Wugong - Qigong
Meditation - Chan Philosophy
Meditation - Chan Philosophy
少林禅城
SHAOLIN CHAN CITY
est. 2009
St. Louis, MO.
USA
USA
email: contact@shaolinchancity.com
tel.: (314) 383-3918
...:::禅理:::...
Chan Philosophy
Chan Philosophy
Copyright © 2009-2011 Shaolin Chan City, LLC. All rights reserved.
CHAN PHILOSOPHY comes from the Chan School of Chinese Buddhism, the Chinese spiritual parent to Japanese Zen. It is not a religion, in that it does not have a dogma. There is no creed, no system of belief in Chan.
Rather, it is a philosophy, not in the mundane sense of being a system of values by which one lives, or a hypothesis by which particular phenomena are explained, but in the sense of being practical wisdom; calmness of temper and judgment; awareness; equanimity; fortitude; allowing one to always return to the present moment where life is lived. Chan is a body of teachings about human beings returning to their nature, in this moment.
Chan Philosophy is not concerned with questions on the origin of the universe or the presence of a higher being. The Buddha, Shakyamuni, when questioned on these topics simply kept silent. He himself was not a god, but a human being who "woke up" to his own nature, and by doing so was relieved of the fundamental unsatisfactory quality of unawakened life, and taught others to do the same. The word Buddha comes from a Sanskrit root that simply means to "wake up".
Chan is a body of teachings pointing to that awakened nature. It is very simple. It should not be in conflict with any religion. As 32nd Gen. Shaolin Disciple, Shi Xingmi, states;
"Chan should only help you to open your eyes and look, it should not tell you what you see."
The first thing to ask if one wants to experience Chan is; "What am I?" To really look at that (not conceptually), you get a sense of genuinely "not-knowing". From that point you get a sense of a depth behind conceptualization, actually before thinking arises and discriminative ideas are produced. It is the most radical angle from which one can begin to experience Chan.
The many different techniques for practice come after that initial experience. Shaolin Chan Culture employs, among many others, the medium of Traditional Shaolin Wugong.
"Chan Philosophy/ Buddhism, strictly speaking, is not a religion, but an educational doorway established by later generations."
-30th Gen. Shaolin Elder, Ven. Shi Suxi (1924-2006)
"Chan is ever present in our lives. There is nowhere it does not manifest. It only depends on how you experience it, authenticate it, come to realize and appreciate it.
What does Chan practice require? Only to comprehend one's nature, eliminate the superficial mind, and maintain a serene heart, to handle things with a pragmatic attitude, and to deal with the affairs of life with an attitude of great effort always striving to forge ahead."
-31st Gen. Shaolin Successor, Ven. Shi Deyang
Free & Public Chan Lecture Series & Discussions
Rather, it is a philosophy, not in the mundane sense of being a system of values by which one lives, or a hypothesis by which particular phenomena are explained, but in the sense of being practical wisdom; calmness of temper and judgment; awareness; equanimity; fortitude; allowing one to always return to the present moment where life is lived. Chan is a body of teachings about human beings returning to their nature, in this moment.
Chan Philosophy is not concerned with questions on the origin of the universe or the presence of a higher being. The Buddha, Shakyamuni, when questioned on these topics simply kept silent. He himself was not a god, but a human being who "woke up" to his own nature, and by doing so was relieved of the fundamental unsatisfactory quality of unawakened life, and taught others to do the same. The word Buddha comes from a Sanskrit root that simply means to "wake up".
Chan is a body of teachings pointing to that awakened nature. It is very simple. It should not be in conflict with any religion. As 32nd Gen. Shaolin Disciple, Shi Xingmi, states;
"Chan should only help you to open your eyes and look, it should not tell you what you see."
The first thing to ask if one wants to experience Chan is; "What am I?" To really look at that (not conceptually), you get a sense of genuinely "not-knowing". From that point you get a sense of a depth behind conceptualization, actually before thinking arises and discriminative ideas are produced. It is the most radical angle from which one can begin to experience Chan.
The many different techniques for practice come after that initial experience. Shaolin Chan Culture employs, among many others, the medium of Traditional Shaolin Wugong.
"Chan Philosophy/ Buddhism, strictly speaking, is not a religion, but an educational doorway established by later generations."
-30th Gen. Shaolin Elder, Ven. Shi Suxi (1924-2006)
"Chan is ever present in our lives. There is nowhere it does not manifest. It only depends on how you experience it, authenticate it, come to realize and appreciate it.
What does Chan practice require? Only to comprehend one's nature, eliminate the superficial mind, and maintain a serene heart, to handle things with a pragmatic attitude, and to deal with the affairs of life with an attitude of great effort always striving to forge ahead."
-31st Gen. Shaolin Successor, Ven. Shi Deyang
Free & Public Chan Lecture Series & Discussions
