Words on
the way of Zen
Reflections on practice, tradition, and the everyday path of Zen.
Dharma Master Da'an's Collected Discourses: Methods for Buddha Recitation
Once we have established deep faith and earnest aspiration, we must turn to practice. How can we master this Buddha name, imbue it with strength, and remain in control even in the face of all kinds of karmic forces? The first step is to ...
ReadQuotations from Venerable Daan's Blog — The Sudden and Perfect Dharma
The Infinite Life Sutra tells us that because they failed to trust the Pure Land Dharma Door, as many as a hundred million practitioners of the common great vehicle path turned back from their pursuit of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Why did...
ReadVenerable Master Da'an's Collected Discourses: The Splendor of the Proper Self and the Dependent Environment
A verse from the lower scroll of The Sutra of Immeasurable Life Spoken by the Buddha describes the fully manifest Pure Land of Sukhavati as the capital of the entire Dharma realm! Countless bodhisattvas from other worlds come to make off...
ReadMaster Da'an's Blog Sayings Collection — Embracing All Three Capacities
The method employed for universal and impartial liberation is known as "embracing the three categories of faculties." These three categories refer to the three types of beings according to their faculties: those of superior, intermediate...
ReadThe Venerable Monk Respected Even by the King of Hell — Master Yongming Yanshou
Yongming Yanshou Chan Master is recognized as the 6th Patriarch of the Pure Land school. He lived in the late Tang and Five Dynasties era, a period of flourishing Buddhist practice in China. It is worth noting that six of the 13 Pure Lan...
ReadWhat Are the Merits of Attaining Buddhahood?
Everyone! Today we have spoken of cultivating through three great asamkhya kalpas, saying that a person has attained Buddhahood. But what are the Buddha's merits? Consider: when a person practices giving, in a future life they are reborn...
ReadCan Vows Made at Mount Jiuhua Be Fulfilled at Donglin Temple?
I made a vow at Mount Jiuhua. Is it acceptable to fulfill that vow at Donglin Temple? I’ve heard Donglin Temple is in urgent need of funding right now, while Mount Jiuhua is well-funded. Venerable Master Da'an replies: First, let me rest...
ReadThe Land of Bliss is a splendid, pristine environment
The first vow is known as the "Vow of Universal Purity and Solemnity", which describes the Land of Bliss as a splendid, pristine environment. Let us look at the scripture text; please join your palms in reverence:
ReadEven if you can't practice Zen, you still need to learn to slow down
In this fast-paced era, we are all accustomed to rushing, and Buddhist practitioners are no exception: we race to hit our quota of Buddha-name recitations, and rush to make progress on our practice tasks. When we see others fluent in sut...
ReadHow Great Is the Merit of This 'Da'an'?
"All fears, I grant them great peace." Friends in the Dharma, can you grasp the vast merit of this "great peace" we discuss in the Amitayus Sutra?
ReadThe Fastest Way to Form a Karmic Affinity with All Buddhas Is to Recollect Their Sacred Names
For bodhisattvas at the ordinary stage, the most serious challenge they face on the bodhisattva path is the regression of their virtuous roots. It is much like when we first begin practicing Buddhism: when we encounter the Triple Gem, we...
ReadPure Land Practitioners Can Also Recite the Great Compassion Mantra
We need to develop a deeper understanding of the merits of the Great Compassion Mantra. Each day we recite the Great Compassion Mantra, which appears in the Sūtra of the Great Compassion Dhāraṇī of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Aval...
Read