Well Deborah,
If we sit down and observe our surroundings, the stars, the trees and
clouds and rivers, it is perfect. We will also notice the following
characteristics.
* It harmonizes.
* It evolves.
* It integrates.
* It balances.
* It allows.
* It cares. etc.
In other words, as an inseparable part of the universe, we inherit the
same characteristics.
To be enlightened, is to be awakened to these characteristics. These
are the nature of the universe. These are the nature of us. These are
also the Tao, the Chan and the Zen. These natures are in everything of
the universe, big and small. A fancy name for it is Self Nature, or
Buddha Nature.
It is called Buddha nature, because this is the same nature Shakyamuni
witnessed, then Buddhism was organized to honor his teaching. Buddha
nature does not belong to Buddha.
Whether it is Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Chanist or Zenist, all
practice to realize this. Some of us don't even need a religion to be
awakened to.
I do recognize the fact that some the teachings from school to school
may be different, or the practice maybe different, but all in all, Chan
or Zen or Christian or are just labels to convenient the selection
process for our karmic mind.
After all, even in the same school, each teacher teaches differently and
in turn having different followers.
Yet, all are Chan. Therefore Chan does not belong to any particular
religion, nor any philosophy, or any institution. It is always there
without birth or death, and continues to evolve, just like the galaxies.
Be Enlightened In This Life - We ALL Can
http://chanjmjm.blogspot.com
http://www.heartchan.org
On 1/6/2011 6:48 AM, Deborah Mingins wrote:
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. It seems what you are saying is
Chan sees yin and yang as one and not two in, the continuous division
of one. I understand that in Chan all is one, but there is a division.
Australia and the USA are all one part of the earth, but very
different, as Chan and Zen are very different. They are closer than
other forms of Buddhism to each other, but the influences of their
cultures and interpretors have made them different. I have found Zen
louder, harsher, yelling, whereas Chan is gentler, more natural, and
not forceful. Please let me know how you see this.
taomtnsa...@yahoo.com mailto:taomtnsa...@yahoo.com
*From:* Jue Miao Jing Ming - 覺妙精明 chan.j...@gmail.com
*To:* Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com; zenliv...@yahoogroups.com
*Sent:* Thu, January 6, 2011 2:29:57 AM
*Subject:* [Zen Living] Chan Tao
Hello Deborah,
Thank you for your question. Perhaps you noticed that I usually just
say what Chan is, and avoided to compare Chan with Zen.
Though some of my posts are being labeled as illusory, I had not done
so on the contrary, because Chan taught me that Chan includes
everything, including Zen. Chan is all. If I had not heard of a Zen
post, then I should learn about it. That's why I join this forum six
or seven years ago -- to learn.
The Tao influence in Chan is quite evident. If we read the
Xin-Xin-Ming by the third patriarch, it almost sounded like
Tao-Te-Jing. However, the Tao influence to Chan is more so in the
practice - the sitting and the motion chan. Sitting is the Ying and
Motion Chan is the Yang.
Tao is really not dualistic in the Chan sense. Tao merely laid out
the path from TaiChi to the rest of the manifestation of all the
forms, through Ying-Yang, the two to the four to the Eight, etc. It
just illustrated the continuous division of the One. That's all.
Now back to what is Chan. Chan is really just a nick name for our
universe. Academically, a comprehensive term for everything, those we
know and we don't know, visible and invisible, permanent and
impermanent, static and dynamic, etc. etc.
While most of the teachings tried to rationalize the form, Chan's
focus is on the formless, or simply the life's energy and its wisdom,
because everything is manifested by this energy and the wisdom. It is
the dharma and the ultimate truth.
The only way to get to it, is to sync to it by first rejuvenating our
physical body to be a baby, then open up our heart like a baby.
Because, baby state is our closest state to our birth, and to our
creator, the universe.
Somehow, the most important part of the practice, cultivating our
chi, is not quite evident in Zen, which is the most natural and
effortless way to sync up to the universal wisdom.
JM
Be Enlightened In This Life - We ALL Can
http://chanjmjm.blogspot.com
http://www.heartchan.org
On 1/5/2011 5:55 PM, Deborah Mingins wrote:
To Jue Miao Jing Ming- It seems you feel there is not much difference
between Chan and Zen, whereas in my humble experience they are quite
different. Zen is obsessed with the moment and staying in it whereas
Chan is a gentler just being. One thing I cannot understand with
