Everything is a test, markless Chan無相禪

Master YongHua’s Chan Meditation 2018/4/28

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Good morning everyone. If you are wondering about wonderful smell there’s been filling up the Buddha hall, it’s because we have good food for lunch. Because today we have birthday celebration for Venerable XianDuo. 85 years old. 15 years to go, at least. So that’s why all her daughters are here for cooking so forth. We probably all each one get one different dish. So please if you have nothing urgent, we encourage you to stay for lunch. Ok. Alright.

First thing’s first. Most important things first. What else? Any other important things that we need to announce? (Korea) What? Korea? Ah Yeah, yes. North South Korea. That’s important. That’s big big deal. We heard a news that they agreed to have peace and then they denuclearized the whole continent. The 2 countries. 70 years of war. They agreed to end it. So and then they want to denuclearize the North Korea as well. So that’s great news as well. That’s wonderful. We hope they keep it up. And actually make it happen. As soon as the better.

This is also the spirit of Chan practice. We practice Chan in order to have strength. To do what? To, number 1, become a better person. This is the spirit of Chan we teach, become a better person. better baby. Better baby, I think we train better babies by beating them up. (laugh) Do you agree or disagree? You moms and parents. Do you disagree? if you want Your kids to improve, you spoil them. They won’t improve.

So for example, they are loud, slap their faces (laugh) The thing I’ve noticed over the years teaching Chan, I noticed how people improve through the Chan practice. Each one of you improve in your own ways, because that’s the basis of Chan. The foundation of Chan is goodness. Ok? The Chan practice requires us, how do you become a better person? Yes?

(inaudible) Very good. It’s a matter of choices, making right choices. Ok. Because you go through life, you confront with choices. The way my teacher, Master Xuan Hua put it, he said. This is the first lesson when I started learning about Chan. And my master keeps on stressing that over and over again. He said that, everything is a test to see what you do. Ok? And you choose wrong? You start over again. Isn’t that interesting? Everything is a test. To see what you do. Uh, think about it. That’s what that gentleman said. You know, you choose, you learn, you go through life, most of us choose to do good as a natural instinct. We choose the good, we choose the beautiful.

But don’t forget that actually is a test. Ok? You cannot take it for granted. Life is what is called a test. Every single moment in our life, is actually a challenge. Think about it. Non stop. Think about it. Ok? and the more you practice Chan, the more you see that if you choose to go on the good side, good things happen. Notice that? You notice that, the more you choose to stay on the good side, on the right side, ok. Then good things happen to you. Whereas you choose to stay on, to go on the negative side, you notice that more bad things happen to us. Alright?

So that’s why the more you improve, the more you see the result, the connection. You make the connection between the good causes, the good choices being associate with good results. And it’s unavoidable. That’s part of the Chan realization. The more you practice, the more you can associate the good results with your prior actions. Ok? That’s part of. So that’s what my master really often said that everything is a test. It means that to me, I really as a constant reminder that we need to be careful about our choices. Ok?

To see what you do. If you choose wrong, you need to start over from the beginning again. What does it mean? Start over from the beginning again? Start from square 1 again. What does it mean?

(inaudible) You go back to reincarnation? Very profound. That’s correct. Ultimately you choose wrong, ok. That’s very very true. You stay in the wheel of reincarnation. You stay confused, in other words. You started, you came to this world because you are stuck in the wheel of reincarnation. And guess what? The majority of us, we choose wrong. That’s why you keep on going back to this reincarnation. Ok. You came back from the beginning of the circle again. You keep on revolving and revolving and revolving like a merry-go-round. Ok. That’s very good. But that’s too Buddhist. He’s becoming so vocal. He’s just demanding attention or what? (inaudible) Try beating him and see what happens. (laugh) This is time to experiment. They forget very quickly tomorrow. (laugh) But what’s the another explanation for you have to start over again, you have to being from squre 1 again?

(inaudible) Give me an example. For example, if your legs hurt, what happens? You unbuckle. What happens? You have to start over again. Think about it. We try to tell you sit in full lotus for an hour, for the duration. And it hurts so much you said uh, no, no, no, let me unbuckle for a while. Then you miss out on the chance to breakthrough. You begin over again.

That’s why sadly a lot of people you know, they go to meditation class. Ok. They are told that, if it’s uncomfortable, it’s ok to unbuckle. That’s why they meditate for decades and they get nowhere. Especially the monks and nuns, professionals, meditation profesiionals like monks and nuns, they get nowhere. OK. They spin the wheels. They get nowhere at all. Ok. Alright? Any questions?

Ok if you have nothing to talk about, we can go have a lunch, I guess. Let’s take care of the main thing. Or we can look each other for next half hour. In fact actually we are gonna have summer Chan qi. They are not ready yet. They are telling me buy some more times, five more minutes. The lady came to me and (shaking five fingers) so probably five, ten, twenty, I don’t know. So we have summer Chan Qi coming up. It’s in June, right? In June where we are gonna start encouraging people to start Hua Tou more. Just for fun. I hope you come and ptractice Hua Tou with us. Come for few hours, few days and practice Hua Tou. Just to try out. Otherwise the Koreans feel that they are better than us. Ok?

We try for so we invite you to come and practice it. Actually next month, we can start practicing maybe give you few drills. Alright? Maybe around Vesak day, or second half of May or something. Just for the heck of it.

In our WeiYang lineage,we do not stuck on any particular Dharma door. This is what originally Chinese Chan they called it ’Markless Chan’. 無相禪우샹챤. 相 is mark. The Japanese or some of the other people like to talk about, especially they imitate the Chinese. The Japanese who imitate the Chinese, they like to use words ’doorless Chan 우먼챤. I don’t like the particular word that 우먼 Because 우먼 is lower level than 우샹챤. So that’s why when you people hear, you hear people mention 우먼챤, then you know that they still don’t understand. They still are low level of chan.

The Chan that my master brought to this country is truly 無相禪우샹챤. What is this 우샹챤. Markless Chan. What is it? Does anyone know? No, you don’t know. For example, let’s say you go to a class. And the teacher said our meditation is to do breath counting. Is that 우먼챤? Is that 우먼챤 or not? 우먼 is that you don’t use no Dharma door whatsoever. So if you teach Chan, you learn chan, you are told that you must count your breath. Then there’s a Dharma door already. Therefore it cannot be called 우먼. Therefore it’s not Mahayana Chan. Alright?

If you say, if you do meditation, you must, you only do Hua Tou, Is that 우먼챤 at all? No, not at all. You see that? You still need to depend on something called Hua Tou to practice mediation. Ok? Is that clear? If you say like Korean monks, mediation masters, you need to practice Hua Tou. Ok. Or someone says I need you to practice recite Buddha’s name. Is that 우먼챤? Is that a doorless Chan? No, it isn’t. Because there’s a way of practice. So 우먼챤 should be meaning doorless Chan. Does it mean it has no method? Does it mean there’s nothing matter? No it doesn’t.

What does it mean? It means that you are not attached to any Dharma door. Meaning that if you don’t like sitting in full lotus, no problem. If you don’t want to do Hua Tou, it’s ok. You want to recite mantras, it’s ok. No problem. You are not attached to any particular Dharma door. Is that clear? Right. Is that clear so far? I’m teaching you so that you can distinguish the level of Chan you are learning, level of meditation you are learning. How far you can go. Right.

For example, you go to school, you want to choose a university. Because it offers maybe ph.D program, post doctor programs, that’s what you choose to schools for that reason, how far you can go. Is that clear? Same thing in meditation. Not everything is same, you go and learn meditation, and this methodology how far is it take you. That should be clear to you. Is that clear? You don’t just go to any school and have no plan for you for future.

Chan meditation is same thing. Where you go, where are you going, how far can you go. Alright? That’s why usually teachers don’t explain to you because they have no idea where they go, either. so anyway. So I just explain it to you the meaning of 우먼챤. Doorless Chan. Meaning that it’s not attached to any, no attachment to any particular Dharma door. Is that clear? Meaning you practice everything. You learn and practice everything. Is that clear?

Then what is the difference between doorless Chan and markless Chan? Today I’m trying to impress you. And people say, oh, Especially people who my master’s disciples they accuse me, oh this guy he can teach only beginners. So that’s why today I decided to explain about markless Chan and doorless Chan. To see if they can explain it, if they can understand it. What’s the difference between doorless Chan and markless Chan?

What’s the difference? Anyone know? If you give right answer, we give you lunch right away. I don’t care what they say in the kitchen. (laugh) Ok. No need to wait anymore. Somebody hurry up please. Please help me out. Now the kitchen is panicking. Why do I say that? Because I know you cannot even answer. Even Xian Chi back there who loves Chan, discuss Chan. I know he won’t be able to answer. I doubt of any of you answer it. Or I doubt that maybe 1 person at my teacher’s people might be able to answer. Only 1 person over there. What’s the difference?

(Ven.XC) He said the teacher teaches you and yet you don’t realize being taught. To me it sounds like confusion. So you are so confused what they teach you, you don’t know you are being taught. Not quite. That’s what my master teaches, by the way. My master teaches markless Chan. He doesn’t teach doorless Chan but markless Chan. 우샹챤 is not 우먼챤.

What is that? Markless Chan means that, what does it mean that you practice markless Chan, if everyone is looking at the dragon boy. I know, you are like master can you bring it down to earth? Yes. (Vietnamse) And you say, wow it’s so simple why couldn’t I think of it? Right on your tip of your tongue. markless Chan. What is it? (Vietnamese) She said she enters Samadhi, no more mark. You become empty. No.

(inaudible) You walk by, people don’t see you walking by. Meaning you become invisible. Close very close. But no cigaretts. She has to wait for lunch. What is markless Chan? It’s very interesting. So simple. Are you guys ready yet, you kitchen staff? (laugh)

(Vietnamese) She said, Close! It’s almost there. Yes, sir. (Markless Chan has no mark so ? inaudible) That’s it. Let’s go to lunch! (applause) Excellent. You guy are incredible. Did you hear that? You see that? Markless Chan means that you practice meditation yet people don’t see you practice meditation at all. Think about it. You do meditation. And yet people think you are goofing off. They can’t even tell you meditating.

You get to the point where you meditate, you don’t have the form of meditation anymore. Since Tony gives us right answer, he can get to go to the lunch first. (applause) Ok. Good luck Tony. So then why did I claim that markless Chan is higher level than doorless Chan? Why is it higher level?

(inaudible) Almost there! Doorless still has an attachment to doors. Think about it. Markless means I don’t care. I don’t care anymore. Does it make sense? You are still attached to doors, this particular Dharma door or that Dharma door. Whereas markless, nothing whatsoever. No attachment whatsoever. See that?

Now you know why, the Chan we training you is markless. It’s nothing less than that. Alright? Any questions? There’s no such explanation anywhere on Internet. They only use words. What? Ready? It’s ready now? Ok. It’s ready. Now we go to lunch. Very good. (applause) Let’s go. Let’s go boy. Stop messing around. Go enjoy.