From The Preface By Dan Stevenson EN. SHENG YEH is a master in the Caodong and Linji lineages of Chan〈Zen〉 school, who for twenty five years now has been guiding students from Taiwan, the United States, and Europe in the practice of Chan Buddhism. Hoofprint of the Ox provides a systematic introduction ─ in Sheng yen,s own words ─ to the principles that inform his particular style of Chan training.... In the final analysis, it is an unabashedly normative work ─ a book on Chan practice addressed to an English speaking audience with a personal interest in Buddhism. To the extent that this audience is also primarily Western, Hoofprint is more than passive report of Sheng yen,s personal convictions. It situates those convictions in responsive relation to specific expectations about Chen practice current among Western students, with specific points to be made.
"Chan Master Sheng Yeh has the truly rare ability to harmonize classical teaching with actual meditation practice. In The Method of No-Method he does this for the beautiful and profound Chinese Slient Illumination approach to meditation. It feels as if he is taking us, step ny stepand with great clarity, on our own personal retreat. Here is invaluable guidance for all students of meditative living." ── Larry Rosenberg (author of 《Breath ny Breath》 and 《Living in the Light of Death》) "Master Sheng Yeh is a true spiritual practitioner of deep and broad learning" ── H.H.the Dalai Lama
Here is a spiritual practice that is simple enough for anyone to learn, yet rich enough to be worked with for a lifetime. The traditional Chan (Chinese Zen) practice called Silent Illumination begins with simply putting aside all thoughts except the awareness of oneself "just sitting." The practice is so simple in execution that it has sometimes been called the "method of no-method, " yet to master it, the practitioner must first grasp the method in order to learn how to let go of it. When fully penetrated, this radical form of emptying one’s busy mind-stream leads to perception of the vast ocean of pure awareness.
Chan Master Sheng Yeh is the best-known Chan master in American, having taught regularly in the West for twenty years. Hw is the author or numerous books, including 《Song of Mind》、《Complete Enlightenment》 and 《Attaining the Way》.
A Guide to the Practice of Chan Buddhism This is an inspiring guide to the practice of Chan (Chinese Zen) in the words of four great masters of that tradition. It includes teachings from contemporary masters Xuyun and Sheng Yen, and from Jiexian and Boshan of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Though the texts were written over a period of hundreds of years, they are all remarkably lucid and are perfect for beginners as well as more advanced practitioners today. All the main points of spiritual practice are covered: philosophical foundations, methods, approaches to problems and obstacles—all aimed at helping the student attain the way to enlightenment. 本書結集了四位禪師的禪修指導,包括明代曹洞宗的博山(無異元來)禪師、臨濟宗的晦山戒顯禪師的禪法,以及近代虛雲法師與聖嚴法師的禪法。內容涵括修行的各個面向,包括哲學基礎、實修方法、問題與障礙的解決,以及如何將修行融入生活中等。書中的資訊無論是對禪修初學者或已經深入修行的人,都能有所助益。 ●作者簡介: 聖嚴法師,一九三○年出生,少年出家,曾於高雄山中閉關六年,並留學日本,獲得立正大學文學博士學位,曾任雜誌編輯、教授、所長以及譯經院院長等,創辦中華佛學研究所、創建法鼓山、僧伽大學、法鼓大學以及社會大學等,在國內設立禪修、文教、慈善等基金會,而分支道場亦遍及於歐、亞、美、澳等各大洲。他是一位教育家、作家,更是一位宗教家和國際知名的禪師,長年在國內外推動「心靈環保」、「種族和諧」及「世界和平」等工作不餘遺力。他所獲得的榮譽獎項中,包括總統文化獎、行政院文化獎、行政院社會領袖和風獎、中山文藝創作獎、中山學術著作獎、斐德烈二世和平獎等十多種。出版著作一百多種,已有十多種語言的譯著。他曾應邀為《中華日報》、《中央日報》、《聯合報》、《中國時報》、《自由時報》等各大報紙,及《天下》、《康健》等雜誌撰寫專欄。
Chan enlightenment is attained through a sudden encounter; or, it may come about spontaneously after serious and sincere investigation and introspection. Chan philosophy represents a clear current that is empty yet responsive, detached and magnanimous, open and broad-minded, bright and luminous. Chan as a way of life is positive and progressive, free and easy, simple and modest, confident and comfortable. Chan as a way of thinking is to let go of selfishness, self-deceit, self-pity, self-arrogance, and self-confinement, and only then can there be complete boundless freedom. Chan methods teach people to first practice knowing the self, affirming the self, and then shattering the self, and thus the enlightened state will appear. —Master Sheng Yen—
●作者簡介:
Master Sheng Yen 聖嚴法師(1930~2009年)
聖嚴法師1930年生於江蘇南通,1943年於狼山出家,後因戰亂投身軍旅,十年後再次披剃出家。曾於高雄美濃閉關六年,隨後留學日本,獲立正大學文學博士學位。1975年應邀赴美弘法。1989年創建法鼓山,並於2005年開創繼起漢傳禪佛教的「中華禪法鼓宗」。
聖嚴法師是一位思想家、作家暨國際知名禪師,曾獲臺灣《天下》雜誌遴選為「四百年來臺灣最具影響力的五十位人士」之一。著作豐富,中、英、日文著作達百餘種,先後獲頒中山文藝獎、中山學術獎、總統文化獎及社會各界的諸多獎項。
聖嚴法師提出「提昇人的品質,建設人間淨土」的理念,主張以大學院、大普化、大關懷三大教育推動全面教育,相繼創辦中華佛學研究所、法鼓佛教學院、僧伽大學、法鼓大學等院校,也以豐富的禪修經驗、正信的佛法觀念和方法指導東、西方人士修行。
法師著重以現代人的語言和觀點普傳佛法,陸續提出「心靈環保」、「四種環保」、「心五四運動」、「心六倫」等社會運動,並積極推展國際弘化工作,參與國際性會談,促進宗教交流,提倡建立全球性倫理,致力世界和平。其寬闊胸襟與國際化視野,深獲海內外肯定。
Master Sheng Yen was born in 1930 and became a monk in 1943. He conducted a six-year solitary retreat, after which he went to Japan for further study and obtained a doctorate in Buddhist literature at Rissho University. In 1975, he began sharing the Dharma in the US, and in 1989, founded the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan Buddhism. He authored more than 100 publications in Chinese, English, and Japanese, and received the Sun Yat-sen Art and Literary Award, the Sun Yat-sen Academic Award, and the Presidential Cultural Award, among other honorary awards. He proposed the vision of “uplifting the character of humanity and building a pure land on earth,” founded the Chung Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, Dharma Drum Buddhist College, Dharma Drum Sangha University, and Dharma Drum University. Experienced in Chan using correct approaches, he guided practice in both the West and East. Popularizing the Dharma in modern language, the Master initiated movements including Protecting the Spiritual Environment, Four Kinds of Environmentalism, the Fivefold Spiritual Renaissance Campaign, and the Six Ethics of the Mind. He shared the Dharma globally with a broadminded perspective, winning him worldwide recognition.
In Buddhism, awakening from the long dream of life means realizing your self-nature… Although we may understand that our lives are dreamlike, we still bear responsibility for this sleeping and waking dream We must make our minds simple, peaceful, and tranquil Sincere and rigorous practice lets us calm both body and mind, which in turn allows us, day by day, to reduce our karmic obstructions”
All projections of sentient beings are like flowers in the sky When the illusory flower vanishes, the sky is not marred “With this fine new translation of , and penetrating contemporary commentary on The Sutra of Complete Enlightenment, Master Sheng Yen, a teacher of superb qualifications, kindly shared his lucid teaching with us The resulting book is learned and compassionate, wise and practical It is sure to benefit all who, in these complex times, earnestly seek to tread the Buddha’s Way”
Master Sheng-yen, a dharma descendant from the founders of Buddhism in China, considers the concepts of suffering, enlightenment, and compassion; provides a glossary of key terms; and briefly recaps the history of Buddhism in China But he goes beyond these issues to discuss contemporary matters and question he has encountered in his years of teaching in the United States Sometimes personal and always instructive, Sheng Yen’s introductory work is perfect for those just coming to Buddhism, and for those who are already very familiar with the Tibetan and Zen schools.
There is no suffering, no cause of suffering, no cessation of suffering, and no path There is no wisdom and no attainment
The Heart Sutra, just over a page long, distills the teachings of the Buddha to their purest essence Perhaps the best known of all Buddhist sutras, it is recited in Buddhist centers and monasteries around the world Emphasizing a living wisdom directly experienced, the schools of Chan have revered the Heart Sutra for its concise expression of the core realization of the Buddha.
There Is No Suffering is Chan Master Sheng Yen’s commentary on the Heart Sutru He speaks on the sutra from the Chan point of view, and presents it as a series of contemplation methods, encouraging readers to experience it directly through meditation and daily life In this way, reading the Heart Sutra becomes more than just an intellectual exercise; it becomes a wisdom inherent within each of us Whether one wants a better understanding of Buddhist concepts or a deepened meditation practice, this commentary on the Heart Sutra can help.
Zen, in Chinese, is Ch’an In Zen Wisdom, renowned Ch’an Master Sheng Yen, speak to his students’ questions about Practice, Philosophy and Doctrine, and Social Issues He guides them through the difficult waters of contradiction “Ch’an masters acknowledge intelligence and learning,” he says But “the enlightened state that Ch’an speaks of is and it cannot be understood through deductive reasoning…Ch’an masters teach their students to leave behind all concepts, so they might experience enlightenment for themselves”
“Ironically, enlightened beings use reasoning, intelligence and language to help others practice To communicate the benefits of Ch’an, they use tools based on knowledge and experience”
“Intelligence before enlightenment is intelligence with attachment Wisdom is intelligence without attachment”