Copyright 1997 by Bristol Chan Group, UK, uploaded with permission. May not be quoted for commercial purposes. Anyone wishing to quote for non-commercial purposes may seek permission from the editor: jmcg@biols.susx.ac.uk or Peter Howard, 22 Butts Rd., Chiseldon, Wilts., SN4 0NW, England, UK. Printed versions of past and future issues [which includes drawings, etc.] can be obtained for the sum of 2 pounds sterling each, including surface postage, anywhere in the world, from Peter Howard. NEW CH'AN FORUM No. 15 Summer 1997 Dharma Adviser The Venerable Chan Master Dr. Sheng-Yen Teacher Dr. John Crook (Ch'uan-Teng Chien-Ti) Editors John Crook Simon Child Peter Howard John McGowan Price: STERLING œ2.00 ILLUMINATING SILENCE After the long delay in the production of New Chan Forum 14 we are pleased to be able to follow it quickly with an issue containing the edited text of Master Sheng-Yen's talks from the Chan retreat he led at Maenllwyd in 1995. These talks deal mainly with an in depth consideration of the practice of Silent Illumination as used within the Ts'ao-tung tradition of Chinese Chan. Shifu's exposition provides us with an insight into the stages involved in this practice and into the principles and attitudes needed to make progress along this path. Those of you who read issue 14 closely will remember that it was intended that issue 15 should be an account of the formation of the new Western Chan Fellowship. However Shifu's retreat talks provided us with an opportunity to compensate our readers for delays in production of the last two issues by providing some first rate meditation instruction: something which has not featured prominently in recent issues. Also, it is proposed that Shifu's talks from the 1995 retreat will be included in a new revised version of Catching a Feather on a Fan and we are happy to be able to give readers of this journal a foretaste of a publication which may take some time to come out. We have therefore decided to postpone the account of the formation of the Western Chan Fellowship until issue 16. In this we will provide a summary of main developments in building the new fellowship and of the meetings which have taken place over the last year. This issue is devoted more or less exclusively to the talks from the 1995 retreat. However, there are also a number of noteworthy things in our usual programme and events section. We have a listing of the local groups affiliated to John Crook and the Western Chan Fellowship including two new ones. Also we have details of an extensive retreat programme into the middle of 1998 at both Maenllwyd and at a range of other venues. In addition we have information on a journey to Ladakh and Spiti proposed for 1998 and details of a new book by John and James Low on the practices of the yogins of this region. Finally, on the practical side, please note that one of the addresses for submissions of articles to New Chan Forum has changed. Details of this, and of the addresses of all the editors, are given on the back page. Comet Above The Yard Up at the Maenllwyd - funny how the days roll by. I don't seem to be doing anything, cleaning and writing and cooking and sitting and walking sleeping and waking. Where does it all go? The time so clear nobody here hours - hours or merely minutes? Today it is warm; yesterday cold; the wind changes, clouds keep going - in different directions. Tonight a comet hangs over the yard tail streaming in far off sunshine. Down here, the moon throws dark shadows and the windless sycamore stands against the stars. An owl calls. What was on its mind? Out of the woodwork, curiously, comes love. March 1997 Maenllwyd John Crook EDITORIAL FROM THE CH'AN HALL When Master Sheng-yen visited Maenllwyd for the third time in 1995 he told us he would provide us with further instruction on Silent Illumination methods of the Ts'ao-tung school of Chinese Chan. He had already given us an introduction to this approach during his second visit, but on this occasion he intended to take us further. We now have available the freshly edited text of his talks and can at once perceive how outstandingly Shifu fulfilled his intention. We have here not only a quite remarkable interpretation of the fundamental insights of the great twelfth century master Hung-chih Cheng-chueh but, in addition, a subtle treatment of the way in which relatively naive meditators, such as ourselves, can begin this practice with benefit. Shi- fu provides us with a graded series of stages, principles for use and, most important, an account of the attitudes needed if we are to proceed well along this path. Silent Illumination is the prime method of the Ts'ao-tung school. Because of this some might wonder how it relates to the Lin-chi lineage which Shifu has passed to us. In Japan Shikantaza, the Japanese method which developed from Silent Illumination and resembles it very closely, is the sole Soto (Jap. for Ts'ao-tung) method whereas the Rinzai school (Jap. for Lin-chi) specialises in Koans. Chinese history has been different, encouraging an eclectic approach rather than one of separations and specialisation. In the last century, after a period of Buddhist decay and persecution, many surviving methods were brought together in the revival of Chan in china under the influence of Master Hsu-yun. Thus Silent Illumination, koans, Hua- tou and even a Chan version of Pure land practice can all be used within the lineage transmitted through Hsu-yun's reconstruction of Chinese Buddhism. The Lin-chi lineage is intact and cannot be disputed while, due to accidents of history, the line connecting Ts'ao-tung masters is less secure. Pedantic academics might therefore criticise a transmission bearing the Ts'ao-tung label but cannot do so when the Lin-chi transmission is under consideration. Since Shifu inherited both the Lin-chi and Ts'ao-tung transmissions from his teachers we can reasonably consider that both have also been transmitted by him to us. During his first visit to Wales, Shifu remarked that he did not often teach Silent Illumination because it was easy to lose focus and become either too silent, lapsing into blankness or mere somnolence or, on the other hand, to mistake active intellection and an excited mind for illumination. In his offering us this method we may therefore feel Shi- fu's approval of our motivation in practice which, hopefully, allows us to achieve the balance required in this approach. The text now offered has yet to be fully examined by Shifu so some alterations may follow before full publication. A new version of Catching a Feather on a Fan (now out of print) is proposed which will include this text and commentary. Element Press has again expressed an interest in this project but this has yet to be confirmed. I felt however that the Fellows of our new institution should receive these teachings and am delighted that we can get them to you in the pages of our journal. John Crook Ch'uan Teng Chien Ti ILLUMINATING SILENCE The talks of Master Sheng-yen at the Maenllwyd 1995 [IMPORTANT NOTE. THE TEXT OF ILLUMINATING SILENCE, THE MAIN SUBSTANCE OF THIS ISSUE OF NEW CH'AN FORUM, IS NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON-LINE. THIS IS BECAUSE THE EDITING OF THE TEXT HAS YET TO BE APPROVED BY MASTER SHENG-YEN, AND ALSO FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS SINCE THIS TEXT MAY BE RELEASED SUBSEQUENTLY EITHER AS A BOOK OR AS A CHAPTER OF ANOTHER BOOK. IT IS A VALUABLE TEXT AND IF YOU WISH TO READ IT YOU MAY PURCHASE A COPY BY SENDING THE CURRENT PRICE WHICH IS TWO POUNDS UK STERLING TO THE DISTRIBUTOR PETER HOWARD WHOSE CONTACT DETAILS ARE NEAR THE END OF THIS FILE. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IT WILL LATER BE AVAILABLE ON-LINE, BUT THERE ARE NO PLANS FOR THIS AT PRESENT] *** *** *** Colophon. The text of "Illuminating Silence" is based on talks given by the Venerable Master Sheng-yen on the occasion of the retreat led by him in the new Chan hall at the Maenllwyd, Wales, in the summer of 1995. Audio-tapes of the talks and their immediate translation by Ming Yee Wang were subsequently transcribed through the benevolence of Alec Lawless. The resulting text was edited, revised, and recomposed by Dr John Crook, Lin-chi Chan lineage holder Ch'uan-Teng Chien-Ti, working at the Maenllwyd and at Winterhead Hill Farm, Somerset during the winter of 1996-97. PROGRAMME AND EVENTS Journeys 1988 PILGRIMAGE TO INDIA Journey Among Yogins: Himalayas of Ladakh and Spiti With John Crook and James Low Ladakh and Spiti are both hidden in the highest Himalayas; lands of spectacular monasteries, mountains, gorges, lakes and montane Tibetan culture of the greatest interest. John has just received the programme and costing details from India for this long projected return to Ladakh, this time continuing into the remote and little known Buddhist region of Spiti. John plans to travel with James Low and the two of them can provide unrivalled details on the culture and religious life of the region based on their Asian travels and recent books.1 Flying in to Delhi we do some sightseeing of the Indian capital and then up and away over the Himalayas, with the Karakoram visible in the distance, and down to Leh; the capital of Ladakh after one of the most spectacular flights in the world. Basing ourselves in a comfortable hotel we visit a number of monasteries and the palace of Stok and view the rich artistic treasures of Alchi. John and James hope to meet and introduce you to some of their old friends. They also have some personal calls to make renewing old links with the culture. Leaving Leh we drive one of the highest roads in the world, past the famous Hemis Gompa and over great passes, slowly to Lahoul, the neighbouring land between Ladakh and Spiti. We will have our own group vehicle and camp on the way. In Keylang we will call on the Khasdong monastery, a training place for yogins. We then take a recently constructed route, through extremely remote areas, to the Spiti region. Here the monasteries are smaller but of great interest and, in many cases, barely explored by outsiders. Again we will see remarkable mural paintings at the famous gompa of Tabo. We turn south on foot and trek on foot up the secretive valley of Pin, another home for yogins. Camping in remote locations we cross a high pass descending through villages and forests to Simla, the old British summer capital. We will rest here before taking the train to Delhi and thence back to London. John and James hope to be staying on a while to meet old friends. There is already a growing number of people interested in this journey. Please express serious interest now so as to get your name well listed. Duration 26-27 days. Early-late July 1998. Estimated cost œ2000 dependent on airfares and any currency changes. 1 Crook, J. H. and Osmaston, H. (Eds), (1994). Himalayan Buddhist villages. Bristol university. Write to Mrs Cooke, Senate House Information Office for a copy. œ25. A fully detailed anthropological and ecological account of life in Ladakh. Crook, J. H. and Low, J. (1997). the Yogins of Ladakh. Motilal Banarsidass. Delhi. Write to Motilal Books, 73 Line Walk, Headington, Oxford. A study of the meditating hermits of Ladakh and Tibet with details of travels to meet these remarkable men. Low, J. (1995). Simply being. Dutro Press. London. A collection of translations of rare meditation text used by Himalayan yogins and now available for the use of Western practitioners. Retreats We now have the latest dates for retreats at Maenllwyd and in Bristol covering the second half of 1997 and early 1998. Also given are the details of the Chan Centre in New York. All retreats led by John Crook unless otherwise stated. Maenllwyd 1997-1998 Zen-Gestalt Workshop June 12th - 17th 1997 Run by John Crook and Malcolm Parlett. œ200. Exploring Meditation August 22nd -27th 1997 A Chan Retreat exploring the range of Buddhist meditation methods available to practitioners in order to construct effective personal practice. Teachings will review the origins and relations between different forms of meditation and their relation to everyday attitudes and problems. A relaxed retreat, part teaching, part individual and group practice. Open to all. œ125 Western Zen Retreats Nov 13th -18th 1997 May 21st - 26th 1998 Open to all. œ130. Introduction to Tantra January 8th - 13th 1998 Introduces the Tibetan practice of Mahamudra within the general context of Tantra. We will be exploring preliminary practices, visualisation, empowerment to practice, protective mantras and Tantric vows in the treading of the Bodhisattva way. Teaching to be based on texts in the book Yogins of Ladakh (J Crook and J Low. Details see back page) Open to all who have previously attended a Western Zen Retreat or Chan retreat or a Tibetan retreat elsewhere. œ130. Leaders Retreat and AGM Feb 20th - 24th 1998 Two day instruction on teaching meditation for city group leaders and others interested. Open only to those with extensive experience of Maenllwyd retreats. The Western Chan Fellowship AGM will probably be arranged for this period. Chan Retreat March 11th - 18th 1998 Open to those who have attended a Western Zen Retreat or equivalent retreat. œ160. Chan Community Experiment June 7th - 21st 1998 The first week will be an orthodox Chan retreat. In the second week we will adopt a less intensive monastic style with both silent and convivial periods, a more relaxed programme , walks and outings. The emphasis will be on living together in a Dharma community. Participants must attend both weeks except for additional retreatants booking for the first week only. œ250. Other Retreats *Dzogchen approaches to quiet sitting June 28th - 29th 1997 (Held in Bristol) (Run by James Low) *What is This? (Held in Bristol) Nov 22nd - 23rd 1997 (Run by Stephen and Martine Batchelor) * For these retreats contact Alysun Jones (0117 971 0696) or James Monks (0117 957 1727) to obtain further details. Chan Retreat in Warsaw Dec 1st - 8th 1997 Fellows may apply Gaia House. Introducing Chan Jan 24th - 25th 1998 Fellows may apply. Apply to Gaia House. Chan Retreat at Sharpham College March 28th - April 5th 1998 (Not open to fellows) Details regarding these retreats and journeys (also featured in this issue) are or will be available from John Crook at Winterhead Hill Farm, Shipham, N. Somerset BS25 1RS shortly. Please write to book retreats (deposit œ30) or to state serious interest in a journey. RETREATS WITH SHI-FU Chan Centre New York For information about retreats in New York contact: Chan Meditation Centre, Institute of Chung Hwa Buddhist Culture, 90-56 Corona Ave., Elmhurst, New York 11373, USA Tel. 001 718 592 6593 Fax 001 718 592 0717 WWW http://www.chan1.org/ Be sure to apply early for all Chan Centre retreats as they are often over-subscribed. Groups BRISTOL MEDITATION EVENINGS The Bristol Chan Group continues to meet on Wednesday evenings 7.30pm until 10.00pm at the Iyengar Yoga Centre, Denmark Place, Gloucester Rd., Bristol. John is available occasionally for personal interviews. Contact Caroline Paine on 0117 924 5332 for further details. DHARMA STUDY GROUP Tim Paine is co-ordinating this group running in Bristol. Contact him for more details on 0117 924 5332. BRIGHTON GROUP John McGowan and Eileen Lawless have started a group in Brighton. Currently meeting on Thursdays. For further details call John on 01273 401558. CARDIFF GROUP Eddy Street runs the Cardiff group which meets on the last Tuesday of every month at 19 Velindre Rd., Cardiff CF4 7JE. For further details contact Eddy on 01222 691146. EDINBURGH GROUP The Edinburgh group hasn't been running for a while though may soon be picking up again. For further details contact Frank Tait on 01721 721146. MANCHESTER GROUP Simon Child is organising a group in Bury, Lancs. This group is currently meeting on Friday evenings. For further details contact Simon on 0161 761 1945. STROUD GROUP Alec and Julia Lawless are setting up a group in Stroud. For further details call them on 01453 731757. SWINDON GROUP This group currently meets on Monday evenings. For details contact John Senior on 01793 487402 or Dave Horsley on 01793 487402. YORK GROUP A group has started in York. It is currently meeting on Wednesday evenings. Please contact Jake Lynes de Ver on 01904 728419 or James McCarthey on 01904 330977 for more details. ABOUT THE NEW CH'AN FORUM Please send articles, poems, letters, and book reviews to John Crook, Winterhead Hill Farm, Shipham, Winscombe, North Somerset, BS25 1RS (Tel. 01934 842231) or John McGowan, The Garden Flat, Conyboro, Cooksbridge, Lewes, E. Sussex, BN8 4ST. Please note this address is new. Articles are welcome on disk (we can take both IBM PC and Apple Macintosh documents). Emailed articles can also be sent to John McGowan at jmcg@biols.susx.ac.uk or Simon Child at wcf@child.demon.co.uk. Please send drawings, photographs and slides to Simon Child, 24 Woodgate Ave., Bury, Lancs (Tel. 0161 761 1945). Please state whether you have any objections to the images you send being displayed on the internet. Subscription requests, payments and changes of address should be sent to Peter Howard, 22 Butts Rd., Chiseldon, Wilts., SN4 0NW (Tel. 01793 740659). Please also contact Peter if you have any delivery problems. Under the terms of the DATA PROTECTION ACT we would like to remind regular recipients of the NCF that their name and address are held in a personal computer database for the sole purpose of producing a mailing/contact list. Anyone not wishing to have their details stored or used in this way, or who no longer wishes to receive the NCF, should contact Peter Howard as above. CH'AN GOES ELECTRONIC The New Chan forum is not being left behind by the information revolution! The Chan centre in New York now has a web site (URL below) and the Western Chan Fellowship has both web pages and a small email list intended to facilitate contact between practitioners. The WCF Web site contains a range of interesting Chan related titbits including back issues of New Chan Forum and is particularly recommended. The Chan email list is a utility by which members can post one messages to all subscribers via a central distributor. Get surfing! Chan Centre Web site: http://www.chan1.org/ Western Chan Fellowship Webpages: http://www.child.demon.co.uk/wcf/ Maintained by Simon Child wcf@child.demon.co.uk WCF-L Chan Email list: Contact John McGowan at jmcg@biols.susx.ac.uk THE WESTERN CH'AN FELLOWSHIP More information about the Western Chan Fellowship is planned for the next issue of New Chan Forum. The Chairman/Teacher is John Crook, Winterhead Hill Farm, Shipham, Winscombe, North Somerset, BS25 1RS Tel. 01934 842231. The Secretary is Simon Child, 24 Woodgate Ave, Bury, LANCS BL9 7RU, Tel. 0161 761 1945. Email wcf@child.demon.co.uk The Treasurer/Membership Secretary is Tim Blanc, 26 Hinton Road, Easton, Bristol, BS7 8HF, Tel 0117 951 7281, Email 101750.2015@compuserve.com NEW BOOK!! ADVANCE NOTICE TO FELLOWS..... THE YOGINS OF LADAKH A PILGRIMAGE AMONG THE HERMITS OF THE BUDDHIST HIMALAYAS By John Crook and James Low During research on the village life of Zanskar in the Himalayas of Ladakh John Crook became acquainted with several Tibetan Buddhist hermits living in cave houses in the mountains. One of these, Khamtag Rinpoche, allowed John to photograph a rare hand written text providing instructions in an advanced system of meditation. He was asked to translate this text for use by Westerners. John Crook later returned to Ladakh with Tibetologist James Low and made a detailed study of the social life, history, meditational philosophy and practices of the yogins who still live well hidden in the high Himalayas. The authors adventurous journeys on foot in the mountains took them on a pilgrimage visiting many remarkable men, all of whom had trained originally in Tibet. The book provides an account of the lineage and philosophy of the Drukpa yogins of Tibet together with a description of their contemporary manner of life and discipline. The yogins were often shy about discussing their activities but, on learning of the authors own meditational practices, they became generous in a welcoming friendship. Much of their teaching lay as much in their presence and attitude as in anything they said. James Low has prepared a brilliant translation of the difficult Meditation Notebook of Tipun Padma Chosgal on which the authors provide a commentary. He also includes an account of his own Chod practice in one hundred and eight cemeteries in Ladakh and a translation of a previously unknown biography of the great woman yogin, Machig Labdron. The work as a whole is an attempt at understanding the meditational psychology of the yogins. They were however mostly restrained to theoretical discussion, forcing the authors to reflect deeply on their own motivation and experiences of practice. This reflection forms an important part of the book leading to careful consideration of the need for privacy in meditational practice, the purpose of retreats far from human kind and the significance of Buddhist thought in the modern world. The result is an unusually critical and fresh attempt at understanding the profound ideals and methods of Tibetan Buddhism. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi. IBSN 81-208-1462-2. 420 pages. fully illustrated with 48 black and white plates. Glossary. Index. Shortly Available from: Motilal Books, 73 Line Walk, Headington, Oxford OX3 7AD. Fax, 01865 750079. Price Approx. œ15.