A revered Buddhist master illuminates the practice and wisdom of Chan.

"No words can explain enlightenment," says the seventh-century Zen classic "Xin Ming," or "Song of Mind," yet, paradoxically, this poem is a masterpiece of expressing the inexpressible. In his commentary on it, Chan Master Sheng Yen takes a practical approach, opening up the language of the "Xin Ming" to show students how to approach meditation, how to deal with problems that arise in their spiritual practice, and how to accomplish the imperative task of integrating this practice into every aspect of one's life. "True understanding comes only with direct experience," according to Master Sheng Yen. "These lectures, the Buddhist sutras, songs, poems, and commentaries are useful only insofar as they encourage you to practice and incorporate the Dharma [teachings] into your daily life." The book takes the form of a week-long retreat with Master Sheng Yen, with each chapter in the form of an evening talk given on a particular section of the "Song of Mind" text--giving this book a far more intimate and accessible feel than most commentaries on Zen texts and creating a feeling of being right there with the master as he brings the text to life.

Master Sheng-yen, a dharma descendant from the founders of Buddhism in China, considers the concepts of suffering, enlightenment, and compassion; provides a glossary of key terms; and briefly recaps the history of Buddhism in China. But he goes beyond these issues to discuss contemporary matters and questions he has encountered in his years of teaching in the United States. Sometimes personal and always instructive, Sheng-yen's introductory work is perfect for those just coming to Buddhism, and for those who are already very familiar with the Tibetan and Zen schools.

"Complete Enlightenment " is the first authoritative translation and commentary on "The Sutra of Complete Enlightenment, " a central text that shaped the development of East Asian Buddhism and Ch'an (Chinese Zen). The text is set in the form of a transcription of discussions between the Buddha and the twelve enlightened beings(bodhisattvas), who question him on all aspects of spiritual practice.

This new translation preserves all the liveliness and nuance of the text in the original Chinese. The sutra's ancient wisdom is brought to life by the commentaries of Master Sheng-yen, one of the most revered living Buddhist masters in the Ch'an lineage. This is truly a manual for the spiritual journey toward complete enlightenment, providing the key to the deep, poetic, and practical meanings of the scripture.

Chan-Meister Sheng Yen ist ein grosser Lehrer und ich habe grosses Vertrauen in seine Gelehrtheit und Weisheit. Ich fuhle mich geehrt, sein Freund zu sein und ich bewundere, was er fur den Buddhadharma im Osten und im Westen getan hat." (Thich Nhat Hanh) Wenn ich den Darstellungen der Chan-buddhistischen Lehren durch Meister Sheng Yen zuhore, ist es mein unmittelbares und sehr tiefes Gefuhl, dass ich Weisheitsworten zuhore von jemandem, der sehr erfahren und ein grosser Praktizierender ist." (Seine Heiligkeit, der Dalai Lama) Meister Sheng Yen, ein Dharma-Nachfolger der buddhistischen Ahnen in China betrachtet in diesem Buch das Konzept von Leiden, Erleuchtung und Mitgefuhl; er bietet ein Glossar der Schlusselbegriffe an und rekapituliert kurz die Geschichte des Buddhismus in China. Doch er geht daruber hinaus und diskutiert zeitgenossische Themen und Fragen, denen er in den Jahren seines Lehrens in den Vereinigten Staaten begegnet ist. Manchmal personlich und immer instruktiv, ist Meister Sheng Yens einfuhrendes Werk ausgezeichnet fur jene, die vor kurzem zum Buddhismus gekommen sind und fur jene, die bereits bekannt sind mit den tibetischen und den Zen-Schul

In diesem Buch zeigt sich der einzigartige Meister Sheng Yen von seiner besten Seite. Er erlautert alte Texte der chinesischen Chan-Tradition und zeigt wie wunderbar praktisch sie wirklich sind, auch fur uns heute. Die Texte sind zwei Gedichte, geschrieben von den zwei Begrundern der Caodong-Schule des Chan-Buddhismus: Verpflichtung zur Ganzheit" und Gesang des kostbaren Spiegelsamadhis." Beide betonen die Chan-Sicht, dass Weisheit nicht von Geistestrubungen getrennt ist und beide sprechen von den zwei Ebenen des Gewahrseins, durch die man auf dem Weg der Verwirklichung gehen muss. Beide sind auch Werke buddhistischer Philosophie, die allen als Fuhrer zur spirituellen Praxis dienen konnen. Chan-Meister Sheng Yen ist ein grosser Lehrer und ich habe grosses Vertrauen in seine Gelehrtheit und Weisheit." - Thich Nhat Hanh Mit Kalligraphien von Chan-Meister Chi Chern Fash

"Huatou" is a skillful method for breaking through the prison of mental habits into the spacious mind of enlightenment. The huatou is a confounding question much like a Zen koan. Typical ones are "What is "wu" nothingness]?" or "What was my original face before birth-and-death?" But a huatou is "unlike" a koan in that the aim is not to come up with an answer. The practice is simple: ask yourself your huatou relentlessly, in meditation as well as in every other activity. Don't give up on it; don't try to think your way to an answer. Resolve to live with the sensation of doubt that arises, and it will pervade your entire existence with a sense of profound wonder, ultimately leading to the shattering of the sense of an independent self.
Master Sheng Yen brings the traditional practice to life in this practical guide based on talks he gave during a series of huatou retreats. He teaches the method in detail, giving advice for dealing with the typical pitfalls and problems that arise, and answering retreat participants' questions as they experience the practice themselves. He then offers commentary on four classic huatou texts, grounding his instructions in the teaching of the great Chan masters.

For the masters of the Chan tradition, poetry was a form of creative expression, but even more than that, it was a primary vehicle for teaching. Here a modern master presents ten teaching poems from the ancient masters, with illuminating commentary. "These poems flow directly from the minds of the enlightened Chan masters," Master Sheng Yen says. "We get a glimpse into their experience at the time of, and after, their enlightenment. It is my hope that this collection of poems will give those who are interested in the practice a new way of looking at Chan."

The Supreme Way is not difficultIf only you do not pick and choose.Neither love nor hate, And you will clearly understand.Be off by a hair, And you are as far from it as heaven and earth. These vivid lines begin one of the most beloved and commented upon of all Zen texts, the Hsin Hsin Ming ("Faith in Mind"), a sixth-century poem by the third Chan patriarch, Seng Ts'an. The Hsin Hsin Ming is a masterpiece of economy, expressing the profoundest truth of the enlightened mind in only a few short pages. Master Sheng Yen's approach is unique among commentaries on the text: he views it as a supremely useful and practical guide to meditation practice. "I do not adopt a scholarly point of view or analytical approach," he says. "Rather, I use the poem as a taking-off point to inspire the practitioner and deal with issues that arise during the course of practice. True faith in mind is the belief grounded in realization that we have a fundamental, unmoving, and unchanging mind. This mind is precisely Buddha mind."

These verses echo the teachings of Buddhism through the ages. Written by two of the founding patriarchs of the Chinese Ts'aotung sect of Chan Buddhism, upon which the Japanese Soto Zen sect is based, these classic texts have been largely unavailable to the Western reader until now. Furthermore, their meaning has baffled scholars and practitioners for centuries. In this book, Master Sheng Yen unravels the mysteries tangled in the lines of the poems, making their invaluable teachings understandable and accessible to modern readers. Both poems emphasize the Chan view that wisdom is not separate from vexation, and they speak of varying levels of awareness one must pass through to attain this enlightened realization. Master Sheng Yen expounds on these and other aspects of Chan in lucid detail.