uddhahood is not apart from our “Bordinary mind, to be found out- side of it. There is no buddha out there with a specific form or appearance. If we constantly seek buddhahood in a certain form, different from our own grasping and self-centered mind, we are bound to fail. A buddha outside of our own intrinsic mind does not exist, since buddhahood is our intrinsic mind.” – Chan Master Sheng Yen, from his commentary on the letters of Chan Master Dahui Zhonghao. Autumn 2007 Chan Magazine Chan Magazine Volume 23,27, Number 4 Autumn, 20032007 Chan Magazine is published quarterly by the Institute of Chung-Hwa BuddhistBuddhist Culture, Culture, Chan Chan Meditation Meditation Center, Center, 90- 90-5656 Corona Corona Avenue, Avenue, Elmhurst, Elmhurst, NY NY 11373. 11373. 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(718) 592-0915.For Dharma E-mail Drum thePublications Center at please [email protected], call (718) 592-0915. or E-mailthe magazine the Center at [email protected],at [email protected], or orthe visit magazine us online at at:chanmaga - http://[email protected], or visit us online at: http://www.chancenter.org. Founder/Teacher Founder/TeacherChan Master Ven. Dr. Sheng Yen Chan Master Ven. Dr. Sheng Yen Editor-in-chief Editor-in-chiefDavid Berman David Berman Coordinator CoordinatorVirginia Tan Virginia Tan News editor PhotographyBelia Pena John Feng, Jerry Roach Photography ContributingDavid Kabacinski editors (Chang Wen) Ernie Heau, Kevin Mathewson, Virginia Tan, Wei Tan, ContributingGuogu editors Ernie Heau, Chris Marano, Virginia Tan, Wei Tan Contributors ContributorsRikki Asher, Tina Kacandes, Jeffrey Kung, Rebecca Li, RikkiMike Morical,Asher, Berle Bruce Driscoll, Rickenbacker, Jeffrey Kung,Ayn Steele, Rebecca Wei Li, Tan, Char - lotteTan Yee Mansfield, Wong (Chang Mike Morical,Ji Fa Shi) Bruce Rickenbacker, Wei Tan, Tan Yee Wong (Chang Ji) Administrator AdministratorChang Wu Fa Shi Guo Chen Shi Chan Magazine Autumn 2007 2 From the Editor 4 Letter from Master Dahui to Li Xianqian 6 Commentary by Chan Master Sheng Yen “The Eye” 3 Poem by Mike Morical Columbia Establishes Sheng Yen Chair 14 The text of the acceptance speech by the chair’s first occupant, Prof. Chun-fang Yu What Had I Gotten Myself Into? 8 A retreat report by M.L. The Past 22 News from the Chan Meditation Center and DDMBA The Future 3 Retreats, classes, and other upcoming events Chan Center Affiliates 33 Autumn 2007 Chan Magazine 3 From The Editor In May, Republican candidates for president tive of the details, and those who believe in held their first debate, during which they science do not truly believe in Genesis, even were asked to raise their hands if they did not if they consider it the greatest metaphor ever believe in evolution. Senator Sam Brownback told. of Kansas raised his hand, but felt compelled to elaborate in an op-ed published in The New Now, there are many—I have met many— York Times May 31 : who believe that Buddhism is not prey to such prejudice. We cultivate true equanim- “The heart of the issue,” he wrote, “Is that we ity; we deny nothing; we are the original Big cannot drive a wedge between faith and rea- Tent. We welcome monotheist and atheist son. I believe wholeheartedly that there can- alike, we admit to the existence of whatever- not be any contradiction between the two... you-please...but we have a secret. Privately, The truths of science and faith are comple- just between us, we agree that all the stuff mentary: they deal with very different ques- OTHERS believe in is fundamentally empty, tions, but they do not contradict each other illusory, impermanent, caused by and depen- because the spiritual order and the material dent on other things. God? Sure. Omniscient, order were created by the same God.” omnipotent, and eternal? Tsk, not so much. The true nature of their God, according to The Senator’s faith is his own, and I do not Buddhism, is the same as the nature of the question it, but his reasoning is self-contra- half-eaten English muffin drying out on my dictory—he asserts that faith and reason are kitchen counter. “complementary,” but then promptly subordi- nates the latter to the former. Darwin’s world In other words, we believe in the same pyra- was created by Sam’s God—problem solved. mid Sam Brownback believes in, we just put our own favorite thing (or favorite no thing) The real problem is that the Senator’s not be- at the top. And if that’s true, it makes us ing entirely sincere. He’s professing equanim- equally insincere. Just as the Senator hides ity when he actually believes in a strict pyra- the wolf of his faith in the sheep’s clothing midal hierarchy, with his religion at the top, of his respect for reason, we Buddhists cul- and all other viewpoints beneath. tivate a kind of outward friendliness toward the beliefs of others while harboring the deep But taking Senator Brownback to task is not conviction that they’re all finally unimport- my purpose. In fact, I suspect that every sin- ant, like the imaginary friends of children. gle one of us is stuck in the same rut: we all It’s no wonder the last Pope had a bad atti- believe whatever we believe to the exclusion tude toward Buddhism—he was a good theo- of whatever contradicts it. Those who believe logian, and he undoubtedly saw that despite in God’s creation do not truly believe in evolu- the warmth of my smile, my doctrine was tion, they just tolerate it as possibly descrip- condescending to his. Chan Magazine Autumn 2007 4 The question is: What’s the alternative? How less so. I, like the Senator, have faith in the can I maintain the faith that is the necessary teachings and the ability to reason and, like foundation for practice, and at the same time the Senator, I find that my faith and reason avoid the conflicts that arise if I follow doc- do not conflict with each other because, just trine to its logical conclusions? like the Senator, I find that they both have the same author. For me, the answer is one that might not sit well with all the grandees that have contrib- * * * uted to the more than four million pages of Buddhist doctrine: doctrine doesn’t travel P.S. You have likely received this Autumn is- well, and shouldn’t actually be followed any- sue of Chan Magazine shortly after having where, least of all to its logical conclusions. In received the Summer issue, which was sig- other words, the teachings are not the truth, nificantly delayed by a shipping error. Please and my understanding of the teachings even accept our apologies for that delay. Photo: Jerry Roach Autumn 2007 Chan Magazine Letter from Master Dahui to Li Xianqian Commentary by Chan Master Sheng Yen Master Dahui Zhonghao (1089-1163) was lay people. Two of the laywomen to whom he one of the most luminous and prolific Chan transmitted (acknowledged as enlightened) masters of the Southern Song dynasty. Al- were given Dharma names Miaodao and Mi- ready a monk at the age of 17, he very quickly aozong. (One of Dahui’s several names was captured the attention of some of the eminent Miaoxi.) Both women later became nuns and masters of his time. According to some ac- abbesses. Many of his male lay disciples were counts, in mid-career, offended by the way government officials. This resulted in Dahui’s the practice of gong’ans (Jap. koans) had, not being immune to the politics of the tur- in his opinion, deteriorated into intellectual bulent Song dynasty, and when one of his word games, he burned his set of the printing patrons was banished, Dahui was forced into blocks of his own teacher Yuanwu’s compila- exile, taking with him one hundred monks to tion of gong’ans of past masters. Most of the Hunan, then to a malaria-infested region in lost gong’ans were later restored in the Blue Kwangtung, where half the sangha perished. Cliff Record. Fifteen years later, a scion of the royal house Once, he addressed his monks with these (to who heard him lecture restored Dahui to his us) cryptic yet vivid words: “Deshan’s stick. former eminence. According to the records Linji’s shout. Today, I present them to you. of the ancient Chan masters, throughout his Heaven is so high. The earth is so vast. So career Dahui guided many monastic and lay don’t be just adding more shit on top of a shit disciples to enlightenment. Before Dahui’s pile. Get rid of your bones and wash out your death, the emperor Xiaozong bestowed on him guts. I’ll take three steps backwards and let the name by which we call him, Dahui (Great you discuss this.