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The Chan masters of old times discovered the principles of Chan through their own practice and shared them with their disciples so that they too, could awaken to the essence through the teachings. In the TV series "Great Dharma Drum," which was first broadcast by Taiwan's Chinese Television System, modern-day Chan Master Sheng Yen, using accessible language and media technology, addressed questions posed by the host, Ms. Chen Yueqing. Using Chan wisdom and compassion, Master Sheng Yen provided easy-to-understand and practical guidance to address these questions that are commonly experienced by many in daily life. Many of the broadcasts were re-aired on New York City's educational Channel WNY...
The Chan masters of old times discovered the principles of Chan through their own practice and shared them with their disciples so that they too, could awaken to the essence through the teachings. In the TV series "Great Dharma Drum," which was first broadcast by Taiwan's Chinese Television System, modern-day Chan Master Sheng Yen, using accessible language and media technology, addressed questions posed by the host, Ms. Chen Yueqing. Using Chan wisdom and compassion, Master Sheng Yen provided easy-to-understand and practical guidance to address these questions that are commonly experienced by many in daily life. This book is a selection of five of the ten topics that were re-broadcast in th...
Here is an ideal guide to the practice of Chan Buddhism by a great modern teacher. Part One presents Master Sheng Yen’s lively, anecdotal account of the history and main principles of the Chan tradition, along with his careful instructions for meditation. Part Two consists of 180 of his gemlike aphorisms and sayings that serve as inspirations to spiritual practice. The book will appeal to beginners as well as experienced students.
Here is a spiritual practice uncomplicated enough for anyone to learn, yet rich enough to be worked with for a lifetime. The traditional Chan (Chinese Zen) practice called Silent Illumination begins with nothing more than putting aside all thoughts except the awareness of oneself "just sitting." It’s so simple in execution that it has sometimes been called the "method of no-method"—yet simple as it is, the practice is subtle and profound, with the potential for ever subtler refinements as the practitioner moves toward mastery of it. When fully penetrated, this radical form of emptying one’s busy mind-stream leads to perception of the vast ocean of pure awareness.
Introduction: Biography, History, and Positionality -- 1. A Life of Contingencies and Crises -- 2. An Imagined Orthodoxy -- 3. Chan as the Doctrinal Culmination of the Han Transmission of Chinese Buddhism -- 4. Chan as the Experiential Fulfillment of the Han Transmission of Chinese Buddhism -- Conclusion -- Abbreviations and Conventions -- Bibliograpy -- Index.
Huatou is a skillful method for breaking through the prison of mental habits into the spacious mind of enlightenment. The huatou is a confounding question much like a Zen koan. Typical ones are "What is wu [nothingness]?" or "What was my original face before birth-and-death?" But a huatou is unlike a koan in that the aim is not to come up with an answer. The practice is simple: ask yourself your huatou relentlessly, in meditation as well as in every other activity. Don't give up on it; don't try to think your way to an answer. Resolve to live with the sensation of doubt that arises, and it will pervade your entire existence with a sense of profound wonder, ultimately leading to the shatterin...
Chan—or in Japanese, Zen—involves studying, practicing, acting, and being, but beyond words and ideas, the true Chan cannot be described, only learned. Under the guidance of authentic teachers like Chan Master Sheng Yen, many students in the West have learned how to follow the path. Collected from a series of talks given during Chan retreats, Getting the Buddha Mind presents the teachings of this esteemed spiritual guide and brings the intimacy of the retreat experience into the reader's living room.
The Heart Sutra, just over a page long, distills the teachings of the Buddha to their purest essence. Perhaps the best known of all Buddhist sutras, it is recited in Buddhist centers and monasteries around the world. Emphasizing a living wisdom directly experienced, the schools of Chan have revered the Heart Sutra for its concise expression of the core revelations of the Buddha. There Is No Suffering is Chan Master Sheng-yen's commentary on the Heart Sutra. He speaks on the sutra from the Chan point of view, and presents it as a series of contemplation methods, encouraging readers to experience it directly through meditation and daily life. In this way, reading the Heart Sutra becomes more than just an intellectual exercise; it becomes a method of practice by which one can awaken to the fundamental wisdom inherent within each of us. Whether one wants a better understanding of Buddhist concepts or a deepened meditation practice, this commentary on the Heart Sutra can help.
Master Sheng-yen combines wisdom gained from years of study and practice with knowledge of the contemporary world to show how Chan and Buddha’s teachings are still relevant today. Beginners, as well as those already on the path, will find clear and useful guidance as the revered teacher answers questions from his students on the simple yet elusive principles of Chan (Zen) practice.
Complete Enlightenment is the first authoritative translation and commentary on The Sutra of Complete Enlightenment, a central text that shaped the development of East Asian Buddhism and Ch'an (Chinese Zen). The text is set in the form of a transcription of discussions between the Buddha and the twelve enlightened beings(bodhisattvas), who question him on all aspects of spiritual practice. This new translation preserves all the liveliness and nuance of the text in the original Chinese. The sutra's ancient wisdom is brought to life by the commentaries of Master Sheng-yen, one of the most revered living Buddhist masters in the Ch'an lineage. This is truly a manual for the spiritual journey toward complete enlightenment, providing the key to the deep, poetic, and practical meanings of the scripture.