New Chan Forum

Thoughts from a Darkened World

The World situation is dark indeed. After Afghanistan, Palestine; after Palestine, India and Pakistan. Where will it end? I continue to receive texts of well meaning intent. I ponder what exactly should be the attitude of Buddhist practitioners to these issues. It is far from clear where the right course lies. This journal is not averse to writings on social and…

Contexts

Often we find ourselves pondering the seriousness of this world crisis. News bulletins flash from one event to another. Dimly we are aware of patterns. In a Dharma perspective these events are the consequences of inattention, mindless self-indulgence, personally, collectively, politically, economically. We fail to see them coming because we fail to see the contexts of stupidity and…

Experience and Time

This issue is devoted to personal experience. Chan is everywhere and anytime. It only needs the mindfulness of the right perspective to bring up the vision, the lessening of self-absorption and the opening to vastness.

However much we talk philosophy or worry about social ills everything in the end boils down to experience in time now, time remembered or time hoped for. How…

Ch'an in China, Ch'an in Science

This issue considers two questions of great importance to Western Ch'an practitioners - and indeed to all Buddhists. Firstly, what is the current state of Chinese Buddhist practice in China itself? Secondly, what is the relation between Science and Ch'an Buddhism? Following our WCF pilgrimage to some major Chinese monasteries we can present a useful review of the…

Zen Perspectives

In this issue we look at many issues from a diversity of perspectives. Shih-fu sets us going by warning us against taking people at their face value. John Crook makes a new proposal asking ¾ Could a lay monastery actually work? Simon Child launches into Dharma teaching and leading retreats. John examines European Zen and the place of Ch'an within it. Iris Tute has visited an…

Zen Creativity 2000

Zen entails the fullest expression of human creativity based in the meditative experience of life.

At the onset of the millennium we celebrate the creativity of Zen. Creativity comes in several forms, artistic, literary, intellectual philosophical and in drama. This issue contains articles discussing Zen in poetry, the philosophy of enlightenment and Zen in the world of…

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…

Investigating Practice

Shi-fu tells us that the Chinese term for practising Ch’an, ts’an-ch’an, means to investigate, engage or dig into the heart of the Ch’an tradition.

The hard work of practice, and the no-work, form the theme of this issue. Appropriately for Spring - the days are lengthening and brightening, time to shake off winter dullness, bring energy into our practice and get down to…