An Introduction to Chan

 

Taken from the Empty Cloud Empty Cloud: The Teachings of Xu Yun Documentation, however, this is a VERY brief overview. If you are interested in Chan I highly suggest reading through there entire site.

In the world of Samsara, Man is the measure of all things. Everything is relative. Everything is changing. Only in the real world, the world of Nirvana, is there constancy, in the real world there is only peace, and joy, and truth, and freedom from the nagging desire for troublesome illusions. Enlightenment doesn t come with a dictionary! The bridge to Nirvana is not composed of phrases.

In Chan our task is to discriminate - not between the false and the false, but between the false and the real. Differences in outward appearance do not matter at all. The real world is inside us . It is even inside our mind.

Every human being possesses two self-natures: an apparent one and a real one. The apparent one is our small Self or ego which is everywhere different from all other small selves; the real one is our Great Buddha Self which is everywhere the same. Our small self exists in the apparent world, the world of Samsara. Our Buddha Self exists in the real world, the world of Nirvana.

Q: How can Samsara and Nirvana be the same? How can illusion be the same as reality? How can I be me and the Buddha, too??

A: The answer lies in the way we perceive reality. If we perceive reality directly, we see it in its Nirvanic purity. If we perceive it indirectly through our ego consciousness, we seen its Samsaric distortion.

Q: Why is our view of reality flawed?

A: Samsara is the world our small self thinks it sees and apprehends with its senses. The small ego

self also misperceives reality whenever it imposes arbitrary esthetic or moral judgments upon it.

EXAMPLE: If one woman sees another woman who is wearing a green hat and says, "I see a woman who is wearing a green hat," there is no problem. But if she says, "I see a woman who is wearing an ugly green hat," she is making a Samsaric judgment. Somebody else might find that hat beautiful. But in reality, it is neither beautiful nor ugly, merely is.

Likewise, when a fox kills a rabbit, this, to the bunnies who will starve to death because their mother has been killed, is a very evil act. But to the hungry fox cubs who eat the rabbit that their mother has brought them, this same event is decidedly good. In reality, the event is neither good nor evil. It merely is.

Reality is also misinterpreted because both the observer and that which is being observed are constantly changing.

Q: Why do we have two selves in the first place??

A: Our small self (ego) gives us our human nature, but we soon wonder, "Who am ?" Our ego self has led us into this confusion. Confusion leads to calamity, and then life, as the Buddha noted in his First Noble Truth, becomes bitter and painful.

Q: How do we clear up this confusion?

A: We turn our consciousness around. We reject the outward world's complexity in favor of the inward world's simplicity. Instead of trying to gain power and glory for our small ego self, we turn our consciousness inward to discover the glory of our Buddha Self. Instead of making ourselves wretched seeking to be a master of others, we find joy and contentment in being One with our Buddha Self and in serving others the purpose of Chan training is to clarify our vision so that we can gain insight into our true identities. Chan enables us to transcend our human nature and realize our Buddha Nature.

Q: Now, what were the most important teachings of Bodhidharma and Hui Neng?

A: "Rid the mind of egotism ! Free it of defiling thoughts!" If these directives are not followed, there can be no success in Chan practice. The Chan Path lies before you! Follow it! It will deliver you to peace, joy, truth and freedom.