Chan Hall
Practice methods conducted in the Chan Hall are based upon the teachings of the Chan School, and primarily take the form of meditation. Meditative contemplation, sitting meditation, walking meditation, standing meditation and moving meditation are practiced in the Chan Hall. In addition, practitioners reverently recite The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch (六祖壇經), accompanied by the striking of the wooden fish, which is the sole Dharma instrument used in the ceremony.
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch contains the teachings of the Sixth Patriarch, Master Huineng. The sutra chronicles Master Huineng’s life: how he received and spread the dharma, and how his teachings guided later generations. The content of the Platform Sutra is quite rich and important in studying the origins of Chan thought. The term “illuminating one’s mind” refers to the purified mind without vexations, and “seeing one’s nature” refers to realizing the Buddhanature, which is no different from the Buddha.
The Platform Sutra places great emphasis on taking daily life as practice. It advocates that
“illuminating one’s mind and seeing one’s nature” (明心見性) does not have to be attained in seated meditation. As long as you can put down and not attach to phenomena in the present moment, your mind is the same as the Buddha’s.
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