First meeting: June 1996: In June 1996 John Crook called an assembly of Chan practitioners to a meeting at the Maenllwyd to consider his proposal to respond to numerous requests for a development in the field of Chan practice in the UK by setting up a charitable institution to promote Chan in Great Britain.
The following persons attended: Tim Paine, Frank Tait, Caroline Paine, Simon Child, Sally Masheder, Alec Lawless, Mike Masheder, Iris Tute, Bruce McLaughlin, Ken Jones, Peter Bannerman, Eddy Street (first afternoon only), John Senior, Nick Salt.
The following were invited but were unable to attend: Jake Lynes de Ver, John McGowan, Tim Blanc, Bruce Stevenson, David Brown, Guido Montgomery, Ros Cuthbert, Hilary Richards, Alison Jones, Charles Vincent, James Monks, Peter Howard. Some of these sent written views for consideration at the meeting.
Considerations
The agenda focused on the proposal from John in the New Chan Forum 12 (Autumn 1995) to establish a charitable fellowship in response to requests for greater continuity, community and interaction between those who participate in the Maenllwyd retreats and who practice Chan (Zen) on an intermittent or daily basis.
The meeting began by asking the question: What is missing from the present arrangement of occasional retreats supported by small city groups around the country?
The responses to this question took the following form. People have valuable experiences in retreat at the Maenllwyd but many face the problem of establishing some continuity between retreat and daily life and from one retreat to another. There is a yo-yo effect whereby a good retreat experience may be followed by the attrition of daily life which negates the benefit until attempting another retreat, or in some cases giving up or looking elsewhere. The notion of "fellowship" was attractive in that it implied sharing experiences in a communality of commitment; travelling together on a common path; a sharing of problems along the way.
Intensive retreats offer opportunities for self acceptance, forgiveness, contact in equality with others, experiences of what we may term 'grace' or 'realisation' to varying degrees of depth or clarity. Sharing in group silence was particularly stressed as a valued aspect of retreat. After retreats there is a felt need to share the difficulty of NOT sharing such things during one's everyday life.
A fellowship could allow opportunities through various means and media to: share experiences; share the difficulties of not-sharing in daily life; share "ordinary life Zen"; express personal difficulties in times of mutual trust, caring and hospitality. The assembly concurred in expressing a felt need to relate concerns regarding social responsibility and community to those of personal, maybe solitary, practice and depth experience on retreat.
Prime Task
The prime task was defined as the attempt to bring the themes of solitary endeavour and communal practice together. In that Zen has been primarily a monastic pursuit there is a need to adapt ancient monastic methods to what may be possible in a lay community integrating outer and inner paths in a laity based middle way. It was agreed to set up a fellowship to carry forward these hopes and endeavours. After some discussion the title "Western Chan Fellowship" was chosen as a name.
Institution
The required institution was seen as resembling a mandala with a central core and a number of peripheral activities all connected as a web. The activity in such a web would constitute a "net-working." At the centre of the mandala lies the silent retreat process at Maenllwyd with its opportunities for receiving practical teaching, interviews with teachers, self confrontation and transcendence and in-depth realisation. Around the periphery were such systems and organisations as:
- the network of city groups
- the New Chan Forum as both journal and newsletter (perhaps involving two publications)
- Dharma study groups and advice on reading
- Address lists and sources of contact, tapes and books including a supply of resources for regional groups
It was argued that the Maenllwyd retreats lay at the core of the structure because here the focused silence provided opportunities to drop concern, allowing "things" to fall away without the need for any egoic reference or social framing. As concentrative ability develops in retreat (joriki) the practice focus of the regime makes it difficult to evade oneself in self confrontation. This facilitates a view of the path in direct experience, a taste of "the state", a touching of the "mysterious principle."
The city groups were seen as providing opportunities for isolated practitioners to get together in practice sessions with someone capable of teaching basic methods, posture and attitude together with the provision of appropriate reading and opportunities for conversational sharing. The executive would be required to supply suggestions for readings, tapes and taped dharma talks for use by the city groups and to offer training weekends for those leading them.
City Centres
These needed an enthusiastic initiator competent to present basic instructions in sitting, posture and attitude. The provision of a suitable location would be vital. The initiator would create a nucleus of practitioners which would rise in number to a critical mass at which time the formation of a city group under the umbrella of the WCF would be appropriate. Following training leaders may become qualified to offer local retreats.
Maenllwyd Activities
These would be centred upon the introductory Western Zen Retreats leading to Chan retreats and hence to focused retreats on such themes as Silent illumination, Koans, Mahamudra or Tantra. The central practice would be Chan.
In addition the new facilities at the Maenllwyd could be available for Dharma Study Retreats, Discussion Retreats or Mini-conferences, Solitary Retreats or longer term low number (say 4 persons) communities in an extended monastic retreat. In addition a month long community in monastic form containing two weeks intensive practice and two weeks looser communality was proposed.
Functions of the Fellowship
The functions of the proposed fellowship were envisaged as follows: Primary focus
- To promote training and practice in Buddhism
- To promote and support training specifically in the Linji lineage of Chan under the Dharma leadership of Master Sheng Yen
- To provide opportunities for ancillary practices furthering the above aims.
The means of accomplishing these main purposes would include;
- Employing a recognised master or teacher ( at present John Crook).
- Renting buildings ( i.e. Chan hall at Maenllwyd).
- Receiving and managing membership fees and fees for retreat attendance.
- Requesting an appropriate programme of "spiritual" instruction from the master/teacher and putting it into effect.
Further aims
- To sustain contact with the Chung Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture through Master Sheng Yen.
- To be mindful at all times of the Four Vows.
- To publish a journal and solicit appropriate materials for same.
- To raise funds for use in realising these objectives, providing an educational and/or research programme, assisting local groups, supporting low waged and retired practitioners through bursaries, financing teachings abroad, hiring or purchasing property.
- To initiate pilgrimages to Buddhist lands to increase understanding of Buddhist culture, history and origins.
- To engage an advisory board to comment on the Fellowship's activities, such a board to include at least one "devil's advocate".
The Teacher
The task of the teacher will be to supply an appropriate programme of retreats and education meeting the general aims set out above. As a lineage holder he/she would anchor the approach within the Chan tradition of China descended in this century through Master Hsu Yun to Master Sheng Yen. The teacher may however also use other methods from Western and other Buddhist sources to attain this end.
The teacher will be responsible for providing opportunities for practitioners to take some (at least) of the Buddhist precepts, offering event specific liturgies, training city group leaders and initiating training for those interested in, qualified to and capable of running retreats.
The teacher holds authority regarding the spiritual orientation of the Fellowship under its constitution while being responsive to democratic feed back from members and the advisory group. In the event of severe and justified criticism the teacher will be expected to 'consider his/her position' and to withdraw from the organisation.
The institution however has no power to transmit the lineage of Linji Chan to another teacher. This power rests solely with the teacher in communication with Master Sheng Yen. In the event of a need to appoint a successor it will be vital to appoint someone able to sustain the lineage within which the Fellowship works even if such a person is not a transmitted teacher. If the retiring teacher had not yet appointed such a person it would be highly desirable to find one. Under the constitution the WCF cannot change its lineage orientation as expressed above.
Membership
It is proposed that membership be open to practitioners who have attended at least two Maenllwyd retreats or their equivalents and who have taken some (at least) of the Buddhist precepts.
Organisation
The WCF will require the usual organisation of a charitable institution namely trustees, an advisory board and an executive committee consisting of at least a Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Journal Editor, Retreat Co-ordinator and other persons appointed or co-opted for specific purposes. The executive committee, in the first instance appointed by the current teacher, will be subject to election at subsequent Annual General Meetings in the manner usual for such institutions with some members up for re-election every three years.
Present Plans
Following the assembly it was resolved to consider the WCF as established, circulate the present document for comment among members of the assembly, publish an appropriate statement in the New Chan Forum and to proceed to negotiate charitable status based on a constitution framed from the above considerations.
The second assembly took place on February the 21st to 23rd, 1997. An account of our deliberations will appear in the next issue of New Chan Forum.
