Words on
the way of Zen
Reflections on practice, tradition, and the everyday path of Zen.
Master Yinhai: Yogācāra (Consciousness-Only) and Pure Land (Part 2)
Yogācāra (Consciousness-Only) and Pure Land (Part 2)
ReadProfessor Lin Chong'an: The Āgama Spirit in the Platform Sūtra
Selected Essays
ReadLu Shen: The Different Facets of "Anicca" (Impermanence)
Exploring the different facets of "Anicca" (impermanence) strikes at the very heart of the Buddha's teachings — the Three Marks of Existence and the Four Noble Truths. The three seemingly distinct understandings people have of impermanen...
ReadThe Zen Master's Throne
When Master Foguang gave teachings, held discourses, or met with students in mind-to-mind encounter, he always sat on a throne in the Dharma Hall. To everyone in the monastery, the throne was a symbol of the Dharma and a mark of awakenin...
ReadThe Sixth Patriarch Leaves Home
After receiving the Dharma and taking leave of the Fifth Patriarch, the Sixth Patriarch came upon Master Yinzong at Faxing Temple. One evening, as the wind stirred the banners at the gate, he heard two monks arguing—one said the wind mov...
ReadOnly the Drinker Knows If the Water Is Warm or Cold
The Sixth Patriarch, Master Huineng, received the robe and bowl along with the mind seal from the Fifth Patriarch at Huangmei, and immediately set off into the distant hills. But word leaked out, and a Chan practitioner named Huiming set...
ReadThe Sixth Patriarch’s Spiritual Powers Convert Huiming
Master Daoming of Mount Meng in Yuanzhou (Yuanzhou’s prefectural seat is present-day Yichun, Jiangxi) was a dharma heir of the Sixth Patriarch, Master Huineng. He was born with the name Huiming, but changed it to Daoming to avoid using t...
ReadThe Six Teachers Debate the Way
One day, the bhikkhus at Jetavana Monastery were heading into the city on their usual alms round. It was still early, well before midday, so they sat down to rest in the hall of a non-Buddhist sect. Inside, the sectarians were locked in ...
ReadAppreciating a Chan Verse — When Patience Immortal Sat in Meditation Beneath the Trees, King Kali Once Dismembered His Limbs
Chan Master Guishan Zhizhen of the Tang Dynasty
ReadMaster Yinhai: Yogācara and the Pure Land (1)
Yogācara and the Pure Land (1) — By Master Yinhai
ReadProfessor Lin Chong'an: A Study of Vedanānupassanā (Contemplation of Feelings)
Lin Chong'an (1996)
ReadMaster Yin Hai: An Overview of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra
An Overview of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra
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