Kensho

Kenshō (見性) (Chinese: jian xing) is a Japanese term from the Zen tradition. Literally it means "seeing one's nature" or "true self".. It is commonly translated as enlightenment, a word that is also used to translate bodhi, prajna, satori and buddhahood.

Meaning of kensho

In kensho one realizes that there are no inherently existing 'things', that the world we experience is empty. It also...

...refers to the realization of nonduality of subject and object.

The term kensho is often used interchangeably with satori ("catching on"). Satori refers to the experience of kensho., though Satomi Myodo considers satori to be qualitatively deeper. The usual term for deep awakening is Daigo.

Kenshō has been said to be...

...a blissful realization where a person's inner nature, the originally pure mind, is directly known as an illuminating emptiness, a thusness which is dynamic and immanent in the world.

Kensho is not limited to Japanese Zen Buddhism traditions and occurs in many traditions as well as outside of Buddhist practice.

Kensho may be spontaneous, upon hearing or reading some significant phrase, or as result of a profound dream.^{[citation needed]} The idea of spontaneous insight has become part of the Traditional Zen Narrative. Zen lore describes the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng's spontaneous experience of kensho upon hearing a phrase of the Diamond sutra.

Kensho may be attained without the aid of a teacher, as in the case of Mushi dokugo.

Training

Kenshō experiences are tiered, in that they escalate from initial glimpses into the nature of mind, on to an experience of emptiness, and then perhaps on to Buddhahood.

Working towards this realization is usually a lengthy process of meditation and introspection under guidance of a Zen or other Buddhist teacher, commonly stretched out over years or even decades, involving periodic intensive sesshin retreats.

The methods used differ depending upon the tradition and practice. Sōtō tends towards a gradual approach preferring to let the experiences happen on their own, while Rinzai tends toward the use of Koans as a technique to unroot the habitual workings of the mind.

Koans are a technique that can be used as meditation aids, particularly in the Rinzai tradition. Bassui and Hakuin emphasized the question 'Who am I', since it is this question that guides the enquiry into one's true nature. The realization that there is no 'I' that is doing the thinking, but rather that the thinking process brings forth the illusion of an 'I', is a step on the way to kensho.

Which methods are the most appropriate for any given student depends on the lineage of Zen in which the student practices, as well as what seems the most appropriate method to the student's teacher.

It is not unusual for various hallucinations and psychological disturbances to arise prior to true kensho. These hallucinations are referred to as makyo. Distinguishing these delusions from actual kensho is the primary function of the teacher, as the student may be erroneously convinced he has attained kensho.

See also

• Shoshin
• Daigo
• Epiphany

Sources

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