| Summary: | 碩士 === 慈濟大學 === 宗教與文化研究所 === 98 === The Wamatha & Vipawyana（止觀）tranquility-insight meditation method plays an important role in the practice of Buddhism. And the Method of Anqpana is the dharma which fulfills the tranquility-insight meditation.
In the history of Chan Buddhism in China, Wamatha & Vipawyana meditation was one of the most important practice methods before the Tang Dynasty. It is believed that the way of tranquility-insight meditation has been translated into different languages and also has been continuously practiced by Buddhists. Its wide influence on the development of Buddhism is beyond imagination.
The book Shi Chan Boluomi Tsidi Famen（釋禪波羅密次第法門） was written by Tien-Tai Zhi Yi（天台智顗, also known in this thesis as Master Zhi Yi and Master Zhi Zhe); it is easy to understand the author’s ideas about the method of mindfulness of breathing. Basically, it reveals the central spirit of traditional Buddhism. In addition, it forms a connection between the practice of Worldly Chan and Non-Worldly Chan Buddhism（世間禪和出世間禪）. In this book, Chan meditation is divided into three stages; these are Breath（息）, Form（色） and Mind（心）, each of which has a close relationship with the four practice entrances of Chan Buddhism. These are: 1. Worldly Chan, and 2. Chan with both World and Non-Worldly qualities（世間禪和亦世間亦出世間禪）which are derived from the Breath Stage; 2. the Non-Worldly Chan（出世間禪）, belonged to the Form Stage; and 3. the Non-Worldly & Not-Non Worldly Chan（非世間非出世間禪）originating from the Mind Stage.
Three features are indicated clearly in this book and form the main study of this thesis; they are the Method of Anqpana（安那般那法）, the Six Wonderful Methods of Meditation Practice（六妙門）, and the 16 Superior Practices of Meditation（十六特勝）. The Method of Anqpana belongs to the subdivision of Worldly Chan while the Six Wonderful Methods of Meditation Practice and the 16 Superior Practices of Meditation belong to the subdivision of Worldly and Non-Worldly Chan.
Apart from the introductory and concluding chapters, there are four chapters which indicate the characteristics of Tien-Tai Anqpana to study the central concepts of the Shi Chan Boluomi Tsidi Famen. This is done in order to further investigate the Chan ideas of Ven. Zhi Zhe.
The second chapter begins by explaining that In & Out Breathing（出入息）is considered the best way to purify our consciousness, for it can avoid the side effects of the observation of physical non-purity. The lineage of Zhi Zhe from his teachers is then presented. We find that he has also been strongly influenced by Nagarjuna’s (龍樹) thinking.
Zhi Zhe also followed the ideas of Master Hui Wen and Master Hui She（慧文和慧思大師）; he developed his system to its pinnacle and established his own features of meditation practice. The practice of tranquility-insight meditation is Master Zhi Yi’s main line of thought, and this is also both the beginning and ending of Buddhist practice. Zhi Yi followed Hui Wen’s and Hui She’s main thoughts and developed a mature theory. All of the theory and practice of Tien-Tai can be concluded in the presentation of the tranquility-insight meditation of Master Zhi Yi. The developmental progress of Zhi Yi’s Chan philosophy can be seen in his masterpieces of Four Wamatha & Vipawyana (四部止觀) .
Chapter 3 of this essay discusses Anqpana as the basic foundation of Worldly Chan（共世間禪）. The basic Method of Anqpana is the way to enter the First Dhyana Heaven（初禪天）. It is believed that the Method of Anqpana is to train your mind through contemplation of In & Out Breathing. Counting In & Out Breathing from one to ten is the way to control your mind to avoid distraction if you have difficulty in observing wisdom and cultivating Chan. The Anqpana Method refines our attention, and counting from one to ten helps us to remain awareness of our mentality.
Chapter 4 is a brief introduction on how to practice the Method of Anqpana through the cultivation of the system of the Six Wonderful Methods of Meditation. People are taught how to practice Buddhism by following the steps of In & Out Breathing. There were six orders including Counting, Following, Stopping, Looking, Returning, and Purifying（數、隨、止、觀、還、淨）. It’s obvious that the Six Wonderful Methods of Meditation Practice is a magnificent way of practice in Buddhism; Master Zhi Yi thought that it is the most suitable way for people who possess wisdom but lack stability. In the process of cultivation Counting, Following and Stopping（數、隨、止）are assigned to the category of stability; it is called Afflicted Chan（有漏禪）and is for those people who cling addictedly to strong attachment and greed in meditation. Meanwhile, Looking, Returning and Purifying（觀、還、淨）are assigned to the category of wisdom, which is also called Non- Afflicted Chan（無漏禪）and is for those people who are released from suffering. In Zhi Yi’s system, the Six Wonderful Methods of Meditation Practice is classified into Worldly Chan & Non-Worldly Chan or Leaking Chan & Non-Leaking Chan according to its characteristics.
The perfect system of Anqpana, the Practice of the 16 Superior Practices of Meditation, is introduced in Chapter 5. The features of the 16 Superior Practices of Meditation are including the Four Dhyana Heavens（四禪）, Eight Absorptions（八定）and the Four Earnest Contemplations（四念處）. The 16 Superior Practices of Meditation contain both Meditation and Contemplation and this system is suitable for those people who are stable in absorption, but lack wisdom cultivation. The first eight Superior Practices of Meditation belong to Absorption（定）and the final eight to Contemplation（慧）. During the process of practice of the 16 Superior Practices of Meditation, the practitioner will enjoy the joy of meditation and will not be led to any side effects. It makes practitioners remain in deep meditation and unaffected by other people. Because it is better even than other methods of practice such as Non-Purity Observation and the Six Wonderful Methods of Meditation Practice, people call it the 16 Superior Practices of Meditation in the practice of Buddhism.
According to this research, we not only realize the Method of Anqpana from the book Shi Chan Boluomi Tsidi Famen written by Tien-Tai Zhi Yi but also comprehend the features of both the Method of Anqpana and tranquility-insight meditation in Tien-Tai. This book contains clear systems and sequences for the practice of tranquility-insight meditation. All approaches of meditation are strictly arranged in order from the basic to the deep. Therefore, it is believed that Shi Chan Boluomi Tsidi Famen written by Tien-Tai Zhi Yi is a significant book in Buddhism. The characteristics of meditation in the book can be seized by the way of Observation of Breath（息）, Form（色） and Consciousness（心）, stepping from the lower levels to the highest stages. This book also discusses the Method of Anqpana, the Six Wonderful Methods of Meditation Practice and the 16 Superior Practices of Meditation, penetrates these teachings within the system of the Tien-Tai Sect, and presents the distinguished features of tranquility-insight meditation within the same sect.
In sum, the Method of Anqpana by Tien-Tai Zhi Yi is the combination of original Buddhism from India and Chan Theory of the late period of Mahayana（大乘）, and the Anqpana Method has become one of the main characteristic of the Tien-Tai Sect. The Shi Chan Boluomi Tsidi Famen by Tien-Tai Zhi Yi highlights the meditation of both Mahayana and Hinayana and is a perfect system arranged in order from the basic to the deep. It is an important meditation book, containing both theories and methods. All in all, Tien-Tai Zhi Yi developed the theory from breath counting to the tranquility-insight meditation and combined it with the Method of Anqpana. The characteristic Tien-Tai Method of Anqpana is well-established, Tien-Tai has become the most powerful and significant sect and has also had a deep and mighty influence on Chinese Buddhism.
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