The Meaning of Spiritual Capacity (indriya) in Awakening and Cultivation

Spiritual capacity/faculty (genji, Kor. kŭn’gi 根機, Skt. indriya), a soteriological term referring to a Buddhist adept’s religious aptitude for cultivating the path, is usually presented in three sequential levels — superior, intermediate, and inferior. The distinct levels of the spiritual capacity are commonly viewed as hierarchical, and consequently, the awakening and cultivation experienced by adepts with different levels of spiritual capacity also tend to be considered to have hierarchical implications. For instance, in the East Asian Buddhist tradition, Chan/Sŏn 禪, a meditative approach that transcends linguistic understanding and intellectual knowledge, is typically seen as suited for those with superior or sharp spiritual capacity. In contrast, Jiao/Kyo 敎, which emphasizes doctrinal study based on scriptural learning, is viewed as an approach for those with inferior or dull capacity. This distinction in spiritual capacities have been connected not only to Chan/Sŏn and Jiao/Kyo but also to the soteriological approaches, namely, sudden (dun, Kor. ton 頓) and gradual (jian, Kor. chŏm 漸), which have often been associated with each. Ultimately, this distinction has led to a tendency to regard Chan/Sŏn as superior to Jiao/Kyo, and the sudden approach superior to the gradual. However, it is necessary to reconsider this prevailing view, since, strictly speaking, the fact that the methods of cultivation and awakening differ according to spiritual capacity is a separate issue from the hierarchy of these soteriological methods. In fact, Korean Sŏn masters, such as Pojo Chinul 普照知訥 (1158–1210), was well aware of the differences in the soteriological approaches based on the varying capacities of practitioners but did not view these methods hierarchically, instead advocating for practices like the sudden awakening followed by gradual cultivation (Kor. tono chŏmsu 頓悟漸修). This paper examines Chinul’s stance, which embraces both the sudden and gradual approaches, as well as Sŏn and Kyo, against the backdrop of contemporary debates in Korea regarding sudden and gradual. Through an analysis of Chinul’s works, such as Excerpts from the “Dharma Collection and Special Practice Record” with Personal Notes (Pŏpchip pyŏrhaengnok chŏryo pyŏngip sagi 法集別行錄節要幷入私記) and Resolving Doubts About Observing the Meditative Topic (Kanhwa kyŏrŭi non 看話決疑論), this study aims to elucidate the significance of the differences in spiritual capacity in relation to awakening and cultivation.