What is Chan?

By Category: Meditation & PracticeTags:

Chan is meditation throughout our lives.

When we live with Chan, the taste of food and feel of clothes will change. We will not feel difficulty when dealing with our affairs. Any matter can be laughed away. The human world has its ups and down, but when we have a Chan mind it is like the world is ours and nothing is lacking. All human beings rely on the necessities of food, clothing, and shelter. When there is no fear of material scarcity, when a certain level of comfort is gained, then humans come to look for mental fulfillment through music, painting, and the arts. But even after human life becomes beautiful in this way, there comes a sense that true meaning is still lacking and gradually, humans come to hope that liberation and freedom can be found within their minds. Many then turn to religion to find what is sublime, true, wholesome, and beautiful. It is a life of Chan mediation.

Chan has a sense of humor and wit to it.

In the world of Chan, there is nothing worth becoming sad or bothered about. Without shape or form, Chan permeates everything. Chan is our intrinsic nature. But if we try to write, speak, or think of Chan, we cannot grasp it. Chan is the subject of study for awakening. It must be experienced and understood personally.

Chan is a treasure of the human realm.

Chan has no fixed format, but accommodates each person’s efforts and capacity. Chan is a treasure of the human realm. It helps us recognize ourselves. Chan is absolute transcendence. It is the spirit of self-respect, embodied by the words “Even against an army of thousands, ever forth I shall go.” Chan is what brings us to the Buddhist path. It is a prerequisite to the authentic realization of awakening. It is the means by which all practitioners can verify their accomplishment for themselves.

Chan is like a dish.

It is salted and spiced just the way you like it. Chan is like a living room that feels completely changed by hanging a painting or placing a flower vase. Chan is like a tissue that can be crumpled up into nothing. Chan is like an empty fist that is unclenched and becomes a fist no longer.

Chan cannot be captured with words.

It just is. Once spoken, it is no longer Chan. Chan is not about delusion or enlightenment, but about seeing your own intrinsic nature. Chan cannot be attained simply by sitting properly, but especially for beginners sitting meditation is still an important gate of entry into Chan.

If you come to know intrinsic nature, that is Chan.

From Ten Paths to Happiness, written by Venerable Master Hsing Yun.

Image from Pixabay.

More Featured Articles

Ridding Ourselves of Stress
In this modern world, people are constantly saying, "Life is too stressful!" Why are people so stressed out? How can we rid ourselves of stress? Students feel stressed because of heavy schoolwork; parents feel stressed because they have too many chores and family obligations; policemen feel stressed because they have too much work; and workers feel stressed and are unhappy because their work hours are Read more
Friendship
In the Buddha's teachings, there are four kinds of friends: friends who treat you like a flower, friends who act like a balance, friends who are like the mountains, and friends who are like the earth.Friends who treat you like a flowerWe all enjoy flowers, especially when they are fresh. We put them in vases to decorate our homes, we give them to our loved Read more
The Four Contemplations
The first realization of The Eight Realizations of a Bodhisatttva Sutra is concerned with what is generally called the Buddha’s view of this world. This first realization is a description of the basic features of the world we live in. The points made in this realization are made in many other Buddhist sutras.The Buddha emphasized these basic points on many different occasions because it is Read more
The Relationship between Environmental and Spiritual Preservation
Humans are “masters of the myriad creations of this earth” but are also the creators of problems. The arising of all problems in this world is related to humans, including today’s problems concerning environmental preservation. They also arise because of humanity’s selfishness, ignorance, and interruption of the harmony and natural cycles of the world, to the point where there are continuous natural calamities and changes. Read more
Six Points of Reverent Harmony
Social harmony stems from handling relationships and communal living with skill, effort, and a spirit of cooperation. We can learn a lot about keeping peace in social living from the six points of reverent harmony that the monastic sangha observes. Sangha is a Sanskrit word, which can be interpreted on many different levels. In its widest interpretation, it refers to all those who have the Read more
I Am Not a Monk “Sponging Off” Buddhism (II)
It is enough for most monks to only have the ability to chant and teach the Dharma, and of course I too can chant sutras and teach the Dharma. But only being this kind of monk was not something I was willing to do. I wanted to become a monk who was able to engage in propagating the Dharma in a multifaceted way: There is Read more
I Am Not a Monk “Sponging Off” Buddhism (III)
It is my hope that our Buddhist monks will all become monks who give support in all directions and not become monks who live off all directions. Whoever it may be, the monastic followers or the lay disciples, although we have not yet attained enlightenment, we can still broadly make affinities with others first, so as to become aspiring bodhisattvas who will ensure that “Buddhism Read more
My Silent Revolution for Buddhism
In devoting my life to Buddhism, in order to keep Buddhism current with the advances in society, in terms of thoughts, I am always making improvements at every hour and moment; in terms of practice, I am constantly and continuously making adjustments. Even though I know that Buddhism must be reformed, innovation never comes into being in the heat of the moment. My “silent revolution” Read more
Aware of the workings of the mind
The Avatamsaka Sutra says, 'The mind controls everything.' In order to properly control body and speech, we must come to understand our minds. If we can control our minds, we can do anything.Master Xingkong (780-862) wrote a wonderful passage that expresses this point very well. He said, "The practice of Buddhism can be compared to presiding over a walled city; during the day, thieves and Read more
To Reform Oneself
We need to change and transform ourselves continuously: In order to achieve eventual perfection, we need to work on correcting our bad habits. Read more
Development of Mahayana’s Four Universal Vows
While the Four Noble Truths explain the phenomena of the universe, the Buddha expounded on them mainly as a guide for life. It is inadequate, however, to merely learn the Four Noble Truths. We must resolve, cultivate and practice accordingly. We must end the causes of suffering, practice the path, and reach the cessation of suffering in order to achieve liberation. Consequently, the Four Universal Read more
Trees Have Roots; Waters Have Sources
Trees have their roots, and people have their origins. As hu­man beings, we must endeavor to increase joy in the world for the sake of everyone in the world, and we also must ensure that life will sprout flowers and bear fruits as strong and stur­dy as the peach. “Mother” is the source of life for every person, and she is also the harbor on Read more