Dharma Library

This library provides a database of articles, some from past issues of New Chan Forum and some available only from the website.

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Chronological List of articles:

Silent Illumination

Simon Child headshot

Day 2, Three Week Retreat

Silent Illumination is essentially very simple. It can be summarized in three sentences:

Look and see.

Look what is there.

And don't add to what is there.

'Look and see': Illumination.

'Don't add anything': Silence.

But it doesn't seem so easy! Why? Because there's something in the way. You! You're in the way of your own seeing. You're disturbing your own mind.

Wh…

Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 2005 , Simon Child

Introducing Silent Illumination

Simon Child headshot

A Talk given on Silent Illumination, at the 3 week retreat, May 2005, at the Maenllwyd

John has just spoken about the two entrances to Dharma, through Principle and Practice, which Bodhidharma taught us all those centuries ago.

Silent Illumination corresponds to a state, either you are in Silent Illumination experiencing the Principle or you are not. If you are actually in Silent Illumination…

Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 2005 , Simon Child

In The Spirit of Chan

Simon Child headshot

When I was first asked to lead this short retreat, my first thought was "Why do they need someone to lead a weekend retreat, can't they just gather together and sit together?"

I guessed I would have to provide some sort of teaching. So then I wondered what teaching might be valuable? Perhaps I should regurgitate something remembered from a book or a sutra that I have read but which you may not…

Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 2000 , Simon Child

The Birth of the Western Chan Fellowship

Simon Child headshot

Some years ago in NCF No. 12 John suggested the possibility of establishing an organisation based on the work at and attenders of Maenllwyd. My initial reaction, and I suspect also that of many others, was something like "well, it could be all right, but I don't like the idea of the formalities and organisation and committees etc." It seemed a bit unnecessary as everything seemed to work out fine…

Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 1998 , For Newcomers , Simon Child

Training in Lay Zen

Simon Child headshot

In the Lotus Sutra the Buddha predicted a future Buddhahood for most of his followers yet both his cousin and personal attendant, Ananda, and his son, Rahula, had to wait until after the others before the Buddha made predictions concerning them. In his "A Guide to the Threefold Lotus Sutra," Nikkyo Niwano interprets this as indicating the difficulty inherent in teaching those close to oneself.…

Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 1996 , Simon Child

No Mind - Mind Only

Simon Child headshot

We are presenting here an important article sent us by Dr Simon Child. Based in his personal practice of meditation it clarifies a way of looking at the Buddhist concept of rebirth which is often a stumbling block for many a Westerner. In conversation, Shifu once commented that for a Buddhist the idea of rebirth might be taken as myth but that to be a Buddhist, a concern with the continuity of…

Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 1995 , Simon Child , For Newcomers

Seeing the Nature

Simon Child headshot

It felt such a privilege to be attending the retreat with Shifu. I couldn't make the effort to go to New York, but he had come here! And yet a retreat is just a retreat. Really it was like a solitary retreat, as I just isolated myself from the environment and continued my practice.

I came to the retreat feeling that I wanted to be there, and John wanted me to be there in particular to confirm my…

Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 1992 , Simon Child , For Newcomers , Silent Illumination Retreat Reports

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