When asked “What is Chan?” I’m reminded of how one old Buddhist master once answered the same question: “Ask the lamppost.”
Here’s another Chan story about a master speaking with a young monk. The master says, “I have nothing to teach you.” The young monk is wideeyed and stunned. Scratching his head, he asks, “But, Master, if you have nothing to teach me, why am I learning from you?” The master smiles and says, “You are learning from me until you realize I have nothing to teach you.”
The meaning of Chan Buddhism—and the meaning of Buddhism generally—is beyond words and phrases. It cannot be described. Chan is a practice tradition that puts spiritual authority and knowledge not in written scripture, but in immediate, embodied experience, which is available to anyone, anywhere. Nonetheless, there are still ways we can talk and learn about Chan.
It’s said that
