New Chan Forum 54

Welcome to the summer issue of New Chan Forum. It is a pleasure and a privilege to introduce Rebecca Li, Simon’s second dharma heir who was given the transmission in a ceremony in New York on June 5th 2016. Many of you will not yet know her, but we hope to see more of her on our British retreats. I am sure you will find her spiritual biography interesting.

Simon’s own retreat talk this time explores ways to apply the right effort to living the Buddha’s teaching of the Four Noble Truths. Anna Jedynak writes beautifully about meditation in the first of three articles equally useful for those starting out on the path and those with more experience. Eddy Street gives us a history of ‘work’ as a meditative and mindful practice in Chan monasteries and broadens it to apply to all of us in our daily lives.

Pat Simmons has withdrawn as my co-editor and I thank her for all that she has done for the New Chan Forum over the last three years. Happily, she will still be helping and making contributions. She always wanted to see more women prominently represented in our pages so I hope she is pleased with this issue.

• An Interview with Rebecca Li - George Marsh & Rebecca Li
• Retreat Report - Rebecca Li
• The Four Noble Truths and Right Effort - Simon Child
• Meditation and its Background - Anna Jedynak
• Baizhang and Work Practice - Eddy Street

Download pdf file of NCF 54 (13Mb)