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Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels by Master Sheng Yen
The following is an excerpt from the pamphlet Why Take Refuge in the Three Jewels? by Master Sheng Yen. The pamphlet was translated by Larry Liang and Guogu, edited by Harry Miller with the assistance of Ayn Steele, and excerpted for Chan Magazine by David Berman. “A path that leads you home is a genuine refuge. Places where you can put up your feet and relax are not worthy refuges. A practice like this would be no different from using a clay ox to cross a river. You may have a sense of security when you first enter the river, but …
What Had I Gotten Myself Into? By M.L.
Photo Credit: Ming Lu Gao When my wife returned from the Western Zen retreat in 2002 she was very happy. I had been filling my days with my job in mid-town Manhattan, putting the children on the bus and tucking them in at night. I was happy to hear her talk of the retreat, but it sounded very strange and I remember feeling that I wanted her to stop talking about it. It was like hearing about a summer vacation from one’s classmates in the fall. Enough already. Master Sheng Yen has transmitted Chan to only a few Westerners. One of them, Master John Crook, has a retreat …
Hidden Assumptions, Fixed Views by Simon Child
Photo by: leshkamal/Pexels Perception and Sensation At each morning service and evening service we chant The Heart Sutra together. In one part it says: Form is precisely emptiness and emptiness precisely form. So also are sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness. Most of you will know that these are the five skandhas: form, sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness – the five skandhas being a model of the human mind. “Form” referring to the shape, the body, the substance. “Sensation” referring to the ability to sensethe world through touch, sight, smell and so on. “Perception” is what we make of what wereceive through those senses – do we …
Farewell to an Ancient Friend by Venerable Chang Yuan
The magnificent maple tree that once guarded the entrance of the reception hall is now gone. “Though these insentient things have no voice, they silently reveal the truth of impermanence at every moment—through the changing seasons, the blooming and withering of flowers, and the ceaseless flow of water—to anyone willing to listen.” The natural surroundings at DDRC carry a quiet, undeniable beauty. Every building, every blade of grass, and every tree comes together to create a serene landscape that naturally calms and settles the mind. Recently, I received the sad news that the magnificent maple tree standing in front of …