Special Topics
The Healing Powers of Nature
The studies of neuroscience, psychology, and medicine have proven that spending time in the natural surroundings not only helps people reduce stress and achieve relaxation more quickly and thoroughly, but also boosts our immune system. The sounds of nature, such as birds chirping or streams babbling, can help keep people's autonomic nervous system in balance. In addition, strolling on a forest trail can alleviate depression and anxiety. According to a study in the Proceedings of the ...
Instinct, Direct Contemplation, and Contemplation of Emptiness
"Direct contemplation" is a method often used in Chan practice, which is suitable for us to apply in daily life. How do we break our habitual "instinct" and instead apply direct contemplation in our daily life? And, how do we even go beyond the latter and achieve the "contemplation of emptiness"? As Master Sheng Yen mentioned in his book The Theory and Practices in Chan (禪的理論與實踐), the so-called "instinct" is a direct reaction. Our instinctive ...
The Healing Power of Micro Chan Practice – Trip Preparation
Most people have a feeling of anticipation before setting out on a trip. How do we organize a fulfilling and enriching trip? In this article, Ven. Chang Zheng (常正法師) provides a guideline to prepare for a trip in terms of the target and the nature of the trip, as well as the proper mindset along the way. When arriving at the destination, we can seamlessly incorporate micro Chan practice into the trip, thereby healing our body and mind while being in nature. For travel purposes, do you...
Contemplation of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness
1. Contemplation of the body: Bring our attention back to our body. We usually pay little attention to our body, and tend to inadvertently engage our mind with external objects, unless some illness or pain in our body causing changes in our physical conditions prompts us to take it seriously. It is not always easy for us to be aware of changes in our body. We often do not even notice the tension and tightness in our body, such as stiff shoulders and neck, or clenched teeth. While walking...
Making Good Use of Natural Experiences for Practice
The natural world, with its mountains and streams, is in itself a suitable environment for practicing meditation. In the Buddha's time, monastics and laity practiced meditation in the forest to hone their awareness of the body and mind. The Buddha often utilized the truth in nature to inspire and enlighten his disciples. In Chinese Buddhist history, many ancient patriarchs and worthies liked to use plants and trees as an analogy to describe their state of enlightenment. All phenomena ar...
Planning Outdoor Chan at Ease
Traveling is a good opportunity for us to contemplate the mind while in contact with the natural scenery. With the exception of solo trips, traveling requires that we cooperate with travel mates and adapt to itineraries. How do we plan for a trip then? Let's invite Ven. Yan Dao (演道法師), who is experienced in planning outdoor Chan, to give us some tips. Q1: It is easy to linger at the beauty of the scenery during one's trip. How do we get back to the method of contemplating the...
Four Ways to Experience Outdoor Chan
Having a hard time choosing suitable programs to experience outdoor Chan during your vacation? The main purpose for Buddhist monasteries to organize outdoor Chan is for people to relax their minds and bodies in a natural environment or at a scenic spot. Therefore, as long as we open our hearts to the experience, we will definitely learn something from it. At Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM), for example, outdoor Chan usually takes up half a day. There are also one-day Chan, two-day Chan, and ...