctrinal classification 315 00:11:44,122 --> 00:11:47,014 Contains a tension that cannot be resolved 316 00:11:47,598 --> 00:11:49,693 On one side it was a sincere scholarly effort 317 00:11:49,838 --> 00:11:53,134 Those monks truly read every scripture available to them 318 00:11:53,198 --> 00:11:55,373 And carefully considered their relationships 319 00:11:55,478 --> 00:11:57,573 Trying to build a coherent framework 320 00:11:58,039 --> 00:12:00,093 I deeply admire that seriousness 321 00:12:00,318 --> 00:12:01,493 But on the other side 322 00:12:01,598 --> 00:12:04,213 Every framework served its own position 323 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:06,678 One of the Buddha central teachings 324 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:08,093 Is to let go of attachment 325 00:12:08,438 --> 00:12:11,134 Yet when you arrange every teaching into a pyramid 326 00:12:11,198 --> 00:12:13,414 And place your own sutra at the top 327 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:16,593 Are you doing the very thing the Buddha least wanted you to do 328 00:12:17,438 --> 00:12:19,534 I will not give a final answer to that question 329 00:12:19,838 --> 00:12:22,894 Because this tension remains unresolved even today 330 00:12:23,718 --> 00:12:28,384 It is one of the deepest marks left by the localization of Buddhism in China 331 00:12:28,769 --> 00:12:30,463 But to be fair 332 00:12:30,809 --> 00:12:31,843 Doctrinal classification 333 00:12:32,248 --> 00:12:33,743 Despite its limitations 334 00:12:33,769 --> 00:12:35,784 Accomplished something remarkable 335 00:12:36,049 --> 00:12:37,664 Before doctrinal classification appeared 336 00:12:37,889 --> 00:12:40,463 Chinese Buddhism was like a pot of scattered porridge 337 00:12:40,728 --> 00:12:42,647 Hundreds of scriptures were piled together 338 00:12:42,649 --> 00:12:44,823 No one knew where to begin reading 339 00:12:44,968 --> 00:12:48,343 And no one could explain how they related to one another 340 00:12:48,568 --> 00:12:50,943 A beginner facing that pile 341 00:12:51,049 --> 00:12:52,983 Would only become more lost with every page 342 00:12:53,448 --> 00:12:54,863 After doctrinal classification appeared 343 00:12:54,968 --> 00:12:57,743 Even if you rejected a particular arrangement 344 00:12:57,809 --> 00:12:59,583 You at least knew one thing 345 00:12:59,968 --> 00:13:02,424 These scriptures were not isolated fragments 346 00:13:02,728 --> 00:13:04,003 They were connected 347 00:13:04,328 --> 00:13:04,963 They had levels 348 00:13:05,208 --> 00:13:06,144 And they had an order 349 00:13:06,448 --> 00:13:09,812 Though you still had to judge those connections for yourself 350 00:13:10,157 --> 00:13:12,971 I often think about it through an analogy 351 00:13:13,356 --> 00:13:16,011 Indian Buddhism was like a primeval forest 352 00:13:16,396 --> 00:13:18,072 Every kind of tree grew freely 353 00:13:18,356 --> 00:13:19,371 Without interfering with the others 354 00:13:19,557 --> 00:13:22,932 And no one thought of drawing one complete map of the forest 355 00:13:23,396 --> 00:13:25,572 When the Chinese entered this forest 356 00:13:25,596 --> 00:13:27,851 The first thing they did was draw a map 357 00:13:28,277 --> 00:13:29,851 The map was not the forest 358 00:13:30,197 --> 00:13:32,251 A map inevitably left some things out 359 00:13:32,516 --> 00:13:34,652 And exaggerated others 360 00:13:35,037 --> 00:13:35,912 But without a map 361 00:13:36,197 --> 00:13:38,728 You could only wander blindly through the forest 362 00:13:39,153 --> 00:13:41,069 Did the mapmakers change the forest 363 00:13:41,633 --> 00:13:42,849 They did not move a single tree 364 00:13:43,113 --> 00:13:45,209 But the routes people took through the forest 365 00:13:45,314 --> 00:13:46,728 Were never the same again 366 00:13:47,033 --> 00:13:50,689 This was the greatest thing the Chinese did to Buddhism 367 00:13:51,074 --> 00:13:52,768 They did not change a single word 368 00:13:53,033 --> 00:13:55,049 They changed the order in which the scriptures were read 369 00:13:55,393 --> 00:13:56,969 And once the reading order changed 370 00:13:57,153 --> 00:14:00,673 The understanding of Buddhism changed completely 371 00:14:01,096 --> 00:14:01,896 At this point 372 00:14:01,898 --> 00:14:04,712 I want to return to the question this series keeps asking 373 00:14:05,258 --> 00:14:06,413 With every step forward 374 00:14:06,817 --> 00:14:08,496 Did Buddhism move closer to the Buddha 375 00:14:08,497 --> 00:14:09,712 Or farther away 376 00:14:09,898 --> 00:14:10,773 With doctrinal classification 377 00:14:11,097 --> 00:14:11,933 My feeling is 378 00:14:12,298 --> 00:14:13,472 Both are true 379 00:14:13,937 --> 00:14:15,033 It moved closer because 380 00:14:15,138 --> 00:14:18,793 It gathered teachings scattered across hundreds of scriptures 381 00:14:18,857 --> 00:14:20,872 Into a path that people could actually walk 382 00:14:21,018 --> 00:14:25,072 Ordinary people finally knew where to begin and where to go 383 00:14:25,298 --> 00:14:27,273 That was a real contribution 384 00:14:27,577 --> 00:14:28,673 It moved farther away because 385 00:14:28,817 --> 00:14:32,273 The Buddha probably never imagined ranking his teachings 386 00:14:32,577 --> 00:14:34,153 He spoke to the person before him 387 00:14:34,178 --> 00:14:36,513 And said what that person needed to hear at that moment 388 00:14:36,778 --> 00:14:40,793 Every conversation was immediate alive and unique 389 00:14:41,457 --> 00:14:43,433 Arranging those conversations into a pyramid 390 00:14:43,617 --> 00:14:44,952 Made them easier to navigate 391 00:14:45,018 --> 00:14:47,414 But some of their living quality was lost 392 00:14:47,718 --> 00:14:49,693 That is a story for another time 393 00:14:50,119 --> 00:14:53,693 Once Chinese Buddhists had this map of doctrinal classification 394 00:14:53,798 --> 00:14:55,293 They did something even greater 395 00:14:55,598 --> 00:14:57,414 They did more than rank the teachings 396 00:14:57,718 --> 00:15:00,453 They began building houses on the map 397 00:15:00,879 --> 00:15:04,453 Tiantai built an intellectual mansion around the Lotus Sutra 398 00:15:04,918 --> 00:15:07,774 Huayan built another around the Avatamsaka Sutra 399 00:15:07,958 --> 00:15:09,774 The ambition of these two mansions 400 00:15:09,838 --> 00:15:11,734 Was not merely to explain one sutra 401 00:15:12,119 --> 00:15:15,885 They wanted to explain how the entire world works 402 00:15:16,309 --> 00:15:16,824 In the next episode 403 00:15:17,150 --> 00:15:18,684 We are going to Mount Tiantai 404 00:15:18,989 --> 00:15:22,285 There a man named Zhiyi did something extraordinary 405 00:15:22,390 --> 00:15:23,925 Using a single Lotus Sutra 406 00:15:23,989 --> 00:15:27,484 He built one of the most precise systems in Chinese Buddhist history 407 00:15:27,630 --> 00:15:29,864 Just how precise was that system 408 00:15:30,270 --> 00:15:33,145 How did he turn one sutra into an entire worldview 409 00:15:34,162 --> 00:15:36,864 Have you ever felt this in your reading or work 410 00:15:37,476 --> 00:15:38,865 The more information you encounter 411 00:15:39,051 --> 00:15:41,007 The more contradictions you seem to find 412 00:15:41,314 --> 00:15:42,926 How do you deal with those contradictions 413 00:15:43,456 --> 00:15:44,564 Do you choose one side 414 00:15:44,670 --> 00:15:47,413 Or try to find a framework that can hold them all 415 00:15:47,982 --> 00:15:49,169 Share your thoughts 416 00:15:49,397 --> 00:15:50,080 I am Wang Lijie 417 00:15:50,327 --> 00:15:51,116 See you next time