Zen: 10 questions to the Grandmaster

[Andrea]

Dear Sigung

How can Zen be practiced and manifested in a busy work life?
For example in a managerial job - where multiple requests arrive simultaneously, where decisions need to be taken quickly and an accurately.

Thank you
Andrea

[Luo Lang]

Great questions folks! Thank you very much.

[sancrica]

One more question

First of all, I would like to thank Sifu Roland for bringing this wonderful Q&A series. Thank you Sifu for being so generous with us. Your life is always a living example of my aspirations. :-)

When I was in the Intesive Chi Kung Course this past April, you where so kind to show us an application for Zen. That was problem solving. It was only 5 minutes but really impresive for me. I never felt like that before. Everything disappeared. Only remained the question and the answer. Why it was so easy to find a solution for my problem?

What are the main applications for Zen in our daily living? Can it be applied to everything we do in life? Why is Zen often described as Simple, Direct and Effective?

I can't wait to assist to a Zen course with Sifu. If 5 minutes helped me so much in the Chi Kung Intensive Course I can't wait to see what a full course is capable of. :-)

Thanks one more time Sifu and Sifu Roland for your time an dedication.

Shaolin Salute,

Santiago

[Matthew]

Dear Sigung,

Please could you discuss the methods and objectives of contemplation practices as they relate to, or differ from, Zen meditation?

With deepest gratitude,
Matt

[Luo Lang]

Dear family,

We have many nice questions. 10 is reached already.

Best regards,

[Ronny]

I'm looking forward to the answers.

[Luo Lang]

Patience

Originally from Sifu:
Lack of time for devoted training is one reason why the standard of kungfu today is so far below that of the past. There are many other reasons.

Another reason is that of attitude. People today do not have the patience and perseverance of those in the past. They also do not show the same type of respect past students showed to their teachers, which was crucial for providing the culture and mind set conducive for kungfu deepening. Modern people are in a hurry to become teachers themselves, without first becoming good students.

Sifu wrote me there are some interesting questions. We are glad and honored that Sifu will answer them.

[Andrew]

Sifu wrote me there are some interesting questions. We are glad and honored that Sifu will answer them.

Will Sifu answer ALL of them (even though there are more than 10)?

Answers to Sifu's selected 10 will be brilliant. More than 10 would be even more brilliant .

Waiting patiently for Sifu to start with his answers.

[Luo Lang]

Dear family, Dear Andrew Siheng,

Actually I shall leave it up to Sifu wheater he answers 10 or 1 or all questions. What I can say is that the first installment is already much more than expected. I am pretty sure you all will enjoy reading the first part of Anthony S Siheng's questions That said thanks to Anthony S again for the mindful questions.

Question 1:

Zen is described as Simple, Direct and Effective. When people are in a Zen state of mind it can be described as an elevated or higher level state of consciousness or, rather, awareness.

Tai Chi Chuan is often described and practiced as circular, indirect, following the flow and patiently waiting for an opening, among other descriptions. Typically not simple nor direct yet highly effective in many circumstances. Interestingly, when one practices Tai Chi Chuan they attain a similar result of higher awareness. I’m not mentioning Wuji here which we know is remarkably simple, direct and effective.

How do we explain the Zen state of mind achieved in Tai Chi Chuan practice when one doesn’t seem to be doing something simple, nor direct? Is it simply that our mind is immersed in our practice, with no mental distractions and thus we achieve the Zen state of mind? Is it related to the harmonious energy flow? Also, if Sifu would like to further comment or elaborate on the relationship, or lack thereof, between Zen practice and Tai Chi Chuan practice it would be appreciated.

Sifu Anthony Spinicchia

Answer:

Thanks, Anthony, for a series of very illuminating questions which lead us to a deeper and more rewarding understanding of Zen and Tai Chi Chuan.

Tai Chi Chuan is often compared with Shaolin Kungfu, where Tai Chi Chuan is described to manifest Tao whereas Shaolin to manifest Zen. We are indeed fortunate in Shaolin Wahnam where we have the best of these two worlds, as my sifu, Sifu Ho Fatt Nam, was both a Zen master and Taoist master.

In this sense, Tai Chi Chuan is not Zen. But in other aspects which we shall discuss later, Tai Chi Chuan may be described as Zen.

Simple, direct and effective are excellent adjectives for Zen. On the other hand, Tao is flowery, circular but also effective. A comparison of Taoist and Zen writings is illuminating.

The following is a random piece I have taken from a Taoist classic, “Genuine Transmission of the Way to Immortality”. The following poem is by the Taoist master Fou Yu describing a great cosmic truth.

Thousands of miles of clouds is cleared by a single breath
Thousands of words are used to ask about countless things
Look at the beautiful moon hanging in the sky above
Reflected in a placid pool of deep emerald love

Marvellous is the breathing of the genuine man
Enlightened he enters the gate of no-two gate
Why bother to generate the fire of war
When spring descends on earth everything is fake

The following is from the Venerable Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch, in his Platform Sutra.

Pure nature is constantly in the transformation body
Our nature enables the transformation body to seek the right way
It will achieve perfection, real and boundless

Both Master Fou Yu and the Venerable Hui Leng teach the same cosmic truth, though the vocabulary and imagery used are vastly different. Can you guess what this great cosmos truth is?

When one is in a state of Zen, he is at a higher level of consciousness. A person is also at a higher level of consciousness when he is in Tao. Here, Tao is Zen.

Tao, like Zen, has three different though related meanings. At the most supreme level, Tao and Zen refer to Cosmic Reality, or in Western terms God the Holy Spirit, or the undifferentiated spread of energy in scientific language. It is omnipresent, omniscient, infinite and eternal.

At the intermediate level, Tao and Zen refer to a glimpse of the Cosmic Reality, or an experience of reality at a higher level of consciousness. It is a spiritual awakening.

At the lowest level, Tao and Zen refer to particular ways of spiritual cultivation. Here is where their characteristic differences are found. Although their ultimate aim is the same, their descriptions, approaches and methods are different.

Tai Chi Chuan and Shaolin Kungfu are two of the arts to achieve the ultimate aim of attaining Cosmic Reality, though most practitioners today, including ourselves, practice them for relatively lower purposes of attaining good health, vitality, longevity, mental freshness, spiritual joys and combat efficiency. Due to different needs and other factors, the descriptions, approaches and methods of Taijiquan and Shaolin Kungfu are different.

(Part 2 follows)

[Luo Lang]

Answer 1, part 2

Answer 1, part 2:

(Continued from Part 1)

For example, when an opponent throws a powerful thrust punch at you, using Shaolin Kungfu you can ward it off with a diagonal “Beauty Looks at Mirrow”, without moving your body. If you use Taijiquan, you would sink back and rotate your waist to ward off the attack with “Immortal Waves Sleeves”.

In “Beauty Looks at Mirrow” your movement comes from your shoulders, whereas in “Immortal Waves Sleeves” your movement comes from your waist. The difference is due to the need in Taijiquan for a smaller-size opponent to use minimum force against a bigger-sized opponent. In Shaolin Kungfu, which is relatively more powerful, you bulldoze your opponent away.

There are different ways to enter a Zen state of mind, which is usually called entering Tao in Taijiquan. We may also use a simple and direct method, like we do when we start our Taijiquan practice, just as we do in Shaolin Kungfu or chi kung exercises like Lifting the Sky and Cosmic Breathing. Or we may use a more sophisticated method, like performing Grasping Sparrow’s Tail.

In both cases, the approach may be different but the result is the same. In the simple, direct method of Zen, we just relax and keep our mind free of thoughts. In Grasping Sparrow’s Tail, as you have rightly mentioned, we immerse our mind in our practice with no mental distractions, and then enter Tao. In the first case, we aim straight at no-mind. In the second case, we first aim at a one-pointed mind, then expand to no-mind.

Why do some people bother to go to one first, and not straightaway expand to zero? It is because not many people can go straight to zero. So they need an extra step. Even attaining a one-pointed mind is not easy, not many people can achieve this. We in Shaolin Wahnam are elite. Irrespective of whether we practice Shaolin Kungfu, Taijiquan or Chi Kung, we are so familiar with this skill, and use it so often that sometimes we forget it is rare and advanced.

Remember that Zen is for the best mind. If students are not ready for Zen, they use other methods, like samadha meditation and vispasana meditation.

If a practitioner goes straight to no-mind, without first attaining a one-pointed mind, will he be able to focus his mind to be one-pointed when he needs to think?

Yes, he will. In fact he will do so more effectively. When a person has attained no-mind, his mind is crystal clear. If he brings in a thought, his mind automatically becomes one-pointed on that thought as there are no other thoughts. This is more effective than first clearing numerous thoughts to focus on one remaining thought.

This validity is amply reflected in our students. One of the characteristics of Shaolin Wahnam students is their mental clarity. They practice mental clarity each time they start their Shaolin Taijiquan or chi kung training.

It is also reflected in our Shaolin practitioners learning Taijiquan, and our Taijiquan practitioners learning Shaolin Kungfu. Generally it is easy for our Shaolin practitioners to learn Taijiquan. They just pick it up, though Taijiquan movements are usually more sophisticated than Shaolin movements. It is generally more difficult for Taijiquan practitioners to learn Shaolin Kungfu, though Shaolin movements are usually more simple and direct.

This is interesting, isn’t it? Many people may rationalize that one should start with the simple and direct, then progress to the more sophisticated and circular. But our experience shows that once we have mastered the simple and direct, attempting the more sophisticated and circular is easy.

Jose Antonio will be happy to read this. When we were on the Blue Mountain at the beginning of the year (2012), there was a passionate debate between the Shaolin camp and the Taijiquan camp over a statement I made that my Taijiquan practice had contributed greatly to my Shaolin Kungfu. Even Shaolin diehard like Anthony K spoke glowlingly of Taijiquan. Jose Antonio, who switched from Taijiquan to Shaolin Kungfu, was concerned.

In our school the issue of whether Taijiquan and Tao or Shaolin Kungfu and Zen are better, does not arise. We have the best of all the four worlds.

[Anthony S]

Thank you Sifu for making this so clear to us.

[Luo Lang]

Question/Answer 2

Question/Answer 2:

Question 2

Zen Buddhism (and I think Buddhism in general) is offered up as A way whereas most world religions popularly consider themselves THE way.

What are your ideas on this?

I think saying that your way is the "one and only" just serves your own ego (I am right and you are wrong) and would increase attachment.

Of course most religions do respect the others, and I'm not implying they are boastful.

By the way, am I correct in using the English word "religion" for Zen? I believe it is much more than that.

Jimbeaux


Answer:

One main reason that makes Buddhism stand out from other world religions is, as you have said, that Buddhism is offered as a way to spiritual fulfilment whereas the other religions are offered as the way.

Buddhists do this not because they are modest in their claim but because this is their conviction. Buddhists are sincerely convinced that there are different ways to spiritual fulfilment, and that Buddhism is one of the ways. Indeed, Buddhists would advise those who are spiritually happy in their own religion but intend to switch to Buddhism, to remain in their original religion.

But Buddhism is not the only world religion that is offered as a way. Taoism and Hinduism also never claim that theirs is the only way to salvation.

Saying that their way is the “one and only” does not necessarily serve their own ego, and does not necessarily increase attachment. Many who hold this view honestly believe in the truth of their statement, and are sincere in wanting to help others in spiritual fulfilment. Many of them are also selfless and have contributed greatly to the welfare of those they preach to. The issue is not their ego-serving or their sincerity, but whether what they think is the truth is really the truth.

Using “religion” to describe Zen is incorrect. Zen is non-religious. It can be practiced by and benefit any person of any religion, or of no professed religion.

The term “Zen” may cause confusion for many people. But much of the confusion can be cleared or avoided if they know that Zen has three related but different meanings.

At the most supreme level, Zen refers to the Cosmic Reality. At the intermediate level, Zen refers to a glimpse of this Cosmic Reality. At the lowest level, Zen refers to a training of mind, which is usually thought inadequately described as meditation.

The term “meditation” comes from the verb “meditating”, which means pondering or intellectualizing. Pondering or intellectualizing is exactly what to be avoided in Zen training of mind, or Zen meditation.

Zen is sometimes used to refer to Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism, or even Buddhism itself, is strictly not a religion as the term is normally conceptualized by people in the West. The gist of Buddhism is to avoid evil, do good and cultivate the mind. Zen Buddhism is that school of Buddhism that focuses on mind cultivation. Hence, in the Shaolin Monastery, which was a Zen monastery, there were Shaolin masters who were Taoist, Christian and Muslim.

Let us have some fun as well insight into spiritual cultivation. The following is taken from my yet-to-be-published manuscript on the Heart Sutra.

>> Let us now examine what the greatest masters say about their supreme spiritual experience. Can you tell the religions of these masters from their quotations below? Again, connotative terms are replaced by the neutral term “Cosmic Reality”.

Experience 1:

What is to know of the Unity of the Supreme Reality
It is to extinguish oneself in the presence of the One
Should thou desire to be as bright as day
Burn out thy separate existence like the candle of light
Since separate existence brings in violent inebriation
Reason forsakes the mind, shame the heart
He who loses his separate existence
The result of what he does is always full of bliss

Experience 2:

He saw a light which banished away the darkness of the night – upon this sight
a marvellous strange thing followed. The whole world gathered – as it were –
under one bean of the sun, was presented before his eyes. For by that
supernatural light, the capacity of the inward soul was enlarged. But albeit the
world was gathered before his eyes, yet were not the heaven and earth drawn
into any lesser form than they be of themselves, but the soul or the beholder
was more enlarged.

Experience 3:

Thence comes cessation of ignorance, the cause of suffering, and freedom
from the power of life and death. Then the whole universe, with all its objects
of sense=knowledge, becomes as nothing in comparison to that infinite
knowledge which is free from all obstructions and impurities.

Experience 4:

The Real Mind does not think,;does not ponder; there is no thought. When
there is no thinking, no thought, life and death cease. As I cultivate my mind,
there is emptiness, devoid of all phenomena. Whatever phenomena there are,
are due to principle. This is the primordial principle, the principle of the
Supreme Reality. Before me is the spread of emptiness; all consciousness is
unseparated and infinite. As I return to my real, permanent, original self, there
is void and tranquillity, an undifferentiated spread of brightness, attaining the
great cosmic spontaneity.

The first quotation records the experience of Mawlana Jalalad Din Rumi. The term !Supreme Realtiy” is to be replaced by “God” in the original passage. This Muslim master teaches that in the moment of supreme spiritual fulfilment, the aspirant and God is one; there is nothing besides God.

He also teaches that the mind must be emptied of thoughts, and the heart emptied of shame if anyone is to attain this highrest fulfilment. If we substitute the term “God” with “the Tathagata” – both of which are respectively Muslim and Buddhist terms for the Supreme Reality – the above poem can easily be taken as a Buddhist gatha.

The second quotation records the ecstatic spiritual experience of Saint Benedict. It is similar to an enlightenment experience of a Buddhist master, in which he perceives the whole world in celestial light, and directly experiences that he expands to become the universe.

In the third quotation, Patanjali, the father of yoga, describes the highest accomplishment of a yogi when his atman attains union with Brahman, the Hindu term for the Supreme Reality. This quotation reads exactly like a Buddhist text, especially when “life and death” in the quotation above is replaced by “karma” as in the original.

When the aspirant attains his highest spiritual fulfilment, he realizes that all the objects that he earlier perceived with his senses, are actually nothing, because ultimate reality is unobstructed and pure. This is exactly the same as saying, in Buddhist vocabulary, the enlightened being realizes that phenomena are illusory because ultimate reality is undifferentiated and tranquil.

The fourth quotation is taken from a Taoist classic, “The True Teaching on Cosmic Nature” by Ji Yi Zi. The expression “life and death cease” and “the Supreme Reality” in the above quotation are replaced by “the cycle of rebirth ceases” and “Tao” respectively in the original. The Real Mind means the Universal Mind.

The Taoist master explains that in the Universal Mind or Ultimate Reality, there is no thought; when thought ceases, the cycle of rebirth ceases; in his highest spiritual attainment, he experiences that the Ultimate Reality is emptiness, devoid of all phenomena; phenomena appear to us in our ordinary consciousness because of the primodial principle, which in Buddhism is described as the principle of dependent origination (to be explained in a later chapter).

He mentions a great cosmic truth that is often exphasized in Zen Buddhism, i.e. when he attains the highest spiritual fulfilment, it is returning to his original self. In Zen vocabulary, it is expressed as when one attains Enlightenment, it is actualizing his original Buddha nature. Both statements mean the same thing: when we are enlightened, we realize that our individual bodies and individual souls are an illusion; in reality we are the universe! <<

It is obvious that all the great masters of different religions say the same Truth. Personally, this is one of the most beautiful lessons I have in my many years of training.

[brendan]

Thank you Sifu,

Really wonderful answers. Makes me appreciate how lucky we are in our school to have such spiritual glimpses of what these Masters have said. And to experience a one pointed mind and a none pointed mind in our Kung Fu, Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Kung. Thank's to your great teaching.

I feel extremely lucky.

Shaolin Salute,
Brendan

[Luo Lang]

Answer 3

Answer 3, another wonderful account. Enjoy reading:

Question 3:

The ultimate goal in Zen Buddhism is to attain the supreme perfect Enlightenment (anuttara samyak sambodhi) and the path to this may be gradual or sudden. At times in the past I recall you mentioned that most people are not ready for the ultimate goal and so the aims may be more mundane. Despite more mundane objectives do the training methods we use in our school actually represent the gradual path and are there specific sign posts or milestones that can be used to verify ones progress towards the ultimate goal.

Joel


Answer:

The ultimate goal in Buddhism is to attain perfect Enlightenment. This can be achieved in a sudden or a gradual way.

Zen Buddhism represents the sudden way. When a practitioner attains perfectly no thought, he attains perfect Enlightenment in an instant.

Other schools of Buddhism represent the gradual way. A practitioner first attains a one-pointed mind. Then he employs the one-pointed mind to contemplate on Cosmic Reality. When he realizes that Cosmic Reality is undifferentiated, he attains perfect Enlightenment.

It is the same Enlightenment, but the approach is different. The meditation methods are different too. In Zen, the meditation is on no thoughts. In other schools of Buddhism, the mediation goes through the processes of concentration and contemplation.

Yes, most people, including ourselves in Shaolin Wahnam, are not ready to this ultimate goal of attaining perfect Enlightenment. We are not interested in the mundane aims of attaining good health, vitality, longevity, mental freshness, spiritual joys and combat efficiency.

But in realizing these mundane aims our training methods represent the sudden path of Zen, rather than the gradual path of other schools, Buddhist or otherwise. Even in Taijiquan, which manifests Tao rather than Zen, our methods are sudden rather than gradual.

In chi kung, for example, the gradual path, which is the normal path of most chi kung practitioners, is to practice a technique over and over again to acquire the necessary skills which then lead to desired results. Chi kung practitioners in general can generate an energy flow only after many months or years of dedicated practice.

But in our school, we employ the sudden path. Students at my intensive chi kung courses, for example, can generate an energy on the very first day. Students in regular classes may take a few days, not because our instructors are unable to guide them to do so in one day but because as they have more time than students at intensive courses, the instructor purposely spread over the skills development over a longer period for the students; benefit. But compared to other students, it is very fast.

Other practitioners have to practice for many months, if they are lucky, to experience internal force. Most of them have no opportunity to experience internal force at all. Our Shaolin and Taijiquan students could experience internal force in just one day”

Indeed, we have become so cost-effective in achieving chi kung and kungfu results, like chi flow and internal force, that it has become ridiculous – in a good sense.

How is it that we can be so successful in using the sudden approach to achieve results in such a short time, when
other people have to use the gradual approach which takes a much longer time? This is because of heart to heart transmission, which is a hallmark of Zen.

Most monks would have to cultivate for a long time before they could attain Enlightenment. But when the Buddha showed a flower to Kasyapa, Kasyapa smilled and attained Enlightenment in an instant. This was due to the heart to heart transmission from th Buddha to Kasyapa.

Hui Ke had to wait for a long time before Bodhidharma taught him. But when Bohdidharma asked Hui Ke to bring out his mind so that Bodhidharma could show him how to pacify it, Hui Ke was enlightened in an instant. This was due to the heart to heart transmission from Bodhidharma to Hui Ke.

Just now in the Intensive Chi Kung Course in Sabah, students, including many beginners, had a cosmic shower in just one session, whereas it would take other advanced practitioners at least a year or two to have a similar result. It was due to a heart to heart transmission from me to the students. We use the sudden path, whereas most other practitioners use the gradual.

The sign posts or milestones that verify success are the direct experience of the practitioners. Practitioners know that they can generate an energy flow when they generate an energy flow. They know they can develop internal force or enjoy a cosmic shower when they have developed internal force or are enjoying a cosmic shower.

Realizing the ultimate goal of perfect Enlightenment is not an aim in our school. Our aims are mundane, and down to earth, and can be generalized as enjoying good health, vitality, longevity, mental freshness and spiritual joys, and for those who practice Shaolin Kungfu and Taijiquan, combat efficiency. We know we have realized these aims when we directly experience the results, though for longevity, many of our Shaolin Wahnam members have to wait for 30 to 50 years before they can confirm it.

But for academic interest, yes, there are sign posts or milestones that can be used to verify ones progress towards the ultimate goal. Like in the mundane aims, the best sigh posts and milestones are direct experience. Firstly, there is a surge of compassion towards all living beings, including non-human. While a surge of compassionate feeling may be due to other factors besides progress towards attaining Enlightenment, such a progress is always preceded by a surge of compassion.

Then there is an urge to know what lies beyond physical life. Similarly, there may be other factors resulting in this urge, but spiritual progress is usually preceded by such an urge.

A sure sign post or milestone is an experience of spiritual awakening, like experience his spirit expands beyond his physical body, or he is no where and everywhere. It is amazing that many of our students have such experiences during their chi kung or kungfu practice.

[Andy]

Wonderful and inspiring

Thank you to all those who asked the questions,

Thank you to Roland Sihing for enabling all this,

Thank you very much to Sifu for the profound answers,