Chan Study Group

1. I vow to deliver innumerable sentient beings of self-nature.
2. I vow to dissolve endless vexations of self-nature.
3. I vow to master limitless approaches to Dharma of self-nature.
4. I vow to attain supreme Buddhahood of self-nature.

Buddha Wisdom has two components:

• Fundamental wisdom is the function of buddha wisdom to use for yourself.
• Skillful wisdom is the function of Buddha wisdom to help sentient beings.

The teachings of the Buddha

No Mind 無心

The Mind of non-abiding awareness

Ultimate Truth when used with capital ‘D’

Phenomena when used with small ‘d’

• Non-duality and Non-oneness
• Non-arising and Non-perishing
• Non nihilistic and Non-permanent
• Non-coming and Non-going

Additional negations from the Heart Sutra:

• Non-impurity and Non-purity (from Heart Sutra)
• Non-increasing and Non-decreasing (from Heart Sutra)

Nagarjuna talked about the Diamond Sutra by using the two ways and five Bodhi’s:

1. Bodhi of generating the vow
2. Bodhi of taming the Mind
3. Bodhi of insight into Mind
4. Bodhi of departing from transformed transmigration & arriving at supreme enlightenment
5. Ultimate Bodhi

1. Ordinary eye/physical eye
2. Heavenly eye
3. Wisdom eye (Arhatship)
4. Dharma eye (Boddhisattva)
5. Buddha eye

1. Recognizing Vexation
2. Thinness of Vexation
3. Tameness of Vexation
4. Dissolution of Vexation
5. Full Dissolution of Vexation

1. Abstain from taking life
2. Abstain from taking what is not given
3. Abstain from sensuous misconduct
4. Abstain from false speech
5. Abstain from intoxicants as tending to cloud the mind

We follow the precepts, but we do not attach to anything.

The five skandhas are the division of matter and mind into five categories:

1. forms
2. sensation
3. perception
4. volition
5. consciousness

1. Attention
2. Contact
3. Sensation
4. Perception ((includes labeling, describing, comparing, analyzing, discrimination)
5. Volition (include attachment, decision, action)

1. Suddenness Chan does not depend on words and languages
2. Suddenness Chan is the special transmission of the Mind Dharma outside of the Dharma of teachings
3. Suddenness Chan is pointing directly to the practitioners Mind (Dharma)
4. Suddenness Chan is to see directly into self-nature

1. Revealing; if you can let go of your self-centered attachment in this one moment, you reveal your inherent Buddha wisdom. In one moment or in one thought.
2. Manifesting; if in many moments you can let go of your self-centered attachment, you can manifest your Buddha wisdom. In many moments or in many thoughts.
3. Realizing; in every thought, every moment you let go of self-centered attachment.
4. Penetrating; In every thought you completely let go of self-centered attachment and tame the habit.

1. The Mind of Great Vow
2. The Mind of Direct Transference
3. The Mind of Great Wisdom
4. The Mind of Great Compassion

1. Initial confidence
2. Confidence of comprehension
3. Confidence of mind training
4. Confidence of realisation (pure confidence)

1. Nirvana of pure nature; all sentient beings including all Bodhisattva’s and Buddha’s have the inherent Nirvana of pure nature.
2. Nirvana with remainder 有餘涅槃; when Bodhisattva’s reach ultimate complete enlightenment with transmigration.
3. Nirvana without remainder 無餘涅槃; when the effects of transmigration ended.
4. Non-abiding Nirvana; although they enter into Nirvana, they do not stay in Nirvana; patient rest in non-arising.

1. Momentary concentration (khanikasamadhi)
2. Preliminary concentration (parikammasamadhi)
3. Access concentration (upacarasamadhi)
4. Absorption concentration (appanasamadhi)

1. Existence (delusion) [Is]
2. Emptiness (purity) [Is not]
3. Existence is Emptiness [Both is and is not], non-duality
4. No Existence, No Emptiness [Neither is or is not], non-oneness

Guest host principle by Chan Master Linji Yixuan:

1. Guest amidst guest
2. Host amidst guest
3. Guest amidst host
4. Host amidst host

1. Guest amidst guest means when a Chan practitioner still has self-centered attachment and the Chan teacher has not reached deep enlightenment, they give the Chan practitioner more attachment by the teaching.

2. Host amidst guest means a Chan teacher has not seen into his self-nature or has shallow understanding, the Chan practitioner gives a shout to the teacher and the teacher cannot distinguish the state of the practitioner, therefore the teacher focuses on the state and plays a game, Chan practitioner gives a shout again and teacher cannot let go of it.

3. Guest amidst host, Chan Master has seen into self-nature and tried to snatch away delusion from practitioner, but practitioner still attaches to it.

4. Host amidst host, Chan practitioner has some level of insight and realizes state of purity and comes to see the Master, the Master can snatch away the delusion. “You are a great fellow practitioner”, the Chan Master says, “I don’t realize good or bad”, then the Chan practitioner prostrates to pay respects.

When you are profoundly aware of all things with pure mind which is free from the defilements of self-centered attachment, then this is no thought

The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch (Chinese: 六祖壇經; pinyin: Liùzǔ Tánjīng or simply: 壇經 Tánjīng) is a Chan Buddhist scripture that was composed in China during the 8th to 13th century.

There are different kinds of pure land:

• Buddha land
• Amitabha Buddha
• Medicine Buddha
• Pure land on earth
• Pure land of the mind
• Pure land 3rd heaven of desire realm

3 levels of Pure Land:

1. Realm of eternal silence and light, related to the Buddha of the Dharma Body.
2. Realm of Buddha reward in reality and adornment (Dharma Body of the Buddha is the self-nature)
3. Realm of skillfulness where beings have completely let go of deluded views and thoughts, related to the Transformation Body of the Buddha. Action of compassion/wisdom.

tranquility of the mind, or mind-calmness

1. Generosity
2. Precepts (Major Bodhisattva precepts or 5 lay precepts)
3. Endurance (patient rest)
4. Diligence
5. Samadhi
6. Wisdom

• Before the statement = before their master say/do something to help, they get enlightened.
• At the statement = upon hearing the sentence from their master, they reached enlightenment.
• After the statement = When helped by their master, they still not get enlightened.

Mind only school. Classic Mahayana Buddhadharma system. The teaching of the mind only (Tathagatagarbha) system has 2 parts:

• The Buddha nature conceals the genuine Buddha
• The Buddha nature manifests the genuine Buddha

Ancient Chan Masters said Chan is part of the third system (Tathagatagarbha).

1. Looking for the Ox
2. Seeing the tracks
3. Glimpsing the Ox
4. Getting hold of the Ox
5. Herding the Ox
6. Riding the Ox home
7. The Ox is forgotten, yet the Ox-Herder is still present
8. Herder & Ox both forgotten
9. Reverting to the Origin and returning to the source
10. Entering the market with open hands

The Way to liberation.

No Mind is the Way / Ordinary Mind is the Way / Everyday activity is itself the Way.

Way with capitol “W”, in Chinese, literally "Dao"/"Tao"

Barrier means obstruction. The three barriers are:

1. The “Initial Barrier”: “Making one’s way through weeds and investigating Chan; The purpose is only to realize one’s self-nature.”
2. The “Multiple Barrier”: “When one has seen into one’s self-nature; One is just then able to liberate oneself from transmigration.”
3. The “Prison Barrier”: “When one has liberated oneself from birth and death; One is able to know where to go.”

1. Dharma Body= Self-nature
2. Reward Body= Wisdom
3. Transformation Body = Act of compassion

1. Abide in the mind to contemplate purity (True Mind)
2. Abide in the mind to contemplate illusory (opposite of purity, Illusory Mind)
3. Abide in the mind to contemplate immovability (Samadhi only)

1. Fortune; money/charity
2. Almsgiving of the Dharma of teachings
3. No fear; to become free from fear

1. Seeing mountains as mountains and rivers as rivers Seen from the perspective of (small)self
2. Seeing mountains not as mountains and rivers not as rivers Unification of inside and outside/previous and following thought/universe
3. Seeing mountains as mountains again and rivers as rivers Seen from the perspective of no-self

1. No Thought
2. No Form
3. No Abiding

1. No seeking for the goal; practice itself is the goal
2. No attainment; not attaching to attainment
3. No effort; effortless effort, no attaching to the effort

1. Great Confidence
2. Great Vow
3. Great Determination

1. Realm of desire
2. Realm of form
3. Realm of no form

1. Unification of mind and body
2. Unification of mind with outer environment (inside and outside)
3. Unification of mind with whole universe

The stages referred to here are not to be approached as gradual and don’t need to be taken one after the other.

1. Madhyamaka (Name only) Focusses on emptiness
2. Yogacara (Consciousness only) Focusses on consciousness
3. Tathagatagarbha (Mind only) Focusses on Mind only