THE SECRET HEART OF THE CHAN FOREST

This section of teachings is constantly being brought up to date as new serious academic investigation reveals critical errors, which are supported by contemplative experiences and thus require change.

癙心禅林

An old Master asked, “Where are we going?”

His Student replied, “Please go right ahead."

The master retorted, "That's it,

if you go right ahead, you cannot move a step.”

Unless you are able to touch the Heart of the Buddha Nature of all things then you will be unable to even approach the Chan Forest Gate or understand the Eternal Dao that lies just within yet beyond human reach.

The Path to the gate is not easy to find nor easy to travel, for it lies beyond intellect and all words. The way is rough and there are many obstacles and when you reach the end of the darkness you will find yourself within the Forest where you have always been, able then to see what nature has always presented to your eyes, which were covered by the cataracts of confusion, greed and aversion.

SUTRA AND SASTRA INDEX

THE GREAT MASTERS INDEX

殊途同归

DIFFERENT ROUTES TO THE SAME DESTINATION

DISTINGUISHING THE DIRECT METHODS

The objective phenomenologically is to present teachings that support contemplation, that in turn support a correct and natural life free from the mental chains and inhibitions of Samsara. Teachings presented here are those of the old masters devoid of the rites, ceremonies, legends and superstitions that have stagnated modern Buddhism.

When one really understands the Dharma, the folly of binding oneself to a single idea is seen to be fruitless and Buddha himself, teaching natural and correct expedient means, was aware of the limitations of human creatures with respect to a favourable birth, education, culture and natural capacity.

We are fortunate that Dharma, in and of itself, is constantly in evolution and we are equally fortunate that the solutions which lead to human freedom have also evolved in the East, although their truth has been sadly masked by the folly of sectarian clinging.

When the Dharma reached China, contemplation and accompanying understanding moved forward generating contemplations with different form and access points, all of which are valid, but do not all reach the same levels of higher consciousness.

We teach all these methods and therefore can reach all those who have the calmness, patience, resolution, perseverance, capacity to introspect and the willingness to sacrifice the products of their clinging to Samsara's folly.

We therefore begin by examining the contemplative methods from the Lankavatara Bodhidharma contemplations of "the Nature of Buddha", which are distinct from the contempaltions of the "Buddha Nature", and continue up to the most elevated contemplations yet encountered, the direct access to the Feminine Principle of Huineng's method of the exquisite Direct contemplation/no-contemplation.

Rather useless arguments about Direct methods of contemplation have divided Chan and Zen historically. We consider that the only salvation for the natural survival of the human creature in an ever-complicated world is to make the options clear without sectarian influence, but this means understanding how to perform the contemplations.

We therefore make an importnt step by investigating the teachings and contemplation models of the most important Masters in Chan history that have survived the censorship of lineage inventors. The object of the study is to fully understand the methods, making them available to all sentient human creatures that find the path to the Gate, stripping off the recognized errors of orthodox folly.