The Past and Present of Ch’an – The Beginning of a New Era for the School of Ch’an
Author: Tian-Yi Zhang

Since ancient times, Ch’an has been giving people the impression that it is an insurmountable wall with thousands of feet high and forever unreachable.  It is our most compassionate Master Geng-Yun, who applied his unique wisdom and powerful strength to dilute the condensed Patriarch Ch’an and recovered the original plain form of the Buddha’s genuine Dharma.  It broadly contains the Five Vehicles of the Dharma, and also directly displays the essence of it – An-Hsiang (an original state of mind where there is no-thought, no-form and no-dwelling.)  Master Geng-Yun named the methodology as “An-Hsiang Ch’an”.  An-Hsiang Ch’an not only inherits the essence of the Ru-Lai Ch’an and the Patriarch Ch’an, but also begins a new era for the School of Ch’an.  Moreover, it injects a new life into the Dharma of today, which has been degraded to be intellectual and stereotyped, to resume a new era of “the authentic Dharma”!  How lucky I am to be affiliated with such a precious event!  In order to share my joy with people who are willing to practice it; I have, therefore, compiled all the passages in relation to the origin and formation of the An-Hsiang Ch’an from Master Geng-Yun’s lectures in this essay. 

An-Hsiang is a state of mind, which is harmonious, unified, free and self-conscious.  Why don’t we call it Samaya, Genuine Perception, Sambodhi (authentic awareness), Mahaprajna (great wisdom), Bhutatathata (true suchness), Self-nature, or Original Mind?  Instead, we call it An-Hsiang (peace and composure).  It is because ancient people counted thirty years as a generation, and each generation had its own language.  If we use the language of one or two thousand years ago, we feel a bit awkward and ambiguous.  In addition, it will interfere with our search for the truth and our realization of the truth.  …..  However, when we say An-Hsiang, we feel more familiar and comfortable.[Quoted from “The Beauty of An-Hsiang (Peace & Composure)”]

◆To Ch’an practitioners, An-Hsiang is likened to soy sauce and salt, which are our most needed daily necessities, as stated by Masters Ma-Zu and Bai-Zhang.  It virtually is the true life and blood of Ch’an.  Therefore, we realize that An-Hsiang is not a new established branch of the Ch’an School.  In order to help people have a better understanding of the contents and direct inference of Ch’an, we therefore particularly highlight and expose its contents to be its signage.  This is our main purpose for naming it “the An-Hsiang Ch’an”.
[Quoted from “The Cognition and Practice of  Ch’an”]

◆If the Ch’an School is so great, why don’t we simply inherit the Patriarch Ch’an?  Why do we advocate the An-Hsiang Ch’an?  Indeed, the Patriarch Ch’an is very good; however, it is too deep to be easily accepted by the general public.  That is the reason why I have it diluted, and still keep its original essence unchanged.  It is likened to light wine, which is wine yet less strong.   Ch’an is surely not wine; nevertheless, its flavor is similar to wine.  Why?  When you enter into the state of Ch’an, you will feel like slightly drunk.  Though you look dazed, you are consciously sober.  The state is called “the wine of Samaya”.  The sensation of the slight drunkenness is exactly the state of mind that a Ch’an practitioner needs to consistently maintain….
[Quoted from “The Lin-Ji Ch’an & the An-Hsiang Ch’an”]

◆Practicing the An-Hsiang Ch’an is the quickest way to achieve one’s enlightenment.  It is because time is money in today’s industrial society.  If you have to recite sutras and do sitting meditation for hours every day, you realistically do not have that much time.  In Taiwan, you need to punch a card to check in at work.  If you are late for a few minutes, your salary will be deducted accordingly.  If you are always late, you need to find a new job.  Indeed, the step of an industrial society is as quick as such.  Consequently, the An-Hsiang Ch’an simply guides you to abide by the principle of ‘pursuing a clear conscience”; it does not ask you to change your life style.  The way you lived yesterday remains the way you live today.  Besides, it is also the same way you will live tomorrow.  You do not have to change the contents and styles of your life, nor to increase any of your burdens or adjust any of your behavior.  The only thing to change and adjust is the state of your mind.
[Quoted from “The Lin-Ji Ch’an & the Patriarch Ch’an”]

◆The An-Hsiang Ch’an is anti-superstitious and respects humans.  Its root grows deeply into the blood and flesh of the reality.  It is not a theory of void, and does not worship any deity to be superstitious.  Though the An-Hsiang Ch’an values the law of causality, its major purpose is to guide people to change themselves and live without guilt.  The An-Hsiang Ch’an is the Ch’an that suits best for an industrial society, and it is for the present, not for the past.  There is no Buddha statue to worship, nor incense to burn or vegetation diets to follow.  We simply behave as normal people.  We behave well instead of acting evil, and also love our country and people.  Moreover, we fulfill our responsibilities and obligations to live with a clear conscience.  In our daily spare time, we constantly maintain our minds in the state of An-Hsiang.  In this way, our lives are full of blessing and happiness. 
[Quoted from “The Special Feature of  Ch’an”]

◆The methodology of the An-Hsiang Ch’an is extremely concise and to the point:

1. To pursue a clear conscience.  
   One does everything with a clear conscience.
2. To live within one’s responsibilities and obligations.
   If you are married, you need to raise your family.  If you have parents, you need to be filial to them.  If you have children, you need to care for them.  All these are one’s basic responsibilities and obligations, which are also traditionally valued by Ch’an.  It was like Master Bai-Zhang’s ethic, “No work a day; no food a day.”  He advocated diligence.
3. One needs to “constantly be aware of one’s mind, conscious of one’s thoughts, free from guilt and regrets, and An-Hsiang in every second”…. If you can fulfill the four statements…., you can quickly grasp bliss to have a harmonious family and a successful career.  All these statements can be realistically verified.  The development of the authentic Dharma should be adapted to the needs of the time.

[Quoted from “The Ch’an, the Patriarch Ch’an and the An-Hsiang Ch’an”]

◆What is the characteristic of the An-Hsiang Ch’an?  In the past, practitioners should be ordained to follow a code of precepts.  With regards to the precepts for monks, the precepts for Bodisattvas, or the basic five precepts – not taking lives, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not telling untruth and not indulging in intoxicants, they more or less affect people’s life styles.  However, the An-Hsiang Ch’an does not have any of these.  It only has one precept to follow, which is “Never do anything that you are ashamed to tell others.”  If you do something that you ought not to do, your mind will be contaminated and your sinful karma will also be increased.  A contaminated mind can not correspond to the Dharma.  Therefore, all religions have their own particular precepts and rules to abide by as well as daily routines to follow, which undoubtedly will bring some inconveniences to their daily lives.  However, the An-Hsiang Ch’an does not have any restrictions.  The way you lived yesterday is the way you live today.  The way you live today is also the way you are going to live tomorrow.  You do not need to alter your external factors influencing your life style; what you have to do is to alter your internal frame of mind.  It simply asks you to respect yourself, discipline yourself, develop yourself, recognize yourself, affirm yourself, purify yourself, upgrade yourself, and fulfill yourself.  Obviously, the An-Hsiang Ch’an is adapted to suit modern people.  It does not belong to those who are rich but have nothing to do and treat Ch’an as a tool of amusement to be exclusively enjoyed by them.  The An-Hsiang Ch’an is specially presented for the public; it should not be considered as something decorative to the lives of few literati only.  Thus, the An-Hsiang Ch’an is the simplest, the most comprehensive, straight-forward, and utmost approach.
[Quoted from “The Cognition and Practice of the Ch’an”]

◆Culture is the common asset of human beings, and An-Hsiang is the true essence and life of all religions.
Without An-Hsiang, what is God?  What is a spiritual life?  What is the trinity?
With An-Hsiang, there is a spiritual life.
With An-Hsiang, there is the Genuine Perception, which is truly beneficial and the correct sensation. 
With An-Hsiang, people can live blissfully and be free from grief and worry.
With An-Hsiang, people can practice the Non-Dualistic Methodology of Buddhism, where having thoughts is equivalent to not having thoughts, and vice versa.  

A religion detached from spirit is not true.  What is spirit?  It is the genuine life.  Any religion detached from the genuine life is false, superstitious, anti-scientific, and also against evolution and the truth.  Therefore, we welcome any other religions to join us to study the An-Hsiang Ch’an and share its true benefits.  

When you have reached the genuine life, you will surely attain the genuine bliss.   The genuine bliss possesses eternity – permanency; delight – joy; self - self-consciousness; and purity.  Purity refers to no guilt, no dirt, no dissatisfaction, no disturbance, and eventually to be omnipresent.  To the stage, one’s mind has been recovered to be original, omnipresent, and fully conscious, and one’s life has been truly complete, and full of delight without any agony.  Until now, one can claim that “I am the universe.” 

“No-self” is the authentic “Grand-self”, which defines the Non-Dualistic Methodology of Buddhism.  No-self equals to true-self.  One can attain the true bliss when one has verified one’s true self.  The so-called true-self is exactly the genuine self, and the true bliss is the genuine bliss.  The self of the genuine life and the genuine self of the genuine bliss are totally identical, not dualistic.
[Quoted from “A Path to Bliss”]