Professor Lin Chongan: A Q&A on Meditation

1 Q: What is Chan meditation?

A: The term chanxiu (禅修) comes from the Sanskrit dhyāna. Dhyāna, also translated as "contemplative tranquility," is a Buddhist discipline for training the mind in concentration. The Sixth Patriarch Huineng later broadened its meaning:

"What is sitting in Chan? In this Dharma gateway, with nothing in the way—when any circumstance arises, no thought arises. That is sitting. When one sees one's true nature and is not confused, that is Chan. What is Chan samādhi? To be outwardly free from characteristics is Chan; to be inwardly unmoving is samādhi."

So the practice expanded to include all of daily life—moving, standing, sitting, and lying down—so that one can face any circumstance with a clear, unclouded mind. Today, all such training in stillness and activity is collectively called chanxiu—in English, meditation.

2 Q: What are the different methods of Chan meditation?

A: There are many. In China you'll find Patriarch Chan, the nianfo (念佛, recitation of the Buddha's name) method, and tantric methods. Tibet offers Mahāmudrā (大手印) and Dzogchen (大圆满). The Theravāda countries have vipassanā (内观, insight meditation), and so on. Because today's society favors a more practical, everyday approach, newer terms have appeared: life Chan, moving Chan, Anxiang Chan (安祥禅), and insight Chan.

3 Q: What is the fundamental purpose of Chan meditation?

A: The Buddhist purpose is single: to end your own suffering, and then to help others end theirs. You could also describe it as "attaining nirvāṇa" or "gaining liberation of mind and liberation through wisdom"—but the substance is always the same: the cessation of suffering. Suffering comes from ignorance (無明)—living in a fog, unable to see clearly. So to end suffering, you need clarity (明). You need awareness, and you need to be able to maintain mindfulness and clear comprehension (正念正知). Chan meditation, then, is about cultivating that clarity—cultivating awareness, cultivating mindfulness and clear comprehension—so that in daily life you're grounded in samādhi and wisdom, no longer drifting in confusion.

4 Q: What is the pivotal point of Chan meditation?

A: The essential element is not external form or name—whether you call it Chan, nianfo, vipassanā, Mahāmudrā, or something else—nor any lights, Buddha images, psychic powers, or bliss that may appear during practice. It's the ability to keep a clear, unclouded mind through all your activities—moving, standing, sitting, lying down—with awareness running through it all, meeting life's ups and downs with the wisdom of no-self, so that practice becomes life itself. How to cultivate that awareness is, you could say, the heart of Chan meditation. Once awareness becomes continuous within, what comes out in speech will be pure—right speech. What comes out in action will be pure—right action and right livelihood. With the direction correct, samādhi and wisdom grow steadily, afflictions weaken, and suffering is gradually extinguished.

5 Q: What kind of liberation comes from Chan meditation?

A: Chan practitioners fall into two main categories, and keeping these in mind makes the path easier to see: the prajñā-vimukta (慧解脱者, "wisdom-liberated one") and the ubhaya-bhāga-vimukta (俱分解脱者, "both-liberated one"). The Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra (Chapter 26) says:

引言:

The prajñā-vimukta arhat has been freed from the afflictive obstacles but not yet freed from the obstacles of samādhi.

The ubhaya-bhāga-vimukta arhat has been freed from the afflictive obstacles and also from the obstacles of samādhi; hence the name "both-liberated."

From the angle of obstacles, then, one type of person on the path hasn't fully freed themselves from the obstacles of samādhi—only a certain degree of concentration is needed to directly cut through afflictions. That's the wisdom-liberated one. The other type has fully freed themselves from the obstacles of samādhi and has also cut through afflictions—those are the both-liberated ones. Their dispositions differ, but what both gain through Chan meditation is liberation from the defilements.

6 Q: What level of concentration does a wisdom-liberated one need?

A: The Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra says:

引言:

If a bhikkhu observes pure moral discipline, abides by the pure precepts of the Pratimokṣa, and through the strength of the higher training of the mind, attains the superior samādhi belonging to the neighborhood of the first dhyāna as a basis; and through the strength of the higher training of wisdom, gains the Dharma-abiding wisdom and the nirvāṇa wisdom—using these two wisdoms as a basis, the mind is freed from all afflictions, he becomes an arhat, and is wisdom-liberated.

So those who follow the wisdom-liberated path must, at minimum, cultivate what comes just before the first dhyāna—called upacāra-samādhi (近分定), or "neighborhood concentration," also known as "unattained concentration" (未至定). In Theravāda it's called upacāra-samādhi as well, or sometimes khaṇika-samādhi (剎那定), "momentary concentration." Theravāda also calls the wisdom-liberated practitioner a "purity-of-vision practitioner" (純觀行者), sometimes translated as "dry-insight practitioner."

7 Q: What level of concentration does a both-liberated one need?

A: The both-liberated one has no obstacles of samādhi to begin with. Through śamatha (calming), they cultivate the foundational absorptions of the four dhyānas and eight samādhis, and can enter nirodha-samāpatti (滅盡定), the "cessation attainment." In Theravāda, these foundational absorptions are called appanā-samādhi (安止定), and the both-liberated practitioner is known as a samatha-yānika (止行者), a "calming practitioner," or sometimes a samatha-vipassanā-yānika (止觀行者), a "calming-and-insight practitioner." Those on the bodhisattva path, given the scope of their goal, also generally cultivate the four dhyānas and eight samādhis, walking the both-liberated path. When one becomes a Buddha, one necessarily possesses the four dhyānas and eight samādhis—free of obstacles to samādhi, free of afflictive obstacles, and free of cognitive obstacles (所知障).

8 Q: How can people practice Chan meditation in today's busy industrial and commercial society?

A: Once you understand these two paths, it's easier to see how anyone practicing today might approach Chan. Clearly, if a layperson wants to attain nirodha-samāpatti, they'd need to set aside worldly affairs for a long stretch under the guidance of someone who has "been there"—a tall order for most people. So for ordinary laypeople, the wisdom-liberated path is usually more practical. Monastics, unburdened by worldly concerns, can succeed on either path. Buddhadasa Bhikkhu writes in Insight Meditation:

引言:

The aim of cultivating concentration isn't to attain the form-sphere or formless-sphere absorptions. That's not the point. What matters is mindfulness and clear observation—these alone are enough. This one-pointed concentration (referring to upacāra-samādhi) is wonderful, and the World-Honored One praised it highly because it can be applied directly in daily life. If you let it progress to absorption states, like the formless absorptions, it can't be applied in daily life—because in those states, the senses don't function, and so there's nothing to apply it to.

So Chan meditation in daily life, or dynamic vipassanā, leans on upacāra-samādhi (or khaṇika-samādhi), so that awareness remains clear and continuous through all four postures.

9 Q: Do the sūtras mention "neighborhood concentration" and "foundational concentration"? What is the textual evidence?

A: The sūtras themselves don't use those two terms, but based on the meaning of the teachings, "concentration" can be divided into these two stages:

(a) The sūtra says:

引言:

"This body is moistened, fully moistened, fully satisfied, and fully suffused with the rapture and joy born of seclusion"—this refers to the neighborhood concentration of the first dhyāna. It then says: "in this entire body, there is no place not fully suffused with the rapture and joy born of seclusion"—this refers to the foundational concentration of the first dhyāna.

(b) The sūtra says:

引言:

"In this body, the rapture and joy born of samādhi moistens, fully moistens, fully satisfies, and fully suffuses"—this refers to the neighborhood concentration of the second dhyāna. "In this entire body, there is no place not fully suffused with the rapture and joy born of samādhi"—this refers to the foundational concentration of the second dhyāna.

(c) The sūtra says:

引言:

"In this body, the joy free from rapture moistens, fully moistens, fully satisfies, and fully suffuses"—this refers to the neighborhood concentration of the third dhyāna. "In this entire body, there is no place not fully suffused with the joy free from rapture"—this refers to the foundational concentration of the third dhyāna.

(d) The sūtra says:

引言:

"In this body, the pure mind and the bright mind fully pervade and abide"—this refers to the neighborhood concentration of the fourth dhyāna. "In this entire body, there is no place not fully suffused with the pure mind and the bright mind"—this refers to the foundational concentration of the fourth dhyāna.

(e) The sūtra says: "Because all perception of form has been transcended, because all perception of resistance has ceased, because all diverse perception is no longer attended to, one enters the boundless space—the realm of boundless space"—this refers to the neighborhood concentration of the realm of boundless space. "Fully abides"—this refers to the foundational concentration of the realm of boundless space.

(f) The sūtra says: "Having transcended the entire realm of boundless space, one enters the boundless consciousness—the realm of boundless consciousness"—this refers to the neighborhood concentration of the realm of boundless consciousness. "Fully abides"—this refers to the foundational concentration of the realm of boundless consciousness.

(g) The sūtra says: "Having transcended the entire realm of boundless consciousness, one enters the realm of nothingness—the realm of nothing-at-all"—this refers to the neighborhood concentration of the realm of nothingness. "Fully abides"—this refers to the foundational concentration of the realm of nothingness.

(h) The sūtra says: "Having transcended the entire realm of nothingness, one enters the realm of neither perception nor non-perception"—this refers to the neighborhood concentration of the realm of neither perception nor non-perception. "Fully abides"—this refers to the foundational concentration of the realm of neither perception nor non-perception.

10 Q: What is Patriarch Chan? What is its basis?

A: The Third Patriarch Sengcan's Xìnxìn Míng (《信心铭》, Verses on Faith and Mind) says:

The Great Way is not difficult; it only avoids picking and choosing. Just do not hate or love, and it will be completely clear and bright.

This points to the basic principle of daily Chan practice: in whatever you're doing, when you meet favorable or unfavorable circumstances, don't let greed or hatred arise—keep awareness awake without grasping, and you're already walking the Great Way. So Chan isn't far away; it's right here in this very moment. The Dunhuang edition of the Platform Sutra records:

引言:

What is no-thought? In the Dharma of no-thought, one sees all dharmas without clinging to any dharma; one pervades all places without clinging to any place. Constantly purifying one's nature, the six consciousnesses go out through the six sense doors; amid the six sense objects, neither attached nor stained, coming and going freely—this is the prajñā samādhi, the zìzài (自在) liberation, called the practice of no-thought. Don't try to be "no-thought" by thinking of nothing and cutting off all thoughts—that's a bondage to dharmas, called a one-sided view.

One-practice samādhi means practicing with an upright mind at all times—moving, standing, sitting, lying down. The Vimalakīrti Sutra says: "The upright mind is the bodhimaṇḍa; the upright mind is the pure land." If your mind practices flattery and crookedness while your mouth speaks of uprightness and one-practice samādhi, you are not a disciple of the Buddha. Simply practice the upright mind, with no attachment to any dharma—this is called one-practice samādhi.

The deluded person clings to dharmalakṣaṇa, clings to one-practice samādhi, and says outright: "Sitting motionless, cutting off deluded thoughts, not letting the mind arise—that's one-practice samādhi." If that's how it were, this Dharma would lack clarity and become an obstacle to the Way. The Way flows freely—how could it become stagnant? When the mind doesn't abide in dharmas, the Way flows freely; when it abides, it is bound.

Using this samādhi (prajñā samādhi and one-practice samādhi) to observe the true reality of body and mind—the Platform Sutra further says:

引言:

This Dharma gateway of mine takes samādhi and wisdom as its foundation. First, don't get confused and think wisdom and samādhi are different. The essence of samādhi and wisdom is one, not two: samādhi is the essence of wisdom; wisdom is the function of samādhi. When it is wisdom, samādhi is within wisdom; when it is samādhi, wisdom is within samādhi. Good knowing advisors! This is what it means for samādhi and wisdom to be equal.

All these quotations point to the same essential spirit of Chan: maintain inner peace in daily life, free from the staining of the six sense objects; let awareness run through all your activities; don't let attachment arise in the mind; "externally, skillfully distinguish the characteristics of all dharmas; internally, unmoved with respect to the ultimate truth"—this is Chan.

11 Q: What is "Life Chan" (生活禅)?

A: Suffering comes from ignorance, so as long as you have clarity, there is no suffering. Clarity is awareness—it is mindfulness and clear comprehension. In daily life, you keep cultivating that awareness, making it continuous and unbroken; this kind of Chan practice is "Life Chan." The samādhi and wisdom shown in daily life are the medicine that ends suffering. Suffering arises from ignorance—living in a fog, unable to see the truth clearly. So to end suffering, you need clarity—you need awareness, mindfulness, and clear comprehension—so that in daily life you are fully grounded in samādhi and wisdom.

12 Q: What is "Insight Chan" (内观禅)?

A: Vipassanā (insight) means looking inward, observing the true reality of your own body and mind. In principle there's no division between movement and stillness, but in practice the training comes in both forms. The static approach emphasizes sitting still, usually with eyes closed. In the Theravāda insight tradition, the methods of S. N. Goenka and Pa Auk Sayadaw fall into this category. The dynamic approach focuses on all four postures—moving, standing, sitting, lying down—using mindfulness and clear comprehension to be aware of every movement, and to know each thought clearly without getting tangled in it. In the Theravāda insight tradition, the methods of Luangpor Teean and Ajahn Nyan fall into this category. Though each teacher's techniques differ, all require awareness (mindfulness and clear comprehension) to run through the four postures, and treat observing changes in posture as an important part of the practice.

13 Q: What is "Moving Chan" (动中禅)? What is its basis?

A: Throughout all of your daily activities, being clearly aware of every movement and continuously observing the true reality of body and mind from within—this is "Moving Chan" or "Dynamic Insight." The Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta says:

引言:

"Bhikkhus! A bhikkhu, when walking, knows: I am walking. When standing, he knows: I am standing. When sitting, he knows: I am sitting. When lying down, he knows: I am lying down. However his body is disposed, he knows it accordingly."

"Bhikkhus! A bhikkhu, whether going forward or returning, acts with clear comprehension; looking ahead or behind, he acts with clear comprehension; bending or stretching his body, he acts with clear comprehension; wearing his robe and carrying his bowl, he acts with clear comprehension; eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting, he acts with clear comprehension; attending to the calls of nature, he acts with clear comprehension; walking, standing, sitting, lying down, waking, speaking, and remaining silent—he also acts with clear comprehension."

These trainings are put into practice in daily life; the only thing to be carried through everything is mindfulness and clear comprehension—your own unmistakable awareness. There's particular emphasis on cultivating awareness through walking meditation. Once awareness is strengthened, you can clearly know your feelings, thoughts, and dharmas (such as passing thoughts), and you won't be pulled around by suffering or pleasure—you can maintain a truly even mind.

14 Q: How does Life Chan differ from Moving Chan?

A: In principle they're the same. Moving Chan (Dynamic Insight) just adds a few more concrete training methods. Luangpor Teean's training, for example, begins with awareness of bodily movements, letting awareness continue like an unbroken chain, then uses that powerful awareness to observe thoughts, and finally realizes the true reality of body and mind. Ajahn Nyan's training is to be aware of every change throughout the physical body, and to use yathābhūta-manasikāra (如理作意, "attention in accordance with reality") to see clearly that the changes in posture are for the purpose of curing suffering. With these simple, concrete techniques, students have a clear path to follow—that's the distinctive feature of these methods.

15 Q: What is the nianfo (念佛) method? How is it applied in daily life?

A: First, you strive to attain "one-pointedness of mind" in stillness; then you bring it into activity. Here's how:

a. Recite the name so it stays in continuous contact with the mind; keep it there until the one reciting and the mind that knows merge into one.

b. At this point, breathing and body seem to disappear; the mind doesn't engage with anything else, only awareness remains, paired with no object and no name. The name has been fully let go; what remains is only awareness itself, simply present. This is called cittaikāgratā (心一境性), "one-pointedness of mind"—the one-pointed mind in stillness.

c. Then in daily life, when you meet favorable or unfavorable circumstances, you keep awareness continuous, no greed or hatred arises, and you train through all four postures so that the pure recitation continues unbroken. This is the one-pointed mind in activity.

16 Q: What is nianfo of true reality (实相念佛)?

A: Living in the present moment through all your activities, so that each thought corresponds to the Buddha-nature—this is nianfo of true reality. When you can do this, the present moment itself is being in the Pure Land.

17 Q: What are Mahāmudrā and Dzogchen?

A: Mahāmudrā (大手印) and Dzogchen (大圆满) are Tibetan Chan methods. They also emphasize awareness, calling it the "nature of clarity" (明體), "co-emergent wisdom" (俱生智), or "luminosity of mind" (光明心), among other names. You directly grasp the luminous nature of mind in daily life; when deluded thoughts arise, you neither suppress them nor chase after them—you simply stay with clear, wakeful awareness.

18 Q: What is walking meditation? What are the key points?

A: The Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Śrāvaka-bhūmi says:

"Walking meditation means walking back and forth on a piece of ground of appropriate length and measure, in accordance with bodily action."

So walking meditation is walking back and forth over a suitable distance (roughly a dozen or so steps). When walking, relax the whole body, fold the hands at the chest or hold them behind the back, walk at a natural, comfortable pace. The mind stays aware of the movement of the feet, but you don't look around. The Śrāvaka-bhūmi says:

"With the sense faculties drawn inward, the mind not outwardly scattered, one practices walking meditation—not too rushed, not too restless."

19 Q: Why is walking meditation important?

A: Walking meditation is a simple and effective way to ease physical and mental tension:

a. From a worldly angle, if you walk for an hour each morning, many chronic conditions improve through the leg movement. Walking for half an hour after meals also aids digestion. Regular walking can slow the progress of osteoporosis. And because you do it with a relaxed, wakeful mind, after a while the mind naturally settles—no more emotional turbulence—and your resistance to illness strengthens as well.

b. Walking meditation not only eases stress, it purifies the mind. In the Āgama Sūtras, the Buddha and his disciples are often mentioned practicing walking meditation in the open. In the Saṃyuktāgama (Sūtra 503), the Buddha tells Maudgalyāyana:

引言:

"Maudgalyāyana! If this bhikkhu, during the day, walks or sits, purifying his mind through unobstructed dharmas; in the early evening, sits or walks, purifying his mind through unobstructed dharmas; at midnight, goes outside his dwelling to wash his feet, then returns and lies down on his right side, places one foot on top of the other, fixes his mind on the dawn light, with right mindfulness and clear comprehension, his thoughts directed toward arising; in the latter part of the night, he gently wakes and gently rises, sits or walks, purifying his mind through unobstructed dharmas—Maudgalyāyana! This is called a bhikkhu's diligent vigor."

So disciples in the early morning, during the day, and in the early evening should walk and sit quietly to purify their minds.

c. Walking meditation can overcome the obstacles of drowsiness and sleep, and quickly lead to right samādhi and the fruit of realization. In Volume 17 of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya Kṣudraka-vastu, the householder's son Bhadra (寶德長者子) asks Venerable Ānanda:

引言:

"Venerable sir! How does a bhikkhu, practicing with determination, quickly attain accomplishment and right samādhi?"

Ānanda replies:

"As the Buddha said: by taking up samādhi and diligently practicing walking meditation, one quickly attains right samādhi."

So Bhadra walked constantly—but he pushed himself too hard. The Buddha stepped in to teach him:

"Just as in tuning a string—if the string is too tight or too loose, the sound isn't pleasant. Only when it's neither too loose nor too tight does it sound good. Likewise, in practice, don't push too hard, don't go too slowly—stay in the middle."

Hearing the Buddha's teaching, Bhadra practiced with a relaxed, wakeful mind, and quickly realized the fruit of arhatship.

d. It's worth noting that Venerable Ānanda himself, in a single night, realized arhatship through walking meditation—not through static samādhi.

20 Q: What is enlightenment? Can it be lost?

A: Once you directly realize the true reality, personally experiencing the impermanence and no-self of body and mind—that is enlightenment. At that point, the three fetters—view of self, clinging to precepts and practices, and doubt—are destroyed. This kind of enlightenment does not regress.

21 Q: In summary, what are the essential points of Chan meditation?

A: Different capacities give rise to different methods, but the core points are consistent:

a. Cultivate awareness (mindfulness and clear comprehension), so that samādhi and wisdom are in balance.

b. Integrate with life—train through all four postures so that, facing favorable and unfavorable circumstances, greed and hatred don't arise and an even mind is maintained.

c. Pay attention to the present moment; be clearly aware of each thought. Focus only on cultivating; the results will come of their own accord.

d. Keep to the Middle Way. For example, stay aware of every movement without fixating on one point so tightly that you forget your surroundings. Breathing and walking should have some structure, but stay relaxed. Face favorable and unfavorable circumstances with awareness, without letting greed or hatred arise. These are all trainings of the Middle Way, and when they are accomplished, that is when suffering is extinguished.