DDM Abbot President on Three Strengths of Chinese Chan Buddhism at the 6^th World Buddhist Forum

On October 16^th, 2024, the 6^th World Buddhist Forum was held in Ningpo, Zhejiang province of China. Ven. Guo Huei (果暉法師), the Abbot President of Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM), was one of the invited 37 Buddhist monastics to give speeches. Under the theme of "Promoting the Strengths of Chinese Chan Buddhism – Adaptability, Inclusiveness, and Accommodation," Ven. Guo Huei reiterated the appeal made by his teacher, Master Sheng Yen, to nearly one thousand Buddhists from 72 countries and regions around the world: "the future of global Buddhism must consider Chinese Buddhism, which encompasses the inclusiveness and accommodation, as mainstream. Only by doing so can we lead the divergent views of different traditions to return to the original intention of the Buddha, thereby propagating the Buddhist teachings that all human beings need." 

Ven. Guo Huei indicated that according to the Agama Sutra, the Buddha, after attaining enlightenment, traveled from places to places in the human world, giving teachings mainly to human beings. As the Platform Sutra stated, "Buddhadharma is here in the world, and enlightenment cannot be attained apart from the world." This explains the emphasis of Chinese Chan Buddhism on making good use of our present life as humans to practice and propagate Buddhist teachings.

As Ven. Guo Huei illustrated, Chan Buddhism, which was influenced by Han Chinese culture and later developed into a Buddhist tradition pointing directly to the human mind, has religious connotations. Nonetheless, it downplays the religious color and is not bound to religious forms. This spirit of simplicity in Chan Buddhism has enabled it to absorb the essence of various Buddhist traditions internally. Externally, it has made Chinese Chan Buddhism adaptable, inclusive, and accommodating. Therefore, transcending the barriers of religion and ethnicity, Chan Buddhism has been able to engage in dialogues and exchanges with all religions of the world.

Since its introduction to Japan, Chan Buddhism has continued to develop. Through Zen Master Suzuki Daisetsu, Chan practice was spread to the West, leading to a trend to learn Chan practice in Europe and the United States. The reason for this success is actually related to Han Chinese culture because Westerners do not have to change their religion to learn Chan. This shows the adaptability of Chan practice.

As Ven. Guo Huei recounted, Master Sheng Yen, having a doctorate in literature at Rissho University in Japan, traveled to North America at the end of 1975 to spread the Dharma and teach Chan practice when the conditions allowed. Throughout the 30 years before and after the founding of DDM, Master Sheng Yen continued to travel back and forth to both the eastern and western hemispheres, guiding people from all walks of life to learn Chan practice. Moreover, he actively interacted with Chan teachers from all Buddhist traditions, as well as with representatives of different religious faiths. These actions also reflected the "adaptability, inclusiveness, and accommodations" of Chinese Chan Buddhism.

As Ven. Guo Huei pointed out, in the 21^st century, when mankind is faced with worldwide environmental degradation, as well as the unease in people's mind and constant antagonism and conflicts among different communities, Master Sheng Yen brought forward a timely campaign to "Protect the Spiritual Environment." Using the wisdom of Chan and its function to calm people's minds, this campaign aims to salvage both the minds of people and the worldwide ecological crisis. Furthermore, it attempts to resolve rivalries and conflicts by living out the spirit of compassion of the Buddha's teachings.

Ven. Guo Huei believes that, with its propagation around the world, Buddhism has inevitably undergone a process of adaptation to get integrated into the local context, thereby leading to the development of different Buddhist traditions. In this regard, Ven. Guo Huei called upon Chinese Buddhists to unite all Buddhist traditions and to promote interfaith dialogues in order to promote world peace and to safeguard the well-being of all human beings.



Original Chinese text / Chang Yao-chung (張曜鐘)
Photos / Ven. Yan Hai (演海法師), Zhu Ming-sheng (朱明生)
Translation / Li Siang-ling
Editing / Keith Brown, YKL