Shakyamuni Buddha founded Buddhism, and Buddhism has been perpetuated through the Dharma and the sangha, the community practitioners. But what is Ch’an? Ch’an is a method of spiritual practice. Ch’an is wondrous and subtle, inexplicable wisdom. Ch’an is all phenomena.

Ch’an, understood as a spiritual practice, is a school of Buddhism that developed in China from Indian dhyana Buddhism, which Indian teachers introduced into China as early as the third century.

The mental discipline and spiritual practices of dhyana, which aimed at attainment of an absorbed state of mind through concentration, were common to all Indian religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, and are still used in yoga today.

In China, dhyana was pronounced “ch’an,” and its meditation techniques were avidly studied by the Chinese. Over time, however, Ch’an developed a different emphasis from that which dhyana had had in India. Ch’an later spread to other parts of Asia, and was called Zen in Japan, Son in Korea, and Thien in Vietnam.

Indian religions taught dhyana methods of meditation and concentration to allow people to emancipate themselves from their unsatisfactory spiritual condition: the afflictions, burdens, and troubles of the human mind. These vexations are caused by our desires, and the scattered condition of our thoughts makes it difficult to see and understand this.

A person who is beginning Ch’an training needs to use the basic techniques of concentration to quiet and unify the mind. These include concentrating on the breath, on the body, and on sounds such as flowing water.

The purpose of concentration techniques is to take the mind away from a state of scattered thoughts and feelings of affliction and fetteredness, first to a state of concentration and then to a state where the separation between external and internal disappears. But this is only the first step in Ch’an practice. Ch’an does not depend on, and goes beyond, the dhyana techniques of concentration.

The fourth Ch’an Patriarch, Daoxin (580–651), taught dhyana meditation techniques in The Essential Practical Methods for Purifying the Mind. He advised practitioners to begin the practice of Ch’an by simply observing the mind. He said to sit alone in a quiet place, straight and upright, in loose clothing so that you are not restricted.

Let your body and mind relax completely, and then massage yourself from head to foot a few times. Adjust your body and mind so that they are in harmony, and observe your thoughts and feelings without becoming involved with them.

Daoxin also described the progressively deepening states of concentration a practitioner may pass through. First, the practitioner experiences both inner and outer worlds as empty and pure. He or she moves through deepening states of concentration until all thoughts disappear, and there is not even the thought of concentrating the mind.

Finally, the practitioner transcends all mental realms of experience and goes beyond concentration to the unification of inner and outer. All distinctions are dissolved.

In every age and in every place, many methods of practice have been used. The techniques of Ch’an are flexible and adaptable. Because of changing situations and different types of people, a teacher uses a different method to lead each person toward enlightenment.

In Ch’an, the dhyana techniques for developing concentration and entering into samadhi are generally used by beginners. An experienced practitioner rises above the necessity of such techniques.

Ch’an itself is not ultimately technique or method, but rather it is the Way through which you attain by application of the methods of practice. This brings us to the second definition of Ch’an: Ch’an is wondrous, subtle, and inexplicable wisdom.

Ch’an is inexplicable because we cannot express, describe, or explain it with words, nor can we imagine it or grasp it with our conceptual mind. Anything that we can express in language, no matter how wonderful, is not Ch’an.

Sheng-yen (1930-2009)

Source – Subtle Wisdom – Understanding Suffering, Cultivating Compassion through Ch’an Buddhism Sheng-yen 1999

This is a time to return to the roots of practice. With new people coming into Daily Zen every month, it is fitting now for a piece like this. Sheng-yen skillfully paints a history of how Buddhism traveled from India to other parts of the East, and the transformation that became known as Zen today.

In every age and in every place, many methods of practice have been used. The techniques of Ch’an are flexible and adaptable.

No matter what school of meditation you are drawn to, they all have a foundation of breath and posture as a starting place. With the many styles of teaching, you may start with one school of practice and move on to another that fits you better. Keep your own light on, though, for authenticity and genuineness.

At some point, one finds one’s spiritual home and the commitment that allows the full flowering of practice.

Ch’an is inexplicable because we cannot express, describe, or explain it with words, nor can we imagine it or grasp it with our conceptual mind. Anything that we can express in language, no matter how wonderful, is not Ch’an.

And from a different time, we can find:

Something hidden, go and find it;
Go and look beyond the ranges
Something hidden beyond the ranges,
Lost and waiting for you –
Go!

Rudyard Kipling

With enthusiasm,
Elana, Scribe for Daily Zen