Chan Magazine Spring 2007

7/28/2019 Chan Magazine Spring 2007

1/40

T

o cultivators of Chan, I give threeguiding principles. First, relax

your body and mind. Second, settle upona practice method as soon as possible.Third, do not concern yourself with howwell you are doing. If you follow theseguidelines, your practice will be smoothand fruitful.

Chan Master Sheng Yen,from his new bookAttain-ing the Way: A Guide to the

Practice of Chan Buddhism

Spring 2007 Chan Magazine


2/40

Chan Magazine Spring 2007

2

Chan Magazine

Volume 23, Number 4Autumn, 2003

Chan Magazine is published quarterly by the Institute ofChung-Hwa Buddhist Culture, Chan Meditation Center,90-56 Corona Avenue, Elmhurst, NY 11373. The magazineis a non-profit venture; it accepts no advertising and issupported solely by contributions from members of the

Chan Center and the readership. Donations to support themagazine and other Chan Center activities may be sent tothe above address and will be gratefully appreciated. Yourdonation is tax-deductible. For information about ChanCenter activities please call (718) 592-6593. For DharmaDrum Publications please call (718) 592-0915. E-mailthe Center at [email protected], or the magazine [email protected], or visit us online at:http://www.chancenter.org.

Founder/TeacherChan Master Ven. Dr. Sheng Yen

Editor-in-chiefDavid Berman

CoordinatorVirginia Tan

News editorBelia Pena

PhotographyDavid Kabacinski (Chang Wen)

Contributing editorsErnie Heau, Chris Marano, Virginia Tan, Wei Tan

ContributorsRikki Asher, Berle Driscoll, Jeffrey Kung, Rebecca Li, Char-lotte Mansfield, Mike Morical, Bruce Rickenbacker, WeiTan, Tan Yee Wong (Chang Ji)

AdministratorGuo Chen Shi

Chan Magazine

Volume 27, Number 2Spring, 2007

Chan Magazine is published quarterly by the Institute ofChung-Hwa Buddhist Culture, Chan Meditation Center, 90-56 Corona Avenue, Elmhurst, NY 11373. The magazine isa non-profit venture; it accepts no advertising and is sup-ported solely by contributions from members of the Chan

Center and the readership. Donations to support the maga-zine and other Chan Center activities may be sent to theabove address and will be gratefully appreciated. Pleasemake checks payable to Chan Meditation Center; your do-nation is tax-deductible. For information about Chan Cen-ter activities please call (718) 592-6593. For Dharma DrumPublications please call (718) 592-0915. E-mail the Centerat [email protected], or the magazine at [email protected], or visit us online at:

http://www.chancenter.org.

Founder/TeacherChan Master Ven. Dr. Sheng Yen

Editor-in-chiefDavid Berman

Coordinator

Virginia Tan

PhotographyJohn Feng, Jerry Roach

Contributing editorsErnie Heau, Kevin Mathewson, Virginia Tan, Wei Tan,Sheila Sussman, Guogu

ContributorsRikki Asher, Tina Kacandes, Jeffrey Kung, Rebecca Li,Mike Morical, Bruce Rickenbacker, Ayn Steele, Wei Tan,Tan Yee Wong (Chang Ji Fa Shi)

AdministratorChang Wu Fa Shi


3/40

From the Editor 4

How Do We Achieve Peace? 6 Opening and closing remarks to the Young Leaders

Peacebuilding Retreat by Chan Master Sheng Yen

Hongzhis Silent Illumination Chan 3 Excerpts from the Extensive Record of Chan Master

Hongzhi translated by Guogu

The Past 8

News from the Chan Meditation Center and DDMBA

The Future 32Retreats, classes, and other upcoming events

Chan Center Afliates 34


3


4/40

Beep. This is Kip from DataRecovery. Yourhard drive suffered a mechanical failure; thedrums actually damaged the platter, causingsome of the data to be corrupted. Fortunately,we believe well be able to recover all of thedata on the drive; unfortunately thats 62gigs, which is too much for dvd, so well have

to put it on another hard drive...please calland let us know whether you want to send usa drive or purchase one from us...

And so ended another dramatic episode ofthe 21st century, a story of impermanence, thegradual arising of fear, the sudden realizationof emptiness, miraculous rebirth, and most ofall, limitless expense, the bills increasing inincrements of four figures with every turn ofthe page.

I was not one of the many, by the way, who al-ways put off until tomorrow the backup theyshould do today; no no, I am one of the few

whose e-karma is evidently so bad that mycarefully planned automatic weekly backupsfailed right along with my hard drive.

What is really striking to me about all this ishow quickly, and how late in life, I managed tobecome someone entirely dependent on tech-

nologies I barely understand. Most of what Ido with a computer I used to do (for more than40 years) with a pencil; some things I used todo with a big, heavy book called a dictionary,or a big set of books called an encyclopedia,or in a pinch, with a big building full of books(we used to call it a librarytheres probablyone being shut down right now near whereyou live). I didnt even own a computer untilthe 20th century was nearly over; I remember

when touch-tone was introduced, and an-swering machines, when people got busy sig-nals and called back later, when a sticky-notewas a high-tech substitute for a string tiedaround your finger. And now here I am, in thesame lifetime, devastated, emotionally wrungout by the crash of a hard drive and the con-

sequent loss of 62 billion strings of stored 1sand 0s representing photographs I never lookat and words I happened to arrange in a par-ticular order on a particular day.

Well sure, I can be philosophical about it now,now that Kip has called, and my precious datais on its way back to me. And its not as if Ireally want to return to the good old days ofpencil and paperyou cant writeSamantab-

hadra with your pencil and have your paperreturn 90,000 hits. But it does concern methat while using this marvelous technology toproduce the last 20 issues of Chan Magazine,I was also evidently producing 62 billion or so

strong and abiding attachments.

Kip did have a bit of advice to go with thegood newshe reminded me that any harddrive can fail at any time, and so it was hisstrong recommendation that as soon as Idownload everything from my new external

storage device to my new computer, I back upcritical files to dvd, and store those dvds inanother location. That way, if, for example,my Aeron chair should explode, taking thecomputer and the external hard drive withit, I could drift in and out of consciousnessamid the rubble and wait for the paramedicscomfortable in the knowledge that at least mydata was safe.

From The Editor


4


5/40



6/40

Remarks to the

Young LeadersPeacebuilding Retreat

by

Chan Master Sheng Yen

The following remarks by Chan Master Sheng Yen were given at the Young Leaders Peacebuild-ing Retreat at the Dharma Drum Retreat Center in Pine Bush, New York, held October 25-28,

2006. The occasion was a multi-faith retreat sponsored jointly by the Global Peace Initiative ofWomen and Dharma Drum Mountain. Attending the retreat were about 80 young leaders from

Africa, America, Asia, and Europe; their religious affiliations included Buddhism, Christianity,Judaism and Islam. For three days the group held intensive discussions and reflected on whatyoung people can do to enhance the environment for peace in the world. This gathering wasactually a prelude to their attendance at the United Nations Global Youth Leadership Summit,which was held October 29-31stat the United Nations. In the words of the GYLS, the purpose of

the summit was to strengthen the worldwide movement to engage young people in decisionsabout the future of their communities, regions, and our emerging global society [and] toshare ideas and action plans on ways to reduce poverty and accelerate the achievement of theother Millennium Development Goals and build peace

Master Sheng Yens remarks were given at the opening and the closing of the retreat, and wereorally translated by Dr. Rebecca Li.

Opening Remarks

On behalf of Dharma Drum Retreat Center, Iwelcome you all to this Young Leaders Peace-building retreat. I am very happy to see somany old friends here, and also happy to seea lot of new friends. I hope over the next few

days of this retreat you will truly live a joyfuland peaceful life here at the retreat center.

Now Id like to begin by asking you this ques-tion: How do we achieve peace? What do weneed to do in order to attain peace in thisworld? Do you have any specific ideas inmind already?

Based on my experience of having read many

books and heard many lectures, some by fa-mous people, the main point is often that to


6


7/40


7


8/40

attain peace we need to change somethingeither we need to change an existing situa-tion, or we need to change how people, eth-

nic groups or religions, relate to each other.These methods advocate peace by changingsomething external to ourselves.

In fact, there are a lot of people and institu-tions that are dedicated to attaining peace inthis world. However, because they are so zeal-ous in advocating peace, they often adopt ex-treme thinking in their approach. And becausetheir solution is often to use force to attainpeace on their terms, wehave arrived at a state ofperpetual conflict in theworld. Now Id like to askyou: those who advocate

this kind of solution, arethey the makers or thedestroyers of peace?

[Voice from audience:They are destroyers ofpeace.]

The violent approachto making peace was the mentality up toand through the 19th century. We have gonethrough the 20th century in which we experi-enced two great world wars, and now we haveentered the 21st century with open conflict inmany parts of the world. Since violence andwar have not in fact brought us peace, dontyou think that we need a new paradigm, anew approach towards making peace? If youdo, that would mean looking for methods ofnon-violence because if we continue to resortto force, all that will happen is that we will bestuck in violent conflicts around the world.

At the individual level we can think aboutpeacemaking in the same way. If we treatpeople around us with an angry heart, if we

interact with anger in our minds, people willinevitably respond with anger. We then havean environment of violence against violence.However, if we can treat people with kindnessand compassion, they will not find it so easyto remain angry at us. So we need to startfrom within ourselves, from our within ourown minds; we need to keep a mind of peace,of kindness, and compassion. Then we willhave a standpoint from which to build peace

from within ourselvesinstead of resorting toforceful change.

So the important thing to

attain peace in the worldis to first cultivate an at-titude of non-harmingand non-violence. If wehave peace in our minds,the world we experiencewill be at peace; even

though the objective re-ality may be one of con-flict, our inner experience will be one of peace.That is to say, at least we will not become thesource of conflict and violence. When we areat peace in our minds and we do not generateconflict and violence, then we can truly beginto also help others attain peace and eliminateviolence and conflict.

So in these few days of this Peacebuilding Re-treat you have been preparing for the UnitedNations Global Youth Leadership Summit,one of whose themes is the problem of globalpovertyhow to solve and eliminate pover-

ty. However, global poverty is not something

NOW ID LIKE TO ASK YOU:

THOSE WHO ADVOCATE

THIS KIND OF SOLUTION

(THE VIOLENT APPROACH

TO MAKING PEACE), ARE

THEY THE MAKERS OR THE

DESTROYERS OF PEACE?


8


9/40

that, as very young leaders, you can easilyand readily tackle by yourself. That is toolarge a problem for you.

However, what you can do as young leaders isto start the peacebuilding process from withinyourselves. To begin, if you can at least keepyourself from falling into poverty then thereis a chance that you will be able to help oth-ers out of poverty. What I mean is that if youare poverty-stricken yourself, how can youhelp others overcome their own poverty? Bykeeping yourself out of poverty, and I heremean not just material poverty, but also spiri-tual poverty, you can then cultivate a mindless motivated by greed and desire. You willbe able to find contentment with what you al-ready have. When we do not crave so much,

when we dont constantly think that we needthis and we want that, we are then ready tocontribute and share with everyone else. Atthat time, we become the wealthiest peoplein the world.

On the other hand we cannot do that if we

constantly feel that we need more for our-selves. Feeling such a lack, it would be dif-ficult for us to share with others and contrib-ute to their welfare. Even though we may bematerially wealthy, so long as we feel that wecannot share with others, we are still in pov-erty, spiritual poverty.

So Id like to make a suggestion. When, a fewdays from now, you attend the United Nationssummit to discuss the problem of poverty, Iurge you to raise the point to the assemblyabout how we should go about really solvingpoverty. The answer, as I see it, is to first rec-ognize the main causes of poverty. Yes, there

are serious natural disasters that can causepoverty, but among causes that we can learn

to control is violent conflictwar. Violentconflict throws a lot of people into enforcedpoverty out of which it is extremely difficult

to climb [due to disruptions to the social fab-ric, loss of infrastructure, and economic cha-os]. So in order to help solve the problem ofpoverty, we first need to solve the problem ofperpetual war; we need to cease giving riseto violence as a solution to social problems,and conflict as a means of settling disputesbetween people and nations. When we do thatwe will truly be getting to one of the mainsources of poverty.

When there is war, people are thrown into ma-terial poverty; when we succeed in stoppingconflict we will help to alleviate poverty. Al-ready today, in many parts of the world, there

are people in poverty caused by conflict, andwhile we can bring them material aid, that isnot enough. We also need to help people findspiritual contentment as well as alleviate ma-terial poverty. When one is no longer spiritu-ally poor there is less greed and when thereis less greed, there is more contentment. So

we should try to eliminate violence, gettingat the problem of conflict and warwhichin itself is a kind of povertyand we shouldalso purify anger from our heart, we shouldcultivate contentment of the spirit. When wecan do that we will be eliminating spiritualpoverty and will be truly getting to the heartof the problem of material poverty.

Closing Remarks

Over the last few days we have been livingtogether here in the quiet environment of theDharma Drum Retreat Center with no distrac-tions, so that we could all concentrate on the

purpose of our being here, which is to shareour life experiences as young leaders dedicat-



10/40

ed to building peace in the world. Especiallyunder the help and guidance of the compas-sionate teachings of the Buddha, along with

the several spiritual mentors here, you haveall been able to very generously share yourexperiences to everyones benefit.

There are some people in the world whothrough most of their lives never really haveto undergo any great suffering, any great dif-ficulty. However, when you look at the livesof the truly great leaders in history, had theynot experienced great suffering themselves,it would have been very difficult for them totruly understand and empathize with the suf-fering of others.

I understand that among you here, not all

have really needed to endure much difficultyor suffering so far in your young lives. Still,it is inspiring that you are willing to come tothe United States, to this retreat center, to ex-perience discomfort for several days, in orderto share your life experiences with others likeyourselves. After all, this is not a five-star ho-

tel. Being a retreat center, it is not meant to bevery comfortable with lots of amenities. So itis good that youve been willing to come andsuffer a little bit.

In fact, in order to become a leader, one shouldbe willing to undergo and experience difficul-ties. If one is unwilling to put oneself throughsome suffering in order to achieve a goal,then it is difficult to give rise to compassion.Without a mind and heart of compassion onewould not be even able to perceive that thereis anyone out there that needs to be helped.If one always puts oneself only through themost pleasant circumstances, then it becomes

easy to think that everything in the world isso wonderful, everything is going smoothly,

and there is no one out there suffering, sono one needs our help. Only if we are willingto put ourselves through some difficulty and

suffering are we able to truly empathize withthe great need, with the great suffering outthere, and give rise to compassion.

In the entire world today with 6.5 billion peo-ple, at least half are in dire circumstances, ex-periencing poverty, sickness, homelessness,and other forms of suffering. Therefore, weoften are plagued with this erroneous under-standing that suffering comes only from mate-rial poverty; we think that all suffering is theresult of not having enough food, not havinghousing, healthcare, clothing or possessions,and so on. But I have known of many verywealthy people that have everything that they

could possibly want materially, but they donthave happiness at all and even lack a sense ofsecurity. One could say that these people aresuffering from spiritual poverty even whilebeing materially wealthy. So from the totalperspective of those who suffer materiallyand those who suffer spiritually, most of the

6.5 billion people on our Planet Earth are suf-fering in one way or the other. As young lead-ers, you can therefore recognize that there isa great deal of suffering out there that needsto be alleviated.

For example, I can see that all of you youngleaders have adequate shelter, enough food,clothing, and you are all healthy and intel-ligent. And yet, although you seem to haveeverything you need, a lot of you have toldand shared stories of pain and suffering. Overthese past few days you have inspired andmoved each other with your own stories. So,ask yourself, why is it that though you have

all the material needs, you still have some ex-periences of suffering to share? If you do that,


0


11/40

you will understand that everyone, regard-less of circumstancesfortunate or unfortu-natesuffers one way or another; everyone

has unhappy experiences to tell.

Now, in your upcoming meeting at the UnitedNations the theme is going to be the elimina-tion of poverty. The promise of the theme isthat if we can eliminate poverty most of theproblems of the world will be solved. But myopinion is that this is not entirely the rightidea because, while curing material poverty isdifficult, compared to poverty of the mind andspirit material poverty is relatively solvable.It is the poverty of the mind and spirit that isgoing to take a lot more work to alleviate. Aslong as there is great spiritual poverty, evenif we solve the problem of material poverty,

people will still continue to suffer and be un-happy. We should also help others to cultivatespiritual contentment, to eliminate the pov-

erty of the spirit.

After today you will be leaving, and up tonow, aside from the humble amenities here,probably the thing that was most difficult forsome of you, that caused some suffering, wasthat for several days you have had to eat noth-ing but vegetarian food [prolonged laughter].A lot of you have never had to be vegetarianover the course of several days and yet here,every meal was vegetarian, vegetarian. Well,to undergo for several days a diet you are notused to, that also entails a little bit of difficul-ty. So, you have tasted a little bit of sufferingand that counts as putting yourself through



12/40

the stories of other young leaders like your-selves. In the process you have experiencedin a few days more than what you might ex-

perience in possibly two years otherwise. So Iwant to congratulate you on your patience.

And while you have heard other peoplesstories of suffering and difficulty, it is veryimportant not to become disappointed withwhat you see around in the world. Probablymost of the 6.5 billion people in the worldhave an erroneous, or upside-down viewabout things, thinking that happiness comeswith material comforts. But when you thinkabout it, throughout human history, bringinglife and hope to this world has always beenaccomplished by a small handful of peoplewho have the correct understanding. With

this right understanding they have been ableto lead the rest of us towards a more enlight-ened view.

Therefore, we have nearly 80 of you youngleaders here, and I encourage every singleone of you to make a vow to give rise to com-

passion in order to help everyone. Everybodyhere should make this vow saying, I will giverise to a mind of compassion to help everyonein this world.

How do we go about doing this? First, weshould remember to use the method of non-violence, of not causing harm; second, we

should cultivate inner peace, starting withourselves, in order to bring peace to thosearound us and then throughout the world. Ifevery one of us makes such a vow then the21st century will be filled with hope, becauseyou are our future. As young leaders you willbring about the change from erroneous think-

ing to right understanding in the 21st centu-ry.

some difficulty in order to accomplish some-thing. And after all, you survived eating onlyvegetarian food. Am I correct?

However, if you have fretted over eating veg-etarian food up to this very moment, perhapsyou can remind yourself that a lot of people inthis world cannot even get their hands on any-thing close to the very basic and simple veg-etarian fare that we have been eating here. Sowhen we think that way, perhaps we will giverise to gratitude for what we already have.This is cultivating a mind of contentment. So,with this in mind, I want to ask you: in thelast several days, was the food OK? Were yousatisfied with eating only vegetarian meals?[prolonged applause]

That means we have failed [laughter].

I had instructed the kitchen crew to cook verybad vegetarian food for you, in order to putyou through some suffering [laughter], butthey did not follow my instructions. Insteadthey made very good but simple vegetarian

food. However, we know they worked veryhard to make you happy, so we will thankthem anyway [cheers and applause].

While we are undergoing maybe less thansatisfactory circumstances on this retreat, itis very important to give rise to the proper at-titude. Instead of thinking of your own suf-

fering, remind yourself that there are lots ofpeople in even worse circumstances. It is veryimportant to give rise to this attitude becauseif one can do so, then we can also give rise toa mind of compassion to help others in evenworse circumstances.

Over the last few days you have been able toshare your experiences and you have heard


2


13/40

Hongzhi Zhengjue on

Silent Illumination ChanExcerpts from Hongzhi chanshi guanglu

(Extensive Records of Chan Master Hongzhi)

Translation and foreward by GuoguHongzhi Zhengjue (1091-1156) was one of the most illustrious Chan masters of theSong dynasty who revived the Caodong tradition. Even though his collected worksinclude Dharma discourses and comments to hundreds ofgongans, modern Bud-

dhists and scholars tend to focus on his eloquent presentation ofmozhao chan orsilent illumination Chan.

The term silent illumination was not the creation of Hongzhi; the coinage can betraced back even before the founding of the Caodong tradition to the early Chinese

Madhyamaka monk, Sengzhao (378-413), but it became prominent in the Caodongtradition as one of the central metaphors for the awakened mind.

Silence refers to the state of no-mind, the nature of emptiness; illumination pointsto the dynamic functioning of this unobstructed, enlightened mind. Inseparable,

these two aspects are what is known as the buddha-nature, our true nature. Thisis the ground of our being, the basis of even our worst delusions. When delusionsare eradicated, one realizes that even the concepts of delusion and awakening areunnecessary. For this reason, for a person who is truly enlightened, he or she will

not act like he or she is enlightened or think of himself or herself as a great prac-titioner. He or she is in constant accordance with non-abiding.

As a path, silent illumination refers to the simultaneous practice of stillness and

insight (or Samatha and vipasyana). These two aspects point to the two dimen-sions of our ordinary mind: the ability to focus and the ability to be aware. In theprocess of developing these two dimensions of mind, one will naturally be unable tocultivate them simultaneously. Sometimes there will be too much stillness, whichmay lead to meditative absorption; sometimes there will be too much awareness,which may lead to discursive thinking. In daily life, the principle for practice is the

same. One tries to keep a balance between stillness and awareness. This means be-

ing clear of what one is doing at all times while maintaining a stable and relaxedmind.


3


14/40

The essential point of all the Buddhas, thecritical essence of each and every patriarch:Without encountering things, it knows; notopposing conditions, it illumines. Withoutencountering things, it knowsits knowingis inherently subtle. Not opposing conditions,

it illuminesits luminosity is naturally won-drous. Its knowing is inherently subtleitdoes not involve discriminating thoughts. Itsillumining is naturally wondrousthere areno signs whatsoever. Without discriminatingthoughtsit knows without pairs; yet, it issolitary. Without any signs of hasteit illu-mines without any grasping, yet it still goeson knowing:

The water so cleartransparent to thebottom.

Late, late, fishes have yet to appear.The sky so vastwithout boundaries.Distant, out of sight, the birds have left

no trace.

I.

The field is vacant and wide open. It is some-thing intrinsic from the very beginning. Youmust purify and correct it; clean it off, andget rid of various deluded conditioning and il-

lusory habits. Naturally, you arrive at a placethat is clear and pure, perfect and bright; to-

Even though this process of practice is absolutely necessary, enlightenment is notthe result of practice. Practice simply reduces the manifestation of harmful vexa-

tions, which will benefit the practitioner, others, and the society at large. The na-ture of awakening is unproduced; it is not something that can be contrived; it is

not something that is the result of stopping vexations; it is not something that canbe realized by letting vexations reign free; and it is certainly not something to seekafter. For a person who is awakened, there is no problem whatsoever with what heor she sees, hears, feels, and perceives. Practice is just for the sake of practice. Heor she sits with peace of mind; works with peace of mind; and interacts with otherswith peace of mind. Such is the realization of silent illumination. With these words,

I hope the reader will come to appreciate the teachings of Hongzhi.

Guogu is one of Master Sheng Yens main translators and is a senior layteacher at the Chan Meditation Center and Dharma Drum Mountain. Hewas the personal monastic attendant and assistant to master Sheng Yen

for close to nine years. In May 1995 he received the seal of approval fromMaster Sheng Yen. Guogu is now the guiding teacher for future Western

Dharma and meditation teachers at the Chan Meditation Center. He iscurrently finishing his Ph.D. in the Department of Religion at PrincetonUniversity.

Admonition on Chan Practice, Part 1(Part 2 will appear in the next issue of Chan Magazine.)


4


15/40

tally empty, without any image; solitary andindependent, not relying on anything. Only inthis vastness one can illumine intrinsic real-

ity and relinquish external objects. Therefore,it is said, With perfect and pervasive clarity,there is not a single thing to be perceived.This field is where birth and death do notreach; it is the deep source of pure luminos-ity; it is able to emit light and function re-sponsively. Permeating through all [worlds asmany as] motes of dust, transparent, withoutforming semblance, the wondrous [activ-ity] of seeing and hearing leaps far beyondthose everyday sounds and forms. Reachingeverywhere, its function is without traces,its mirroring without obstruction. Natural-ly and spontaneously it impartially issuesforthflowing in response with thought after

thought, object after object. An ancient said,Having no-mind one attains in himself theDao of no-mind. Attaining no-mind in him-self, the Dao as well ceases to be. With clearawareness, one takes up the responsibility ofhelping other sentient beings as if one weresitting in perfect silence. As for the subtle

wondrous activity of leisurely entering theworld, it is something you must dig into andinvestigate in this fashion!

II.The correct way of practice is to simply sit instillness, and silently investigate; deep downthere is a state one reaches where externallyone is no longer swirled about by causes andconditions. The mind being empty, it is all-embracing; its luminosity being wondrous, itis precisely apt and impartial. Internally thereare no thoughts of grasping after things; vastand removed, being just as it isfree from

confusion. Alive and potent, all dependencyand opposition are severed; one remains self-

contained. This contentment has nothing todo with emotional feelings; one must not relyon anything at all. Being quite outstanding,

[this state of suchness] is full of life and spirit,and does not fall into defiled appearance; onefinds a resting-place. Pure and immaculate, itis bright; being bright, it is penetrating. It isable to respond smoothly in accordance withphenomena, where phenomena do not ob-struct each other. Floating effortlessly, cloudsappear on mountain peaks; shining boldly,the reflections of the moon flow along moun-tain streams. Everywherethere are radiantluminosity and spiritual transformations;clearly, appearances are unobstructed! Mutu-ally responding, like a cover to a container orthe tip of a sword meeting a shooting arrowspoint. With further training and nourishing,

it ripens. Its essence becomes firm and stable;it penetrates every place freely. Cut off sharpcorners; dont speak of theories [of right andwrong]. Like a white ox or a tamed ferret thatnaturally [and willingly] responds to anycommandone can then be called a true per-son. Therefore it is said, Having the Dao of

no-mind, one can be like this; having not yetgained no-mind, it is extremely difficult!

III.

Wide and far-reaching without limit; pureand clean, it emits light. Its spiritual potencyis unobscured. Although it is bright, there areno objects of illumination. It can be said tobe empty, yet this emptiness is [full of] lumi-nosity. It illumines in self-purity, beyond theworking of causes and conditions, apart fromsubject and object. Its wondrousness and sub-tleties are ever present; its luminosity is alsovast and open. Moreover, this is not some-

thing that can be conceived of as existence ornonexistence. Nor can it be deliberated about



16/40

with words and analogies. Right hereatthis pivotal axle, opening the swinging gateand clearing the way, it is able to respond ef-

fortlessly to circumstancesthe great func-tion is free from hindrances. At all places,turning and turning about, it does not followconditions nor can it be trapped in models.In the midst of everything, it settles securely.With that, it is identical to what that is;with this, it is identical to what this is.This and that inter-fuse and merge with-out distinction. Therefore it is said, Like theearth that holds up a mountain, unaware ofits steepness and loftiness; like the stone thatcontains jade, unaware of the flawlessness ofthe jade. If one can be thus, this is truly leav-ing home. People who have left home mustget hold of the essence in this way.

IV.Patch-robed monks should wither away andfreeze the [deluded] thoughts of the mind, andrest from remnant conditioning. Single-mind-edly restore and cultivate this field. Directly

cut down all the overgrown grass throughoutthe boundary of the four directions. Do notallow a single speck of dust to defile [thisfield]. Spiritually potent, it is bright; vastand removed, it is transparent. Thoroughlyillumine that which comes before the [prin-ciple] essence, until you reach a state wherethe light becomes naked and purewherenot a single speck of dust can be attached to.When you tug and pull back this ox[-mind] bythe nose, it will naturally come alive and beimposing. Being quite unusual and outstand-ing, it mingles with others along the pathwaywithout damaging peoples sprout and grain.Thriving and dynamic, [the ox] effortlessly

responds to circumstances; responding tocircumstances without artificiality, it thrives

and is free flowing. Not fixed to any set place,it is free from fettersthis is the place wherethe ox plows through the field of the emptykalpa. Proceeding in such a way, all thingsappear vividly without obscurity; everywhere,all things manifest as they are, [maintaining]one thought for ten thousand years. Funda-mentally, this is non-abiding in appearances.It is said, The mind-ground contains everyseed. The rain will universally cause them tosprout. When the meaning of the blossomingflower of enlightenment is understood, the

fruit of Bodhi will ripen of its own accord.


6


17/40

V.It cannot be practiced nor actualized becauseit is something intrinsically full and replete.

No other things can defile it; it is thoroughlypure to its depth. Precisely at the place wherepurity is full and complete is where you recog-nize the Eye. When illumination is thorough,[self] is relinquished completely; when theexperience is bright, your steps are then solidand grounded. Birth and death originally haveno root or stem; coming forth, sinking awayfundamentally are without trace of the self.Intrinsic light illumines its peak thoroughlyempty in spiritual potency. Likewise, intrinsicwisdom responds to conditionsthough qui-escent, it is resplendent. Truly arriving at thisplace where there is no middle or extremes,before or afterit begins to become one per-

vasive totality. Sense faculties or sense ob-jects, on each and every occasion, preach theDharma through the broad and long tongue.The inexhaustible lamp is thus transmitted;everything emits great radianceperformingthe great work of accomplishing Buddhahood.Originally one does not need a hairs breadth

of an external object. Clearly, this is a matterto be found within ones own home.

VI.

Silent and still, abiding in itself; just likethisin suchness, it is apart from condition-ing, where luminosity is vast and spacious,without any [emotional] dustdirectly [theself] is thoroughly relinquished. Arriving atthis fundamental place, one realizes that itis not something newly acquired today. Fromthe ancient home before the great kalpa,there has been utter clarity without any ob-scurations; in its liveliness and readiness, it

shines alone. Though it is like this, withoutenacting it there is no attainment. Precisely

at the time of enacting it, simply keep it sothat not a single thing arises; do not allowa speck of dust to cover it. In this Great Restwhere [ones vexations are] dried up and fro-zen, theres vast and thorough, penetratingunderstanding. If this Rest cannot thoroughlyexhaust [the self] and you wish to reach therealm beyond birth and death, there can be nosuch realm! Just directly penetrate through.You will then resolve [this matter] thoroughlywithout the dust of conceptual thinking and

be purified, without conditioned speculations.Take a backward step and open your graspinghands. Thoroughly resolve this matter. Then,your ability to put forth light and respond tothe world will be appropriatemerging withmyriad objectsjust right, on all occasions.It is said, The Dharma within dharmas has

never been concealed; from ancient times tothe presentit is always manifest and ex-posed.

VII.

All Buddhas and patriarchs do not actual-

ize something different; they all arrive atthis resting place. The three times [of past,present, and future] are severed. The myriadconditions are silenced. Directly there is not asingle hairs breadth of opposition, the spir-ited buddha illuminates itself. Its miraculous[illumination] thoroughly penetrates to thesource. When realization is far-reaching andexhaustive, ones body diversifies to respondto situations. All [sense] doors issue forthlight; every object manifests with silhouettes.Then one will realize that exhaustively [allthings] flow out from oneself. The hundreds oftips of weeds everywhere are posed as causesor conditions in relation to oneself. Thorough

and penetrating right through ones wholebeingthis is how one should proceed!


7


18/40

The PastNews from the

Chan Meditation Centerand the DDMBA Worldwide

________________

Shifu IntroducesNew Abbot-President

By Tina KacandesSunday, November 5, 2006 was a day of cele-bration and community at the Chan MeditationCenter. Master Sheng Yen introduced the newAbbot-President, Ven. Guo Dong, to the con-gregation after they jointly presided over the

ceremony of taking Buddhist vows. Chanting,feasting and socializing filled out the rest of thehours from early morning until well after dark.Much earlier than usual on a Sunday morn-ing the Center was packed with people of allages and from many different backgrounds.

The first event in the full day program was forpeople taking refuge. The ceremony was ledby Master Sheng Yen and the newly appointedAbbot-President, who said that his role wasto help guide the congregation: I am sharingthe responsibilities that have been a burdenon Master Sheng Yen so he will have moretime and energy to help the sentient beings

in this world. Afterwards, children mobbedShifu gleefully offering a profusion of red en-velopes, the traditional gifts to the teacher.

While the preparation for the lunch mealreached a fevered pitch downstairs, the mainevent began in the shrine room. Guo Ming Fa

Shi and Guo Jun Fa Shi led the audience inchanting to settle the rising buzz of excite-

ment to an energetic, steady hum. The aislesand doorways were packed. With some stern-

ness, Shifu suggested that many in the crowdmight be clinging to a superstitious idea thathis physical presence was a source of magi-cal qualities. He began by reminding us thatpracticing the Dharma is all that matters. Heproceeded to grin and spread gentle ripples oflaughter throughout the crowd at regular inter-

vals, even as he expounded on serious matters.Master Sheng Yen addressed the communityat some length, telling us all about what hadhappened since he left New York more thana year ago. The new headquarters of Dhar-ma Drum Mountain in Taiwan had been in-augurated and that news had been widelydisseminated by the media. He emphasizedthe changes that had been made in the pastyear to enable him to hand over the run-ning of the organization and focus on spiri-tual concerns, culminating in the election ofthe new Abbot-President over the summer.Shfu also gave us some context for under-standing the current geographical scope andstructure of his organization internation-ally and within the United States. He care-fully delineated the differences between thetwo main branches of the organization herein Americathe Chan Meditation Center

(CMC) and the Dharma Drum Retreat Center(DDRC)and the unique gifts of the leaders


8


19/40

appointed to run themGuo Ming Fa Shiand Guo Jun Fa Shi respectively. The role ofthe CMC is to attract new people by hosting

short events and to take care of its membersin America. The role of DDRC is to providefacilities for larger, longer gatherings and tospread Chan to mainstream society, national-ly and internationally, under the leadership ofGuo Jun Fa Shi, one of Shifus Dharma heirs.Formally introduced, the new Abbott-President

elaborated on how eager he is to serve the or-ganization to the best of his abilities. He statedthat his role is to serve all followers and prac-titioners in all centers globally so the organi-zation runs smoothly and all can devote them-selves fully to practice and cultivating virtue.After the Abbot-President concluded his re-marks, Shifu surprised us all by continuing toaddress the crowd. It was such an auspiciousoccasion, he said, that he wanted to make ad-ditional remarks. The audience was jubilantat the promise of an encore from their be-loved leader of more than 30 years. He chal-

lenged us all to reconsider our level of finan-cial support to the organization, to abandonthe quest after privileges of membership andto reflect upon the benefits of practice instead.Responsive as always to the sober mood thatprevailed in the room, he asked us to tell himhow we felt about his candor. Quietly, themembers of the congregation thanked him for

showing them what was yet to be done.

Guo Jun Fa ShiSpeaks at Taiwan Center

On July 29th, 2006, Guo Jun Fa Shi, one ofMaster Sheng Yens twelve Dharma heirs and

the new abbot of Dharma Drum Retreat Center

(DDRC), spoke to an audience of about 300 atthe Taiwan Center, Flushing, Queens.

Ven. Guo Jun was born in Singapore, where hecompleted a degree in DNA engineering, butscience failed to satisfy his search for mean-ing. He finally found the light at the end of histunnel in Buddhism, was ordained by MasterSoong Nien in Singapore in 1996, and wenton to Taiwan and Korea for Buddhist studies.He is currently pursuing a PhD. in psychology

and sociology in Melbourne, Australia, evenwhile assuming his new duties at DDRC. Flu-ent in both Chinese and English, Ven. Guo Junis able to preach the Dharma eloquently tothe entire congregation at DDRC.

The event at the Taiwan Center was orga-

nized by the Friends of DDRC, who workedtogether with the Chinese Cultural Salon ofNY to sponsor a dialogue between Guo JunFa Shi and the renowned Chinese author Mr.Ding Jun Wang. Despite the searing heat ofover 98, the crowd was well over the normalcapacity of 250, and an additional 60 fold-

ing chairs were set up to accommodate theoverflow.The topic of the dialogue was Religion inModern Life, and Guo Jun Fa Shi openedby saying that modern life is full of misun-derstandings toward religion, that peoplethink religion is needed only when disaster

happens or when supernatural power is in-volved. Mr. Wang noted that religion had beendubbed the opiate of the people by commu-nism, but that in reality, the world withoutreligion wouldnt know the real meaning ofsacrificeJesus and Buddha had both sacri-ficed themselves to liberate people from suf-

fering. The dialogue concluded that the roleof religion in modern life is to understand,



20/40

tolerate and love all people regardless of theirraces, beliefs and educations, and the audi-ence left with great satisfaction and warmth

in their hearts.

Chair in Chinese Buddhist StudiesInaugurated at Columbia

It is not uncommon nowadays to encounterBuddhist studies programs at institutions of

higher learning. But an endowed chair in Chi-nese Buddhist studies at a major Americanuniversity is a significant development.

A co-operation agreement has recently beensigned by the Sheng Yen Education Founda-tion and Columbia University for the estab-lishment of a Sheng Yen Chair in Chinese

Buddhist Studies. It is anticipated that thejoint endeavors of these two institutions canfoster academic research into the past, pres-ent and future of Chinese Buddhism.

The idea for this collaboration was firstbroached at the First International Conferenceon Contemporary Society and Sheng Yens

Thought last October in Taipei when Profes-sor Chunfan Yu from Columbias Departmentof Religion raised the matter with MasterSheng Yen.

Last December, University Vice Provost Paul J.Anderer and Professor Robert Hymes, Chair-man of the Department of East Asian Lan-

guages and Cultures, together with Profes-sor Yu, visited Master Sheng Yen at the ChanMeditation Center in New York for further dis-cussions.

At the meeting, all present lamented the long-standing failure on the part of Buddhist in-

stitutions to study Chinese Buddhism afterthe 12th century. Beyond this, a consensusemerged that study should also include thedevelopment of Humanistic Buddhism in Tai-

Mrs. Maya Anderer, Prof. Robert Hymes, Ven.Master Sheng Yen, Prof. Chunfang Yu, Vice Provost Paul Anderer


20


21/40

wan, with its profound impact on Buddhismin mainland China. Master Sheng Yen noted,moreover, that academic research on Chinese

Buddhism should not be confined to main-land China and Taiwan, but should also in-clude Japan, Korea and Vietnam, since thesecountries had also been strongly influencedby Chinese Buddhism.

Master Sheng Yen proposed three main direc-tions for the program: First, recent develop-

ments of Buddhism in mainland China; sec-ond, the Chinese religious tradition and themodernization of Buddhism; third, the devel-opment of contemporary Chinese Buddhism,especially since the latter half of the 20th cen-tury with the advent of the Humanistic Bud-dhism cultivated in Taiwan.

Professor Anderer visited Dharma DrumMountain in Taiwan last November, and iswell acquainted with its educational pro-grams. He said that it was an honor to takepart in the establishment of the new programof Buddhist studies, noting that he was very

pleased at the collaboration between the twoinstitutions.

Initially, Buddhist studies at Columbia fo-cused on Japanese Buddhism. Since the es-tablishment of a chair in Tibetan Buddhismover a decade ago, the study of Tibetan Bud-dhism has also become current in the UnitedStates. With the endowment of a chair in Chi-nese Buddhist studies, the first of its kindsanywhere, Chinese Buddhism may soon at-

tain similar currency in the academic worldand beyond.

Transmission of BodhisattvaPrecepts at DDRC

by Ayn Steele

One hundred and thirty-four lay practitio-ners from the United States, France, Canadaand Great Britain received the bodhisattvaprecepts at Dharma Drum Retreat Center inNew York on November 19, 2006. The trans-mission ceremony was presided over person-


2


22/40

ally by Ven. Master Sheng Yen and the Ven.Guo Dong, Abbot of Dharma Drum Mountain.

Many local practitioners and DDM Fa Shi(Dharma teachers) including Ven. Guo Ming,Ven. Guo Jun, Ven. Guo Qian and Ven. Guo Kaialso attended the ceremony.The transmission was conducted over thecourse of three days in ceremonies in bothEnglish and Chinese. Although the majorityof participants were Chinese from the NewYork metropolitan area, 29 Westerners alsoreceived the precepts. Sutra chanting wasconducted in Chinese and the vows to upholdthe bodhisattva precepts were read in bothlanguages. All present demonstrated a senseof unity and commitment over and above any

differences of language.

At the outset, Master Sheng Yen explainedthat in the Mahayana tradition, one begins to

learn the Dharma upon accepting the Buddhistteachings, and a Buddhist practitioner muststart by walking the bodhisattva path. A bo-dhisattva is a person who aspires to buddha-hood while seeking to enlighten all sentientbeings on the path, he said, encouraging allparticipants to emulate the bodhisattva spirit,practice the precepts and always treat otherswith a bodhisattvas compassion.

This was the fourth transmission ceremo-ny of the bodhisattva precepts held at thePine Bush, NY retreat center. In addition toa record-breaking 134 participants, therewere also twelve DDM Fa Shi in attendance,

prompting Master Sheng Yen to characterizethe ceremony as unprecedented.


22


23/40

Lebanon Interfaith Meeting

In Mid-November, three of our Dharma Teach-

ers currently residing at DDM Taiwan, Ven-erables Guo Yuan, Chang Du, and ChangWen, joined by a Tibetan monk studying atthe Institute, together travelled to Beirut,Lebanon, to attend A Re-Commitment toSpirituality for Building Mutual Understand-ing & Peace, hosted by His Holiness Aram I,Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church.This three-day interfaith meeting welcomedreligious leaders from Middle Eastern andFar East Asian countries to gather togetheron a rare occasion of dialogue, focusing onhow different aspects of religion relate to theactual practice of spirituality. Through thisinteraction, the meeting hoped to initiate a

mutual acceptance, understanding, and trustamong the participants, that would serve asa starting point for further interaction andcooperation towards resolving the worldscurrent conflicts.

The meeting took place in Antelias, a short

distance outside of the city of Beirut, onlya few weeks after the bombing of the cityand the most severe fighting in the south ofLebanon had ceased. Despite the countrysatmosphere of tension and uncertainty, theArmenian Church along with co-coordinatorsDena Merriam and Teny Simonian weredetermined to hold the meeting. It turned out

to be a wonderful event, as participants hadopportunities to share their views formallyduring the meeting, as well as share informallywhile taking sightseeing trips together andvisiting various key religious leaders of theBeirut vicinity.

Due to Shifus inability to attend the meetingpersonally, he appointed Venerable Guo Yuan

to serve as the main representative of DDM,

with Venerables Chang Du and Chang Wen tohelp support him. The three together worked asa team to bring the spirit of Chinese Buddhismto the Middle East, sharing tasks and comingup with ideas of how to share DDMs visionof world peace with the new friends. As Shifuwas invited to give opening remarks, a short

video presentation of his speech was shown,translated by Rebecca Li, which emphasizedthe importance of the participants focusingon the shared needs of humankind and theneed to develop a non-denominational globalethic that can be a guideline for all peoplesbehavior.

According to the hosts of the event, thisoccasion was the first time in recent historythat Buddhist monks had visited Lebanon.Nonetheless, when walking in the old city ofByblos, the Buddhist contingent was greetedwarmly by people on the streets, and in cafesand restaurants. In turn, the Venerables

shared the gift of smiling with all those thatthey met, opening the door to communication

His Holiness Aram I


23


24/40

between seemingly distant strangers, andleaving a positive impression of Buddhism inthe consciousness of the Lebanese. Venerable

Chang Du admitted to first feeling a bit intimi-dated by the armed soldiers in the city streets,with their grim faces and imposing demean-ours, but after sharing a smile and joiningpalms, the soldiers faces softened and theysmiled in return. This represented somethingvery significant to the three monks, whofound that no matter whom they met, a sim-

ple smile could open the door to friendshipand peaceful communication.

However, healing the wounds of hundreds ofyears of misunderstanding, hatred, and war

among the various groups of people in theMiddle East will take more than mere smiles.It will require concrete action to facilitate

peaceful relations, and real solutions to themany very complicated issues. This meetingwas merely an initial step in opening the doorto communication among religious leaders,who can in turn influence their followers tohave an attitude of acceptance, understand-ing, and trust towards people of differentreligions and cultures. As our world seems to

be getting smaller each day, it is essential thatwe continue to share with our neighbours inall corners of the globe, establishing peacefulrelations and continuing to work on commonproblems together.

Venerables Chang Du, Guo Yuan and Chang Wen with officials of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Lebanon


24


25/40

Winter Philanthropic Relief at DDM

Last December, the DDM Social Welfare and

Charity Foundation hosted the 2006 WinterPhilanthropic Relief gathering at the WorldCenter for Buddhist Education in Taiwan.Scholarships were awarded and goods suchas rice, cooking oil and winter clothes weredistributed to low-income households. In ad-dition, students from local elementary andhigh schools, as well as from Dharma Drum

Social University, performed skits on thetheme of loving kindness.Guests included Jingyi Wang, President of theDDM Social Welfare and Charity Foundation,and local municipal and school officials.

The tradition of the Winter Philanthropic Re-lief gathering was inaugurated by the com-passion of The Most Ven. Master Dongchu halfa century ago. In 1956, he organized seven-day retreats for reciting the Buddhas nameand soliciting donations to buy rice, cookingoil, clothes, and other things to be distrib-

uted to low-income households and orphan-ages in the vicinity. This allowed the poor tocelebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year withfood and warmth. Since then, it has become atradition to hold a winter relief gathering asthe New Year approaches, which is now spon-sored by the DDM Social Welfare and CharityFoundation. Help now extends beyond local

low-income households to the elderly wholive alone, victims of recent earthquakes incentral Taiwan, the unemployed and peoplein need of emergency relief.

In the Blessing Ceremony the Ven. Chang Zongnoted that Dharma Drum Mountain is a place

of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Guanyin) whoalways comes to the aid of people suffering

whenever and wherever they ask for help. Atthe Center there are three statues: the Primor-dial, the Wish-Granting and the Welcoming

Guanyin. Ven. Chang Zong encouraged allpresent to spread Guanyins compassion toothers, sowing its seeds inside their hearts.

After the the Blessing Ceremony at the GrandBuddha Hall children performed a number ofskits for the assembly. A short drama entitledThe New Snow White focused on the notion

of Cherishing Life recently emphasized byMaster Sheng Yen in conjunction with suicideprevention efforts in Taiwan.

Dharma Drum Mountain is actively promotingthe idea of Spiritual Environment in societyas volunteers of the DDM Social Welfare and

Charity Foundation engage in philanthropicworks following the compassionate ways ofAvalokitesvara Bodhisattva. They aim to pro-vide material relief to the disadvantaged, andanswer their spiritual needs with loving kind-ness.

Medical Relief in Sri LankaIn late November, Dharma Drum Mountainsmedical relief undertook a fifth expedition toSri Lanka to provide twelve days of medicalservice in areas affected by the tsunami.

An estimated 3,000 residents were slated to

receive medical relief: 1,200 in the TaiwanVillage and vicinity, and another 1,800 livingin impoverished areas of Weligama.

Led by Dr. Wenzhong Pan, the team has re-ceived on each occasion a warm welcome fromthe local community. In addition to providing

screening tests for chronic ailments such asdiabetes and hypertension, volunteers also


2


26/40

provide instruction in hygiene, with a view todisease prevention.

DDM sent its first volunteer team to Sri Lankain February 2005 to provide long-term, front-line humanitarian assistance at the DDMPeace of Mind Relief Station. Experience hasshown that the appearance of symptoms ofpost-traumatic stress disorder occurs not onlyat the time of the disaster itself, but also inresponse to mounting stress accompanying

long-term reconstruction efforts, exacerbatedby deep feelings of helplessness and despair.To help victims respond to such stress, theteam also includes psychologists and nursesfor psychiatric evaluation and relief. The un-derlying emphasis has been on healing themind, in harmony with a vision of uplifting

the character of humanity and building a pureland on earth.

Melbourne Interfaith Activities

Mrs. Laura Chan of the Buddhist Council ofVictoria, Australia, offers this account of re-

cent DDM participation in interfaith activi-ties:

Following a 2004 interfaith dialogue chairedby Shifu during a visit to Melbourne to delivera keynote speech to the Australian Psycholog-ical Society, DDM Melbourne has been activelyparticipating and promoting the concepts of

peaceful coexistence and harmony amongstthe various religious faiths in Australia.

Upon my election as Chair of the BuddhistCouncil of Victoria, our commitment to thisworthwhile cause has become more promi-nent.

In April, I was invited by the Victorian Govern-ment to witness the inauguration of the 28thGovernor of Victoria in Government House. In

his inaugural address the Governor, ProfessorDavid de Kretser, AC, promised to approachhis task with humility and integrity.

In October, I was invited by the Interfaith Cen-tre of Melbourne to attend the second AnnualInterfaith Prayer Ceremony for the work of theUnited Nations. Religious and spiritual lead-

ers assembled to offer blessings and prayersfor the UN community, which shares the highprinciples of the Preamble to the Charter ofthe UN with the worlds religious and spiritu-al communities. The newly elected Presidentof the 61st Session of the General Assemblywho spoke at the ceremony is the third wom-

an and the first Muslim in UN history to beelected to this post. Speaking on behalf of theBuddhist communities of Victoria, I delivereda prayer and a message of peace and compas-sion.

Later in December, the Secretary of the BCVand I were invited by the Anglican diocese towitness the installation at St. Pauls Cathe-dral of Dr Philip Freier as 10th Archbishop ofMelbourne. Members of Melbournes Chinese,


26


27/40

Sudanese and Tamil communities welcomedhim on behalf of multicultural Melbournealong with representatives of 38 denomina-tions and faiths, including the Most Rever-end Denis Hart, Roman Catholic Archbishopof Melbourne, and the Primate of the Angli-can Church of Australia, Dr Philip Aspinall.John Tye of the Yorta Yorta People greeted theArchbishop with dance and music on behalfof the Wurunjeri and the ancient peoples ofthis land.

It is a privilege and an honor to bring to frui-tion Shifus spiritual inspiration to create apeaceful world through dialogue and acts ofcompassion.

Amitofuo!

Mrs. Laura ChanChair, Buddhist Council of Victoria

Retreat roundup

Intensive Retreats at DDRC

This falls 10-day huatou retreat at DDRC(Nov. 24- Dec.3, 2006) was attended by oversixty participants. Because previous experi-ence in a seven-day retreat is now requiredfor participating in 10-day intensive retreats,most participants of this retreat were rela-tively experienced practitioners. Chan Master

Sheng Yen gave at least one talk each day. Hegave instructions on the huatou method us-ing the recorded sayings of Master Dahui, anenthusiastic promoter of the huatou method,translated by Guogu. Noting that most partic-ipants were experienced practitioners, MasterSheng Yen asked everyone to delve directly

into the investigation of the huatou wu. Healso copied a four-line verse from the Sutra of

Complete Enlightenment in Chinese calligra-phy to be kept at the retreat center for futureinspiration to retreat participants, pointingout that the words are applicable for both thepractice of huatou and silent illumination.

At the end of the 10-day huatou retreat, Mas-ter Sheng Yen shared with everyone the im-portant lessons he has learned in lifegivingrise to the Bodhi mind to share the benefits ofthe Dharma with as many people as possible,

and not giving up despite difficulties and ob-stacles, but instead using them as opportu-nities to strengthen and propel ones cultiva-tion of the Path. Master Sheng Yen pointedout that if it were not for the arising of greatcompassion that motivated his work and hisperseverance in the process, there would not

be the second generation of Dharma teachersin Dharma Drum Mountain who can now car-ry on the work of spreading Chan Buddhismacross the globe. He urged everyone to emu-late this giving rise to great compassion andperseverance and invited everyone to worktogether to support DDRC in whatever waythey can in order to share the benefits of Chanpractice with all people.

Master Sheng Yen also announced the won-derful news that he would be leading the ten-day silent illumination retreat in late May of2007. Furthermore, a 49-day retreat will beconducted at Dharma Drum Mountain in Tai-

wan in the spring of 2007.

Finally, a 10-day silent illumination retreat atDDRC was led by Ven. Guo Jun from Decem-ber 26, 2006 to January 4, 2007. Retreat lec-tures were given by Chan Master Sheng Yenthrough DVD. Approximately thirty five par-

ticipants attended the retreat.


27


28/40

Sydney

Sydney DDM held its first 7-Day Chan Retreatat Grose Vale from November 29 to December6 under the guidance of Guo Yuan Fa Shi andChang Wen Fa Shi. It was attended by eighteenpeople, including three youth volunteers.

Throughout the retreat, we had to maintainnoble silence. Despite harrowing pain in thelegs, rushing torrents of wandering thoughts

and extreme fatigue and drowsiness, all par-ticipants expressed gratitude for the teach-ing and felt they benefited a great deal fromDharma talks, sitting mediation, walkingmeditation, repentance prostrations, grati-tude prostrations and interviews.

During the outdoor walking meditation, wehad to practice mindfulness and not let our-selves be distracted by the external environ-ment. With much difficulty we eventually dis-

covered the generosity of offering ourselvesto the mosquitoes and co-existing with theflies for which Australias scorching summersare infamous. They were buzzing around andlanding on our faces, noses, ears, mouths,and eyes. One participant offered this inter-pretation: While the flies are enjoying theirbreakfast and lunch on my face, I get to enjoya free facial massage, so its not such a baddeal!

On the last day of the retreat, participantsgathered to share their impressions. Somefound the retreat to be a truly transformativeexperience. Others said they had come to un-derstand themselves better, had become lessarrogant and more at peace with themselves.In short, we learned to bring our mind and

body together and swim against the current.With a Chan mind, anything is possible.

(by Agnes Chow in Sydney)


28


29/40

Malaysia

(A participant from Malaysia shares this ac-

count)

I joined up as a DDM volunteer to help outat the seven-day Chan retreat held at the Tri-ratna Monastery in the last week of October.In the beginning I was simply interested inrelaxing, but afterwards felt that I had be-

come reacquainted with the Dharma, havingexperienced various Chan practices such asSitting Meditation and Moving Meditation forthe first time. I also learned Buddhist termslike Chupo, which refers to doing choressuch as mopping floors, cleaning toilets andwashing windows.

The two Dharma teachers leading the retreatwere an inspiration: Ven. Guo Zhou was goodat story-telling and Ven. Guo Hao loved tolaugh. Both were not only amiable but alsovery patient. In order to avoid distractionscaused by tourists and rainy weather, theyhad us practice Outdoor Chan in the corridor

of the Chan Hall.

I learned that the process of worshipping theBuddha is not superstitious behavior, butrather a way of pacifying the mind, and foundinspiration in the proverb, Cessation of vexa-tions will give rise to a peaceful mind.

On the last day of the retreat, we all wentmountain climbing. I was in awe of one hand-icapped participants perseverance in walkingthe entire distance with the rest of us.

All in all the retreat was a wonderful and pre-cious experience.

DDMs Fifth Anniversary in Seattle

In early November the Ven. Guo Shu, Prior of

DDM in Vancouver, led a series of activitiesinviting people to cleanse their hearts andpurify their minds in celebration of the fifthanniversary of Dharma Drum Mountain inSeattle.

30 practitioners took part in a One-Day Chan

Meditation, with all required to observe noblesilence. They began with the practice of theEight-Form Moving Meditation to relax theirbodies and bring their mind into the presentmoment. Ven. Guo Shu reminded participantsto be aware of every movement and relax. Heexplained that the practice is not only physi-cal exercise but also a means for becomingaware of the basic technique and spirit ofChan meditation: Wherever the body is, themind is there.

On this day, he observed, we had a date withourselves to let go of everything going on inthe external environment, and refrain from

speaking both to others and to ourselves.This day of meditation, he added, was madepossible by the dedication and support of Se-attles DDM community.

The next morning Ven. Guo Shu led the GreatCompassion Chanting and Blessing Ceremo-

ny attended by about fifty members. Duringthe Dharma talk, he explained that the GreatCompassion Mantra is only effective if onechants with a compassionate heart, and heurged members to practice diligently.

Expanding on the theme of Protecting theSpiritual Environment, he elucidated the


2


30/40

concepts of the Fivefold Spiritual RenaissanceCampaign as advocated by the Most Ven. Mas-ter Sheng Yen, and encouraged participants toapproach difficult situations in life with thefollowing outlook: Face it, Accept it, Dealwith it and Let it go.

In the afternoon a tea party was held in cel-ebration of the anniversary, honored by thepresence of the Director General of TaiwansEconomic and Cultural Office in Seattle, Mr.

Robert C. M. Chen, and Mr. Andrew Lin, Direc-

tor of the Taipei Cultural Centers Economicand Cultural Office in Seattle.

Mr. Lin thanked the members of DDM for en-deavoring to establish a Pure Land in Seattlewhere people can learn to ennoble their char-acter. Mr. Chen expressed his appreciation tothe Seattle DDM community for their effortsto develop inner peace, thereby fostering har-mony in society. He noted that while manywork for world peace, it can only be attained

through inner peace.

Vens. Chang Du, Guo Yuan and Chang Wen at the Bangkok airport


30


31/40

Would you like to see your article, your story,your poem, your photography, your artworkin the pages of Chan Magazine?

We would.

Chan Magazine is soliciting material forpublication. It can be fiction or non-fiction,prose or poetry, words or pictures. It canrepresent the views of a teacher or student,

an experienced practitioner or interestednovice, a Buddhist or adherent of any otherreligion or set of beliefs. It can be scholarlyor artistic, factual or opinionated, seriousor comic.

Please send your submissions in electronicformat to [email protected].

Thank you.

Metta,

The Editors, Chan Magazine


3


32/40

Meditation Golf/Hiking Fellowship withVen. Guo Jun

June 23, 2007: One-day Chan Retreat withVen. Guo Jun

June 23 to June 25, 2007: Three-day Intro-ductory Chan Retreat with Ven. Guo Jun

June 23 to June 27, 2007: Five-day Intro-ductory Chan Retreat with Ven. Guo Jun

June 23 to June 29, 2007: Seven-day Intro-duction to Intensive Chan Retreat withVen. Guo Jun

July 8, 2007: One-day Meditation and TeaRetreat with Ven. Guo Jun

July 15, 2007: One-day Meditation andPhotography Retreat with Ven. Guo Jun

July 25 to August 3, 2007: Ten-Day Inten-sive Chan Retreat: Hua-tou Practice (Part1) with Ven. Chi Chern and Ven. Guo Jun

August 4 to August 13, 2007: Ten-Day In-tensive Chan Retreat: Hua-tou Practice(Part 2) with Ven. Chi Chern and Ven. GuoJun

Chan Practice

Monday Night Chanting (CMC)Every Monday, 7:30 9 pmDevotional chanting of Amitabha Buddha;88 Buddhas Repentance on last Monday ofeach month.

Tuesday Night Sitting Group (CMC)Every Tuesday, 7 9:30 pm

Chan Retreats

Chan retreats are opportunities for seri-

ous practitioners to deepen their practiceand receive guidance from resident teach-ers. Retreats are held at the Dharma DrumRetreat Center (DDRC) in Pine Ridge, NewYork, unless specified at the Chan Medita-tion Center (CMC) in Elmhurst, Queens.

April 21, 2007: One-day Chan Retreat withVen. Guo Jun

April 21 to April 23, 2007: Three-day Intro-ductory Chan Retreat with Ven. Guo Jun

April 21 to April 25, 2007: Five-day Intro-

ductory Chan Retreat with Ven. Guo Jun

April 21 to April 27, 2007: Seven-day In-troduction to Intensive Chan Retreat withVen. Guo Jun

April 28 to April 29, 2007: Two-day Well-ness Retreat with Ven. Guo Jun

May 6, 2007: One-Day Golf Retreat withVen. Guo Jun

May 25 to June 3, 2007: Ten-day Silent Illu-mination Retreat with Chan Master ShengYen

June 16 to June 17, 2007: Two-Day Chan

The FutureRetreats, classes and

other upcoming events.


32


33/40

Periods of sitting meditation alternating withyoga, walking meditation, readings, discus-sion, and chanting the Heart Sutra.

Saturday Sitting Group (CMC)Every Saturday, 9 am 3 pmHalf-hour periods of sitting meditation alter-nating with yoga or walking meditation.

Sunday Open House (CMC)Every Sunday (except May 15 for Buddhas

Birthday Celebration)10:00 am 11:00 am Group Meditation11:00 am 12:30 pm Dharma Talk12:30 - 1:00 pm: lunch offerings1:00 - 2:00 pm: lunch2:00 - 3:00 pm: chanting; Q & A for

English-speaking practitioners

2:00 4:30 pm: July 10, August 21, Septem-ber 11: Great Dharani chanting

Activities at DDRC

April 3 to April 30, 2007: April ResidentialCycle with Ven. Guo Jun

May 6, 2007: Free Introduction to Medita-tion Workshop with Ven. Guo Jun

May 8 to June 4, 2007: May ResidentialCycle with Ven. Guo Jun

May 17 to May 20, 2007: Chan Camp orga-

nized by DDMBA

June 3 to June 30, 2007:June ResidentialCycle with Ven. Guo Jun

June to August, 2007: 3-month SummerResidential Cycle with Ven. Guo Jun

June 29 to July 1, 2007: Family Zen Camporganized by DDMBA

July 8, 2007: Free Introduction to Medita-tion Workshop with Ven. Guo Jun

For regular weekly and monthly activities:http://www.dharmadrumretreat.orgEmail: [email protected]: (845) 744-8114

Classes at CMC

New Meditation Class Series:Beginners' MeditationTwo Saturdays, 9:30 am 12 noon, $40

Intermediate MeditationTwo Saturdays, 9:30 am 12 noon, $40

Please call for summer dates.Pre-registration required.

Beginners' Dharma ClassPlease call for summer dates.Taijiquan Classes

Thursdays, 7:30 9:00 pm,with instructor David Ngo, $80 for a sessionof 16 classes, or $25/month. First Thursday ofevery month free for newcomers.

Yoga4 5:30 pm, with instructor Rikki Asher.$10/class; please call for dates.

Special Events

"Zen and Inner Peace"Chan Master Sheng Yen on WNYE (25) every

Saturday at midnight.


33

Ch


34/40

Chan

CenterAfliates

Local organizations affiliated with the Chan Meditation Center and the Dharma Drum Mountain BuddhistAssociation provide a way to practice with and to learn from other Chan practitioners. Affiliates also provideinformation about Chan Center schedules and activities, and Dharma Drum publications. If you have questions

about Chan, about practice, or about intensive Chan retreats, you may find useful information at an affiliatenear you.

USA:

USA Headquarters

Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist As-sociation (DDMBA); Dharma DrumPublications; Chan Meditation Center:90-56 Corona AvenueElmhurst, NY 11373Tel: 718-592-6593Fax: 718-592-0717

Email: [email protected]://www.chancenter.org

Dharma Drum Retreat Center184 Quannacut RoadPine Bush, NY 12566Tel: 845-744-8114Fax: 845-744-8483Email: [email protected]://www.chancenter.org

California

Davis:Contact: Grace Wei6600 Orchard Park Circle #6221Davis, CA 95616Tel/Fax: 530-297-1972Email: [email protected]

Los Angeles:Contact: Stanley Kung, Sam Chin, PaulLin.1168 San Gabriel Blvd., #RRosemead, CA 91770Tel/Fax: 818-248-1614Email: [email protected] or [email protected]://members.aol.com/ddmchan

Riverside:Contact: Gilbert GutierrezTel: 951-897-2286

San FranciscoContact: H. C. Chang102 South Camino RealMillbrae, CA 94030Tel: 650-692-3259Fax: 650-692-2256Email: [email protected]

Florida

DDMBA Orlando Meditation Group:Contact: Jin Bowden6082 Red Stage DrivePort Orange, FL 32128Tel: 386-322-0524Fax: 386-322-3639

Email: [email protected]

Georgia

Duluth:Contact: Sophia Chen4977 Dillards Mill WayDuluth, GA 30096Tel: 770-416-0941Fax: 770-417-5897


Illinois

BelvedereContact: John Chen1632 South State StreetBelvedere, IL 61008Tel: 815-978-7159Fax: 815-547-5550


ChicagoContact: Isabel Huang2299 Pfingsten RoadNorth Brook, IL 60062Tel: 847-480-1583Fax: 847-480-9064Email: [email protected]://www.ddmbachicago.org

NORTH AMERICA


34


35/40

Michigan

Contact: Li Hua Kong1431 Stanlake Drive

E. Lansing, MI 48823Tel/Fax: 517-332-0003Email: [email protected]

NewJersey

Contact: Paul Lee1 Ireland Brook DriveN. Brunswick, NJ 08902Tel/Fax: 732-398-1569


Piscataway:Contact: Maggie LaffeyTel: 732-253-7248Email: [email protected]

New York

Manhattan:The Meditation GroupMarymount Manhattan College221 E. 71st (2nd and 3rd Avenues)Contact: Bruce RickenbackerTel: 212-410-3897Because of building security, please callbefore visiting.Email: [email protected]://www.MeditationGroup.org

Long Island:

Contact: Hai Dee LeeP.O. Box 423Upton, NY 11973Tel: 631-689-8548 or 631-344-2062Fax: 631-344-4057Email: [email protected]

Rochester:Contact: Min Wang170 Maywood DriveRochester, NY 14618Tel/Fax: 585-242-9096


North Carolina

Contact: Hannah Yuan323 Whitney LaneDurham, NC 27713Tel: 919-450-2668Fax: 919-991-1728


Ohio

Northeast Ohio:

Contact: Jeff Larko755 Savannah TrailMedina, OH 44256Tel: 330-241-5321Email: [email protected]

Oregon

Contact: Sabrina Huang12715 SW 158th TerraceBeaverton, OR 97007

Tel/Fax: 503-579-8582Email: [email protected]

Pennsylvania

State CollegeContact: Kun-Chang Yu425 Waupelani Drive #515State College, PA 16801Tel: 814-867-9253

Fax: 814-867-5148Email: [email protected]

Texas

Arlington:Contact: Patty Yi2150 East Pioneer Pkwy

Arlington, TX 76010Tel: 817-274-2288

Fax: 817-274-7067Email: [email protected]

Vermont

Contact: Jui-chu Lee16 Bower St.S. Burlington, VT 05403Tel/Fax: 802-658-3413Email: [email protected]

Washington

Contact: Dephne Chen411 13th Ave. W.Kirkland, WA 98033Tel: 425-889-9898Fax: 425-828-2646Email: [email protected]

Canada:

Richmond

Contact: Mei Hwei Lin10800 No. 5 RoadRichmond, BC, Canada V7A 4E5Tel: 604-277-1357Fax: 604-277-1352Email: [email protected]

Toronto

Dharma Drum Mountain (Ontario)1041 Avenue Road #1Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5N 2C5Email: [email protected]: www.ddmba-toronto.orgContact:www.ddmba-toronto.org/contacts.html

Mexico:

Mar de Jade Oceanfront Retreat CenterChacala, Nayarit, MexicoContact: Laura del Valle MDUSA phone 800-257-0532Mexico phone 01-800-505-8005Email: [email protected]: http://www.mardejade.comDaily meditation; regular retreats;2005 residential period

EUROPE

Croatia:

Dharmaaloka Buddhist CenterDordiceva 2310000 Zagreb, CroatiaTel/Fax: ++385 1 481 00 74

Email: [email protected]://www.dharmaloka.orgTeacher: Zarko AndricevicOngoing program of study and practice,including courses in Buddhism and Chanmeditation, meditation group meetings,and retreats.


3


36/40

Belgium:

Luxemburg

15, Rue Jean Schaack L-2563 BonnevoieGD.DE Luxemburg Tel: 352-400080

Poland:

Warsaw

Zwiazek Buddystow Czan (Chan Bud-dhist Union):Contact: Pawel Rosciszewski, BeataKazimierskaTel/Fax: (22) 7275663, GSM 0-601-205602Tel/Fax: (22) 6208446, (22) 6498670,GSM 0-601-205602

Switzerland:

Zurich

Teacher: Max Kalin (Guo-yun)Tel/fax: 411 382 1676Mobile: 4179 416 8088Email: [email protected]

http://www.chan.ch

United Kingdom:

London

18 Huson CloseLondon NW3 3JW, EnglandTel: 44-171-586-6923

Western Chan Fellowship:24 Woodgate Ave. BuryLancashire, BL9 7RU, U.K.Contact: Simon Child, secretaryEmail:[email protected],www.westernchanfellowship.org

Dharma Drum Mountain:No.14-5, Lin 7, Sanchieh Village, Chin-shan, TaipeiTel: 02-2498-7171, 02-2498-7174Fax: 02-2498-9029Email: [email protected]://www.ddm.org.tw

Dharma Drum International Medita-tion Group:Contact: Guo Yuan Fa ShiTel: 886-02-2778-5007~9Fax: 886-02-2778-0807Email: [email protected], 8:30-11:30 am, meditation anddiscussion in English at An Her BranchMonastery

Australia:

Melbourne

DDMBA Australia-Victoria Branch115 Serpells Road, Templestowe VIC 3106

AustraliaTel: 61-3-2185-0290; 61-3-9846-8801

Sydney132 Pennant Hills RoadNormhnhurst,N.S.W 2076, AustraliaTel: 61-2-9489-5677

New Zealand:

No. 9 Scorpio PL. Mairangi Bay,Auckland,New ZealandTel: 64-9-4788430

ASIA

Hong Kong:

Room 205, 2/F BLK B,Alexandra Industrial Building, 23-27Wing Hong St., Cheung Sha Wan, Kow-loon, Hong KongTel: 852-2865-3110Fax: 852-2591-4810

Malaysia:Dharma Drum Mountain BuddhismInformation Centre in Malaysia:30 Jalan 16/6, 46350 Petaling Jaya,Selangor DE, MalaysiaTel: 603-79600841, 603-7319245

Fax: 603-7331413, 603-79600842Email: [email protected]://www.media.com.my/zen

Singapore:

Dharma Drum Mountain (Singapore Li-aison Office):No. 10 Second Avenue,Singapore 266660

Contact: Ms. Yeh Yin ShiaTel & Fax(65) 6469 6565Cell 9745 6565.


Taiwan:

Nung Chan Monastery:No. 89, Lane 65, Tayeh Road

Peitou, TaipeiTel: 02-2893-3161Fax: 02-2895-8969


36


37/40


37


38/40

his new book is an inspiring

guide to the practice of Chan

in the words of Master Sheng

Yen and three great masters who are his

Dharma ancestors: the contemporary

master Xuyun and Jiexian and Boshan

of the Ming Dynasty. Tough the textswere written over a period of hundreds

of years, they are all remarkably lucid

and are perfect for beginners as well as

more advanced practitioners today.

All the main points of spiritual practice

are covered: philosophical foundations,

methods, approaches to problems and

obstaclesall aimed at helping the

student attain the way to enlightenment.

$16.95 Paperback

Attaining the WayA Guide to the Practice of Chan Buddhism

Chan Master Sheng Yen


38


39/40

Dharma Drum

Te Life and Heart of Chan Practice

A guide to the practice of Chan Buddhism by

todays most prominent master of that tradition

with 180 of his gemlike sayings and aphorismsthat serve as inspirations on the Way.

$17.95 Paperback

Faith in Mind

A Commentary on Seng sans Classic

The most beloved of Zen textsSeng Tsans Faith in

Mindrevealed as a source of practical guidance.

$14.95 Paperback

The Poetry of Enlightenment

Poems by Ancient Chan Masters

An anthology of teaching poetry direct from the

minds of the enlightened masterspresented by

Master Sheng Yen as inspirations to practice.

$14.95 Paperback

The Infinite Mirror

Commentaries on wo Chan Classics

Here is the inimitable Master Sheng Yen at his best,

illuminating the ancient texts Inquiry into Matching

Halves and Song of the Precious Mirrorto show how

wonderfully practical they really are, even for us today.

$14.95 Paperback

Shambhala Publications

Visit www.shambhala.com to receive a 20% discount on this and over 600 other great books!

The Inimitable Master Sheng Yen


3


40/40


40

Chan Magazine Spring 2007

Documents

Transcript of Chan Magazine Spring 2007