Non-abidance
In Buddhism, especially the Chan (Zen) traditions, non-abidance (in Sanskrit: apratiṣṭhita, with the a- prefix, lit. ‘unlimited’, ‘unlocalized’[1]) is the practice of avoiding mental constructs during daily life. That is, other than while engaged in meditation (zazen).
Some schools of Buddhism, especially the Mahāyāna, consider apratisthita-nirvana ("non-abiding cessation") to be the highest form of Buddhahood, more profound than pratiṣṭhita-nirvāṇa, the ‘localized’, lesser form.[2]
Term
Here, abide[3] is used to translate pratiṣṭhita, meaning "to be contained in [a locale]" or "situated", from the prefix prati- ('towards', 'in the direction of') and ṣṭhita ('established', 'set up').[4]
To translate pratiṣṭhita, Chinese Buddhists used zhù (住), literally "to reside, lodge, remain". Both wúsuǒzhù (無所住 'no means of staying') and wúzhù (無住 'not staying')[5] are used for apratiṣṭhita.
Sutras
The Diamond Sutra, a classic Buddhist text, is primarily concerned with the idea of non-abidance. The concept seems to have originated with the 1st-century Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna, whose version of śūnyatā, or emptiness, entails that entities neither exist, nor do they not exist.
Realizing the depth of this concept was also responsible of a Chan master's sudden enlightenment. The Platform Sutra relates how the spiritual patriarch Huineng was enlightened after hearing his master Hongren reciting from the Diamond Sutra:
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Responding to the non-abiding, yet generating the mind.
(應無所住，而生其心。 Yìng wúsuǒzhù, er sheng qi xin.)[6]
Huineng then responded that self-natures are intrinsically pure, cannot be genereated or extinguished, are self-sufficient and capable of generating dharma. However, this key incident, though found in the majority of texts, is absent in the older Dunhuang version.[7]
The scholar-monk Qisong (契嵩) also noted in his foreword of the Platform Sutra:
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- The formless is the essence. (無相為體 wúxiang wei ti)
- Non-thought is the tenet. (無念為宗 wúnian wei zong)
- Non-abiding is the fundamental. (無住為本 wúzhù wei ben)
Non-abiding leads to prajñā (wisdom), as it enables one to consider that worldly issues are empty, so there is no point in retaliation or disputes.[8]
References
- ↑ Sanskrit-English Dictionary, by M. Monier William
- ↑ A Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 2003
- ↑ From wikt:abide: "To stay; to continue in a place; to remain stable or fixed in some state or condition; to be left."
From wikt:abidance: The sense of 'continuance; dwelling' is older than 'compliance' (19th century). - ↑ The Spoken Sanskrit Dictionary
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- ↑ The Platform Sutra, chapter 4.
