Our Lineage
Chan School of Buddhism
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Chan is the school of Chinese Buddhism. It is a term that refers to a way of living or experiencing the world.
Ultimately, Chan means direct awakening to interconnectedness and impermanence, and the consequent arising of Buddhist wisdom and compassion. This awakening experience is inexpressible in words; it is inaccessible to the dualism of language and concepts. Rather, it is a state of awareness free of self-reference.
There is a saying: “Chan is not established on words and language.” The teaching starts with knowing one’s self, but the process of practice leads to a discovery of our interconnectedness with others. Direct personal experience of Chan brings about the actualization of wisdom and compassion, leading to peace and understanding of the world.
Chan teaching encompasses four key elements, inseparable and mutually inclusive:
- Faith is confidence in oneself and the path.
- Understanding refers to the insights gained on the path.
- Practice transforms our negative habits and distorted views.
- Awakening is the actualization of wisdom and compassion.
Foundations
Equilibrium Between Movement and Stillness
Tso-chan (sitting meditation) focuses on regulating body, breath, and mind. Regulating the body involves relaxing the body while sitting in a correct posture. In order to cultivate physical well-being, however, you really need to regulate all aspects of your life. Besides the sitting posture, you can practice walking meditation, sleeping postures, exercises, and massages. You should also regulate and balance your daily diet, your work habits, and the amount of time you sleep. There must be equilibrium between movement and stillness.
Regulating Body, Breath and Mind
Regulating the breath can help you reach many different levels of practice. Breath and mind are very much connected: you can regulate your mind by regulating your breath, because when your breathing is smooth and stable, your mind becomes stable. Every tradition of spiritual meditation practice, including Taoism, yoga, tantra, and Buddhism, all begin by regulating the breath, for the very simple reason that it is the breath within the body that helps the circulation of energy. This energy, or ch’i, in turn maintains the functions of the physical body. When practitioners experience the benefits of the ch’i, they tune into the importance and pleasure of meditation practice.
Four Levels of Breathing
According to your level of concentration, there can be four levels of breathing:
The first level, nostril breathing, is the shallowest one. Its meaning is just what the name suggests. At this stage, you are breathing through the nostrils about 16 to 18 times per minute.
The second level is called abdominal breathing. As your breathing becomes deeper, although your breath still passes through the nostrils, there are movements of the rising and falling of the abdomen.
The third level is called embryonic breathing. At this stage, the breath no longer passes through the nostrils. Instead, every pore throughout the body is breathing. The whole universe is like the womb of the mother, and your body-the embryo-receives oxygen directly from the environment.
The fourth level is called tortoise breathing. At this stage, oxygen from the external environment is no longer needed. Your metabolism slows down so much that even the heart stops beating. You are in a very deep state of samadhi. The body of the meditator becomes its own small universe. The energy inside the body circulates, supports, and nourishes itself.
Regulating the Mind
Regulating the mind involves learning to be in control of your thoughts. Usually, methods of samatha and vipassana are used to collect and calm the scattered mind. Traditional methods within Buddhism—counting the breath, following the breath, and contemplating the impurity of the body—help you reach a calm and collected state of mind and body. You can also calm and balance mind and body by practicing prostration, walking meditation, and recitation of the Buddha’s name.
The traditional purpose of tso-chan practice is to concentrate and unify the mind. When people reach this state, they usually think they are enlightened, or that they have achieved the state of no-self. In reality, whatever they may experience is at most a stage of samadhi. There are eight stages of samadhi; none of them go beyond the state of the unified mind. These states are not the wisdom of emptiness, because attachment to the self still exists even when the mind is unified. In Chan the understanding of samadhi is very different.
Silent Illumination
The aim of silent illumination is to develop and maintain relaxation, clarity and openness of mind.
Ultimately, the goal is to see into the nature of the mind.
When one achieves this insight, they experience freedom and an ease in dealing with all situations.
Starting with foundational methods to stabilize the mind, practitioners gradually enter into what is known as the “method of no method.”
HuaTou
“Huatou” in Chinese, literally means “the origin of words,” or that which precedes words and language. It refers to the state of mind before the arising of conceptualization or, more precisely, before the arising of a single thought. Huatou is the source of all words and thoughts—the fundamental nature of the mind.
Huatou is a method unique to the Chan school. Master Sheng Yen made a unique contribution to Chan by systematizing the application of this method, making it clearly comprehensible even to the beginning practitioner.
Chan Practice in Daily Life
Practice should not be separate from living, and living should be one’s practice at all times. You can practice in any situation. During the busy day, find moments to stop, relax, and clear your mind—anywhere, anytime.
Chan is a way of life, a foundational practice that brings clarity, peace, wisdom, and compassion to enhance your daily experience. It provides an emotional stability that frees you from stress, anxiety and despair. In turn, it develops a deep understanding and compassion for others. Proper practice includes the cultivation of mindfulness, compassion, intuition, and wisdom.