Where is Chan? How can it be practiced? Dajian Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, said: “The Buddha’s realm is not apart from the world of sense. Seeking enlightenment beyond this world is like looking for a rabbit’s horn.” Chan is certainly not confined to the temple; it is all around us, in everyday life. Chan is the stars that fill the sky; Chan is drinking tea and eating food; playing an instrument and painting are Chan; striving through hard work is also Chan… Chan is everywhere. With diligence, Chan can be found in any place; with attentiveness, Chan can be practiced at any time.
Chan calligraphy and Chan painting are calligraphy and paintings that arise from Chan. When a Chan master achieves insight, he immediately puts it into practice, using brush and ink to express his thought in the most simple and direct way. Calligraphy and painting of this kind developed during the Middle Tang and flourished during the Late Tang, Five Dynasties and Northern Song Dynasty periods. Their influence on Chinese culture and art, in terms of philosophy and aesthetics, is deep and abiding.
Meditative practice is a way of training the spirit. Through meditation, one relaxes the body and composes the mind. Meditation can be part of daily life: sitting, lying, eating and walking can all be meditation. However, seated meditation and walking meditation are undoubtedly the most effective kinds.
The major Chan monasteries are found in places where Chan thought thrives: China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. In the Early Tang period, monasteries only consisted of a teaching hall, the abbot’s chambers and the monks’ hall, without even a shrine to Buddha. This was the biggest difference between Chan monasteries and those of other Buddhist sects. In the wake of various historical changes, modern Chan monasteries tend to be built around a central axis and comprise a main gate, a Hall of Great Strength, a teaching hall and a scriptorium, in that order. On the flanks are the clock tower, the drum tower, meditation rooms and the abbot’s chambers.
In Chan, each meal is prepared and eaten in line with the approach and methods of Chan practice. Meals are strictly vegetarian and composed of seasonal produce. By making the most of the ingredients, we can bring out their special characteristics. Each morsel of food is tasted, chewed and swallowed in silence, without greed or haste. In simple tastes we reclaim our true mind. Chan philosophy permeates even the daily preparation and consumption of food. The Japanese culinary practice of kaiseki also has its roots in Chan food practices.
In their integration of art and life, Japanese tea ceremonies and flower arranging are influenced in no small measure by Chan. While the former seek harmony, respect, purity and tranquility, the latter seeks calm, elegance, beauty, truth and harmony. But both embody the single-mindedness and artistic conception of Chan. And both enable ordinary people to practice Chan to some extent through various everyday activities.