New Chan Forum 20

Salvaging the Self

At the last committee meeting of the Western Ch’an Fellowship, the members present resolved to consider the possible publication of selected items from the first 20 issues in a specially bound ‘Millennium bumper edition’.

To this end, back numbers have been hauled off shelves and downloaded from the internet. One committee member, at least, sat down with issue one and is slowly progressing through them all. What a very rich resource has been revealed by this overview. Have the succession of editors and contributors over the years fully realised what a stock of wisdom we have been building up, and what a depth of experience has accumulated in this journal over 20 issues?

Appropriately, perhaps, for this issue, we present one of Master Sheng-Yen’s earliest lectures in America, while John looks back over his own years of training with Shifu, presenting extracts from nearly ten years’ of retreats. 

What happens over this length of time, do we change over the years?

We must believe that we can all change, and for the better. In particular there is confrontation with suffering in Marian Partington’s article. How can we resolve such issues?

Poems cover a huge range of human experience - Rebekah Kenton’s gaze at the night sky contrasts with Hugh Carroll’s glimpses, while, down on earth, Jo Horton looks back over 50 years and Carol Evans, for all who love to cook, and eat, reminds us of the power of simple things.

The internet spreads out its web and makes a new connection, as Alistair Powell contacts us from Australia and comes to terms with his memories of Wales. And finally, having wept, you may also find yourself laughing out loud as one anonymous retreatant makes a frantic effort to escape from Maenllwyd’s “solemn tea party”.

The editors urge you to continue contributing to New Ch’an Forum. Issue 21 will be the first of our journal to be published in the new millennium and we encourage readers to consider what contributions they can make.