Ziran

''Ziran'' ( zh, t=自然) is a key concept in Daoism that literally means "of its own; by itself" and thus "naturally; natural; spontaneously; freely; in the course of events; of course; doubtlessly". This Chinese word is a two-character compound of and , which is used as a ''-ran'' suffix marking adjectives or adverbs (roughly corresponding to English ''-ly''). In Chinese culture, the nose (or ''zi'') is a common metaphor for a person's point of view.

Origin

The phrase ''ziran'''s use in Daoism is rooted in the ''Tao Te Ching'' (chapters 17, 23, 25, 51, 64), written around 400 BCE. ''Ziran'' is a central concept of Daoism, closely tied to the practice of wuwei, detached or effortless action. ''Ziran'' refers to a state of "as-it-isness," the most important quality for anyone following Daoist beliefs. To become nearer to a state of ''ziran'', one must become separate from unnatural influences and return to an entirely natural, spontaneous state. ''Ziran'' is related to developing an "altered sense of human nature and of nature per se". When it comes to sensibility of Taoism, the moral import can be most found in ''ziran''.

Contemporary interpretations

Ziran has been interpreted and reinterpreted in a numerous ways over time. Most commonly, it has been seen as the greatest spiritual concept that was followed by lesser concepts of the Dao, Heaven, Earth, and Man in turn, based on the traditional translation and interpretation of Chapter 25 of the ''Tao Te Ching''.

Qingjie James Wang's more modern translation eliminates the logical flaw that arises when one considers that to model oneself after another entity may be to become less natural, to lose the 'as-it-isness' that ziran refers to. Wang reinterprets the words of Chapter 25 to be instructions to follow the model set by Earth's being Earth, by Heaven's being Heaven, and by the Dao being the Dao; each behaving perfectly in accordance with ziran. This interpretation reaffirms that the base nature of the Dao is one of complete naturalness.

Wing-Chuek Chan provides another translation of 'ziran': "It is so by virtue of its own".Chan, Wing-Chuek (2005). "On Heidegger's Interpretation of Aristotle: A Chinese Perspective", ''Journal of Chinese Philosophy'' 32(4), 539-557. This brings up ziran's link to another Daoist belief, specifically that the myriad things exist because of the qualities that they possess, not because they were created by any being to fulfill a purpose or goal. The only thing that a being must be when it exists in accordance with ziran is ultimately natural, unaffected by artificial influences.

Ziran and Tianran are related concepts. Tianran refers to a thing created by heaven that is ultimately untouched by human influence, a thing fully characterized by ziran. The two terms are sometimes interchangeably used. It can be said that by gaining ziran, a person grows nearer to a state of tianran.

Ziran can also be looked at from under Buddha's influence, "non-substantial". It is then believed to mean 'having no nature of its own'. In this aspect it is seen as a synonym of real emptiness.

D. T. Suzuki, in a brief article penned in 1959, makes the suggestion of ''ziran'' as an aesthetic of action: "Living is an act of creativity demonstrating itself. Creativity is objectively seen as necessity, but from the inner point of view of Emptiness it is 'just-so-ness,' (ziran). It literally means 'byitself-so-ness,' implying more inner meaning than 'spontaneity' or 'naturalness'".

''Ziran'' in Chan Buddhism

''Ziran'' also appears in Chan Buddhist sources. Shenhui, the famous Southern School proponent of sudden enlightenment, speaks of a , or the . According to Yanagida Seizan, Shenhui's understanding of no-thought (''wunian'') as sudden awakening is based on the notion of a "natural knowledge" (自然知; ''ziran zhi''), or "original knowledge" (本知; ''ben zhi''). As such, Shenhui criticizes Buddhist monks who hold to causes and conditions without acknowledging naturalness (), while also criticizing Daoists who hold to naturalness without acknowledging causes and conditions. When pressed as to what the naturalness of the Buddhists and the causes and conditions of the Daoists would be, Shenhui responds that Buddhist naturalness refers to the fundamental nature of sentient beings, as well as to the "natural wisdom and teacherless wisdom" spoken of in the sutras; while the Daoists' causes and conditions refers to the teaching that "the Way gives birth to the one, the one gives birth to the two, the two gives birth to the three, and from the three are born the myriad things" found in the ''Daodejing.''

According to Henrik Sorensen, one of the most salient features of the '' Xin Ming'' (Mind Inscription) and ''Jueguan lun'' (Treatise on Cutting Off Contemplation), two texts associated with the Oxhead School of Chan, is their "daoistic" flavor. He observes the appearance in these texts of concepts commonly found in Daoism, such as '' wuwei'', and the valuation of spontaneity, ''ziran'', over the vinaya, or Buddhist disciplinary code. Sorensen points out, however, that this should not be taken to mean that the Oxhead School was a kind of synthesis of Neo-Daoism and Chan Buddhism, but simply that the Oxhead School expressed the "practical realization of universal emptiness" of Chinese Madhyamaka partly in Daoist terminology.

''Ziran'' occurs twice in the ''Xin Ming'', both times in connection with brightness ():

Without unifying, without dispersing
Neither quick nor slow
Bright, peaceful and naturally so []
It cannot be reached by words

And also:

Do not extinguish ordinary feeling
Only teach putting opinions to rest
When opinions are no more, the heart ceases
When heart is no more, practice is cut off
There is no need to prove the Void
It is naturally bright and penetrating []

Additionally, ''ziran'' can be found in the famous '' Xinxin Ming'' (Faith-Mind Inscription), a text which bears a close similarity to the ''Xin Ming'' (Mind Inscription). According to Dusan Pajin, this work contains influences from Daoism. He notes the inclusion in the text of the term ''ziran,'' which Pajin says "has a completely Taoist meaning." Pajin writes that this aligns with the Chan tendency, influenced by Daoism, "to stress spontaneity, at the expense of rules, or discipline."' The ''Xinxin Ming'' says, "The essence of the Great Way is spaciousness / It is neither easy nor difficult / Small views of foxy doubts / Are too hasty or too late / Attach to them, the measure will be lost / Certain to enter on a deviant path / Letting go of them, it goes naturally []." Robert Sharf has observed that the well-known ''Xinxin Ming'' closely resembles the ''Xin Ming'' and it has been suggested by some scholars that the ''Xinxin Ming'' was intended as an "improvement" on the ''Xin Ming.'' Although the ''Xinxin Ming'' is traditionally attributed to the third Chan patriarch Sengcan (d. 606?), this is not taken seriously by scholarship, and both it and the slightly earlier ''Xin Ming'' have been associated with the Oxhead School. Both are likely products of the eighth or early ninth century.

Naturalness appears in another text which exhibits connections with the Oxhead School known as the ''Baozang lun'' (Treasure Store Treatise). For instance: "When body and mind are both gone, numinous wisdom alone remains. When the sphere of existence and nonexistence is destroyed, and the abode of subject and object is obliterated, there is only the naturalness of the dharma-realm radiating resplendent functions, yet without any coming into being." According to Sharf, this text contains influences from Twofold Mystery Daoism (''ch’ung-hsüan'').

''Ziran'' also occurs in material attributed to the Liang dynasty Buddhist figure Baozhi. For example: "The uncontrived Great Way is natural and spontaneous []; you don't need to use your mind to figure it out." According to Jinhua Jia, although a number of Chan teachings, including this, have been attributed to Baozhi of the Liang, these are likely products of the Hongzhou school of Chan, which flourished during the Tang dynasty. ''Ziran'' can be found in the teachings of the Hongzhou master Huangbo Xiyun as well. For example: "Once body and mind are spontaneous [], you will reach the Way and know the mind." And:

If you leave behind all dharmas that are subject to existence and nonexistence, your mind will become like the orb of the sun that is always present in the sky, its radiance shining naturally without [making any effort to] shine []. Isn’t that a situation where you should conserve your strength?

Guifeng Zongmi, of the Heze school of Chan, was critical of the Hongzhou School for its emphasis on spontaneity, ''ziran'', as he felt this undermined ethical and religious cultivation. While Zongmi, like the Hongzhou school, advocated for sudden awakening, he felt that sudden awakening must still be followed by "gradual cultivation" in which one's lingering habitual tendencies are progressively removed in stages. According to Zongmi, because the Hongzhou School believed that "Simply allowing the mind to act spontaneously is cultivation," they were at risk of erasing the distinction between enlightenment and delusion altogether and liable to fall into antinomianism. Nonetheless, Zongmi himself maintained that the nature of mind was characterized by an awareness, or knowing (知; ''zhi''), which is spontaneous. As he writes in the ''Chan Prolegomenon'':

The mind of voidness and calm is a spiritual Knowing that never darkens. It is precisely this Knowing of voidness and calm that is your true nature. No matter whether you are deluded or awakened, mind from the outset is spontaneously Knowing. nowingis not produced by conditions, nor does it arise in dependence on any sense object.

For Zongmi, awareness is a "direct manifestation of the very essence itself" (''t'ang-t'i piao-hsien''). He identifies this with the "intrinsic functioning of the self-nature," contrasting it with the "responsive functioning-in-accord-with-conditions" which he connects with psycho-physical operations such as speech, discrimination, and bodily movements. Where the latter type of functioning is likened to the appearance in response to stimuli of myriad images reflected in a mirror, the intrinsic functioning is likened to the mirror's luminous reflectivity itself, which is not changed by the images it reflects.Gregory, Peter. Tsung-mi and the Sinification of Buddhism, pages 239-242. Hawai'i University Press, 2002

Notes

See also

* Zhenren, a ''true person'' i.e. a master of the Tao
* Pu (Daoism), a metaphor for naturalness
* Tathātā or "suchness" in Mahayana Buddhism
* Sahaja, "coemergent; spontaneously or naturally born together" in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism
* True Will, a concept in Thelema

References

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Further reading

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* Ziran (自然) on Wiktionary

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