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Post by Shi Da Dao on May 15, 2019 19:22:51 GMT 1
I asked Richard what was the answer to all this material 'stuff' which continuously assaults the senses? He answered that we can use the worldly way of 'organising' sensation into logical and easily processed 'bits' of information. We can do this, and if we do it right, we can bring order to the outer world but this does not always mean that our inner world is any better for it. This is the worldly way that spans anything from intense ignorance to sublime wisdom -and every level inbetween. It can be useful, and it may even progress human understanding and produce a better world as a result - but the fundamental problem of inner suffering often remains. An interesting thought experiment is that of considering an external world governed by a culture entirely free of greed, hatred and delusion, and what this might mean for generations of human-beings brought-up within it. In the meantime, with our less than perfect world we must realise not only the profound 'emptiness' of material reality - but also the 'empty nature' of this emptiness. This is the domain (and expertise) of the Ch'an method.
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Post by Shi Da Dao on May 18, 2019 8:28:50 GMT 1
When Richard Hunn (1949-2006) was very ill (around June 2006), we discussed ‘giving-up the body’, or ‘dying’ to everyone else. Whereas meditative development involves the perception (and non-perception) of phenomena, the dying process also involves the ‘falling away’ of the sensory apparatus which usually ‘perceives’. This is an entirely ‘new’ type of experience which is probably better explained as an ‘anti-experience’ as there is ‘nothing’ to experience it! What is usually understood to be ‘non-perception’ is a modification of ‘perception’. It is a rarefied form of perceiving but cannot be the same as the dying process in reality. As the five aggregates fall apart, or the cohesive (karmic) forces dissolve (that define a ‘life’), there may be some type of mind-awareness which lasts longer than the bodily senses, but as the Buddha says, even this finally passes away and is impermanent. As the Buddha denies a spirit in opposition to matter, there is no ‘soul’ entity which can ‘experience’ anything beyond the normal sensory operation. To think that there is, is a descent into unwarranted mysticism. That which is beyond ‘thought’ cannot be reliant upon ‘thought’ in the final analysis. There is only direct awareness which permeates material reality. The Ch’an Method perceives this reality and whatever lies beyond conventional reality (if anything) remains non-communicative whilst using conventional language. Richard passed away sat-up in a Kyoto hospital bed in October, 2006.
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Sept 16, 2019 7:42:18 GMT 1
There are certain strengths to training alone. By disengaging from the world around (to various and appropriate levels), the practitioner is able to reduce the klesic chatter that defines surface mind movement and the corresponding emotional and sensational reactions. Of course, ‘being alone’ is very different to being ‘lonely’ and is the true essence of the Western term ‘monasticism’, which, as a concept, may well have been invented by the Indian Buddhists centuries before the rise of Christianity in the Middle East. Being alone is merely an expedient accessing point to the empty mind ground and need not be taken in its literal capacity. One cane be alone, for sure, but equally one could exist in a crowded shopping centre and still be able to ‘return’ ALL sensory stimulus to the empty mind ground. This is the untying of the six knots in the Lankavatara Sutra (the original Ch’an text), a process which results in the ‘turning about’ of the mind at its deepest levels, also explained in the same text.
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Oct 2, 2019 9:02:42 GMT 1
Dear M (Email 2.10.2019) Thank you for your interesting email and kind words. I remember asking Richard Hunn whether we should compile a list of all his academic and spiritual achievements, but he looked at me puzzled, and said that he did not want to be a) remembered, or b) pinned-down by a particular viewpoint of 'history'. He certainly did not want to be associated with any single university or geographical location, etc. Obscurity has its value! The 'non-abiding mind', or the 'Man of Dao' who makes no choices. There is much dishonesty in the spiritual world simply because greed, hatred and delusion has not been uprooted, the mind has not been 'stilled', and conscious awareness 'expanded' (as the barrier that appears to separate 'subject-object' has not yet dissolved). Master Fo Yuan wenshuchan-online.weebly.com/master-fo-yuan-1922-2009.htmlMaster Ming Xiang (明向) is the 'Abbot' or 'Head Monk' mentioned above, and is the Dharma-Inheritor of Master Fo Yuan (a direct disciple of Xu Yun), In the West there are people who contacted me claiming to be Dharma-Inheritors of Fo Yuan, I asked Master Ming Xiang whether a) Westerners had visited the Yun Men Temple and he replied 'Yes'. I then replied whether any Westerners had received Dharma-Inheritance from Master Fo Yuan (and after checking the temple records) replied 'no'. When I asked 'why' this was, Master Ming Xiang replied that none of these individuals were spiritually mature emough. Therefore, 'obscurity' definitely has its advantages! As for Master Xu Yun (1840-1959), he inheritaed all Five Schools of Ch'an, but was 'freed' through the Caodong Lineage - which is the preferred methodology of our linegage - although, of course, all roads lead to the empty mind ground! Caodong Lineage wenshuchan-online.weebly.com/cao-dong-enlightenment---the-five-positions-of-ruler-and-minister.htmlWith Metta Adrian (Shi Da Dao)
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Nov 17, 2019 16:46:13 GMT 1
Two photographs provided by Richard Hunn's widow - Taeko - depicting Richard Hunn playing the guitar in a local mucis group based in Kyoto. Richard Hunn said that they practiced even when out camping in the wilderness. He particularly liked playing for ill and injured children in hospital in Japan.
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Mar 25, 2020 14:59:13 GMT 1
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Oct 26, 2020 10:48:45 GMT 1
Email: Charles Luk - Reprints & 'Copyright' (26.10.2020) Dear B Thank you for your interesting email(s). Richard Hunn (1949-2006) moved in much more appropriate circles for this task, and possessed the effective connections (which is everything within UK culture), to ‘influence’ Publishers in the activity of reprinting the books of Charles Luk as hard-copies circulating within the real world. As a consequence, Richard Hunn was not that interested in using the internet for this task, and left this interesting possibility to myself and my friends and colleagues. Oddly, living in (Kyoto) Japan from 1991-2006 seems to have firmly centred his mind upon the wonderful and magnificent temple architecture in the area (that was spared from US bombing during WWII). On occasion, I would receive a postcard or letter (with photographs) detailing his latest expedition and experiences in an ancient temple whilst interviewing an old master! He discovered that the older Japanese spiritual and martial traditions (unsullied by the influence of Japanese fascism prior to WWII), were a) often from China, and b) retained their Chinese character. Many of these old masters (and their teachers) were left to pursue their respective spiritual paths in the 1930s and 1940s – and were completely bypassed by WWII. As for the practicality of ‘reprints’ - all I have managed to do is authorise and guide the (2011) Bulgarian-language reprint of ‘Empty Cloud’ (Xu Yun’s Biography) published in paperback. I believe someone translated the text into Spanish and published the text online with my initial approval. A number of US publishers have contacted me over the years with the idea of reprinting the texts purely for their own commercial enrichment. They are seeking some kind of ‘approval’ from someone they think has ‘authority’ - and then they ‘exclude’ the approval-giver from the rest of the project, etc. This is similar to publishers wanting to print or reprint our work whilst substantially ‘changing’ it, or not changing what needs to be changed. As matters stand, occasionally, a US Publishing House (such as Samuel Weiser) reprints the odd Charles Luk title (such as ‘The Secrets of Chinese Meditation’ and ‘Ch’an and Zen Teaching – Series Two’, etc). In India, the Publishing Houses ‘Munshiram Manoharlal’ (New Dehli) and ‘Motilal Banarsidass’ (email: mlbd@vsnl.com) often reprint the odd title. Richard Hunn used to keep a continuous dialogue with people he knew - who worked in these businesses – and in return they tried to influence their bosses to reprint, etc. Occasionally, I would receive a postcard informing me of a ‘success’ in this area, or even a ‘new’ copy of the ‘Surangama Sutra’! As I do not possess the same social connections in this area, I have not been as effective as Richard Hunn. This is why I have focused my efforts upon direct (forensic) translations published straight to the internet for immediate dissemination and ‘ingestion’ by the general public. My function involves a direct connection (and effective interacting) with Chinese Buddhist and Daoist masters, academic colleagues, friends and acquaintances living and working within Mainland China – and/or elsewhere in the world (I.e. the ‘Chinese Diaspora’). On occasion, we our honoured (and humbled) to have important Chinese people take the time to visit us (in our flat) in South London, etc, whilst visiting the UK. One small success in this area has involved one or two of my English-language articles about our Ch’an lineage in the West being picked-up by the Chinese-language media – translated into the Chinese-language- and published throughout the Chinese-language print media and across the Chinese-language internet. Of course, Daoist Master Zhao Ming Wang (and his colleagues) has always supported my work without question or limit. As regards ‘Copyright’ - Richard Hunn directly contacted Irene Luk around 1987 for permission for the 1988 reprint of ‘Empty Cloud’. As Charles Luk’s daughter – she owned the control of her father’s ‘Copyright’ and Intellectual Rights to his work. Irene Luk, I believe, was elderly herself at the time, (we think about 60-yers-old), and she gave Richard Hunn (and his authorised academic staff) - ‘Permission’ to reprint this text with the caveat that the ‘Copyright’ remains the property of Charles Luk. Therefore, Irene Luk stated the Copyright notice should read: ‘The Executors of the late Charles Luk 1988’. Remember, this was a time before the development of the internet, and all the changes and possibilities of reproducing ‘Copyrighted’ texts without violating that ‘Copyright’, etc. When Richard Hunn requested that we use our family connections in the Hong Kong area to locate Irene Luk in 2002, despite our best efforts, we could not find any mention or knowledge of her! Peace in the Dharma Adrian
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Feb 14, 2021 9:30:39 GMT 1
Richard Hunn fitted-in with the ethnic Chinese scene more than any other European that I have ever seen! After-all, he did immerse himself in Japanese culture by relocating to live in Japan in 1991 – and whilst their – meet and marry ‘Taeko’’ his eventual wife. Japan is not China, of course, and Japanese culture is not Chinese culture, but nevertheless, Richard Hunn was just at home in Hong Kong as he was in South Korea! (The latter two places he had to visit from time to time for academic and Ch’an purposes). When he was introduced to my ethnic (Hakka) Chinese family, he surprised us all by speaking a few words of the Hakka language to our Matriarch – Cheung Yat-Tai (1924-2011) – the wife of Master Chan Tin Sang (1924-1993). He very much appreciated the traditional #hakka-food and his use of chopsticks was impeccable! When visiting the houses of older Chinese relatives in South London (all from the New Territories in Hong Kong), Richard Hunn would light ‘incense’ at the family (ancestral) shrine that is present in all such places, and after ‘praying’ for the well-being of the deceased – would very carefully take note of each Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian statue – as well as all the other artefacts and symbols. Later, he would retrieve the large (and well-used) notebook he always carried with him, and using a pencil would ‘draw’ the shrine and reproduce all of its contents in exactly the correct places. As Chinese folk religion is a vast and diverse subject, quite often no two-family shrines were the identical – even within the same Chinese community! He would correlate this data and seek out expert advice if there was something ‘new’ or a detail he had never seen before. This is because many Chinese families simply ‘inherit’ modes of spiritual and religious worship and self-cultivation and quite often possess no other knowledge of where this body of knowledge and ‘lore’ came from or originated. The Confucian influence required that each new generation ‘learned’ the traditions of the previous generation WITHOUT changing a single thing out of respect! The family shrine would be perfectly replicated from one generation to the next, with every statue in its right place and every ritual clearly understood. As each year circled round, the various (and ‘required’) ceremonies would be performed like clockwork! In this way, te ancestors were ‘honoured’ and the qi-energy flow between the Broad Earth and the Divine Sky was optimal and unhindered. This situation, once attained and perpetuated, is best represented by Hexagram: Hexagram 30 ‘離’ (li2) = ‘Radiance’ Left-hand particle = 离 (li2) = A net with a handle – like a ‘Butterfly’ net Right-hand particle = 隹 (zhui1) = Short-Tailed Bird The ancient meaning is that a ‘finch-type’ bird escapes from a net which is designed to catch and hinder its progress. As there are a number of birds caught in the net – it follows that once they escape from the situation that would threaten them so – they ‘scatter’ and fly in all directions at once. These ‘free’ birds ‘fly toward the light’ which covers the entire sky! As this denotes a time of great progress and inspiration, by association, the ‘bright light’ which guides the escaping birds has become directly associated with the meaning of the ideogram ‘離’ (li2). The human realm of ‘yin’ (the ‘broken’ line or lines) is firmly hemmed-in by two very strong ‘yang’ (unbroken) lines ensuring ‘brightness’ above and ‘brightness’ below. Yang signifies ‘brightness’ whilst ‘yin’ represents ‘darkness’ (or at least ‘obscured’ light) - but remember these designations are in a state of continuous flux and are never ‘still’ for a moment! The human mind (through ‘thought’) and the human body (through action) can ‘improve’ or ‘make worse’ any existing situation. Within ‘Yijing’ symbolism, this hexagram is comprised of a doubling-up of the Trigram 'Fire’: ☲ Which is also referred to by the ideogram ‘離’ (li2). When all is correct in the world, building from the ground upwards the lower (foundational) line is ‘pure yang’ and represents a fertile and vibrant Broad Earth, the central broken line is ‘pure yin’ but represents out and out ‘radiance’ and ‘light’, whilst the top line represents ‘pure yang’ and denotes a settled and efficient Divine Sky’. As Hexagram 30 represents this excellent situation ‘doubled’ - it is a time of great human interaction, development and accomplishment. As the middle-line of the trigram (and the middle-two lines of the hexagram) represent a perfectly ‘balanced’ human-realm – there is out and out progress that cannot be stopped!
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Jul 1, 2021 16:50:55 GMT 1
With the right amount of effort - absolutely any activity can remain non-completed!Richard Hunn specified that we need a forum where we can make short posts about genuine Ch'an - posts that help individuals - but which do not 'catch' them in any nets of commercialism or systems of unwanted appreciated. For others to 'learn' how to be 'free' - this forum most operate from the premise of 'freedom'. The words used through its post have a tremendous meaning as heavy as a mountain - and yet are of no consequence and are as light as feather! The success of Richard Hunn's idea is that this forum is not recognised anywhere, does not compete with any other Ch'an or Zen establishment, and uses 'truth' as a vehicle to 'breakup' all conditioned patterns of thought and habitual behaviours! Our lack of notoriety is this forum's guiding light and the apex of its enlightened function! Richard Hunn chose me (amongst others) to carry-on this Daoist approach to Chinese Ch'an practice. I neither accepted Nor rejected - but as I was helping him set-up this forum in 2004 - it seemed logical that I keep the non-momentum going - particularly after Richard Hunn's untimely passing in 2006! Nobody knew what it meant then - and nobody knows what it means now! I have navigated the chopping waters of this forum through the world of petty egos and spiritual materialism. When the balance between 'void' and 'form' is operating properly - then this task is not difficult! On the contrary, it is a simple task - like a non-sword blow landed by a Master! Long may this forum float forever onward on the tranquil seas of 'indifference' and 'harmony'!
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Jul 3, 2021 1:50:25 GMT 1
Old Kyoto is Historically Linked to China! Our physical lives are only an issue just as long as we have to navigate their conditions to give support to Master Xu Yun’s (1840-1959) request to make available genuine Dharma-teaching. This is certainly not a conversion strategy, as each individual can do or think as they will. This is more like creating a deposit or store of Dharma-teaching that may be delved into whenever an individual might feel the need or compulsion – as there is never any external (or internal) force applied. Just as a practitioner requires a certain inspiration – the wisdom-store will be here as Master Xu Yun suggested. Whilst living in Japan, Richard Hunn became a very well-respected member of his Kyoto community – even being elected into a local office of authority! It just so happened that everyone in Japan seems to like to play the guitar as a leisure activity and so did Richard Hunn. Many people in Japan ‘relax’ through guitar-playing and even choose to take their instruments when camping! The Japanese, in general, have no problem with Ch’an being ‘Chinese’ in origin – and are generally unaware that the West tends to view ‘Zen’ as the only incarnation – but those that do know, find this attitude very odd as it denies historical fact. Kyoto itself is an ancient place in Japan with many of its martial and spiritual temples having direct historical origins and contacts with China!
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Jul 3, 2021 2:13:47 GMT 1
Comparing Constable With China's Waterways...Sometimes, the similarities between East and West are not as far away as we are led to believe!
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Jul 3, 2021 15:40:49 GMT 1
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Jul 3, 2021 16:24:20 GMT 1
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Jul 8, 2021 18:46:04 GMT 1
Ch’an and the Book of Changes The Book of Changes is compiled of sixty-four hexagrams (comprised of ‘broken’ and ‘straight’ lines) – each explaining a particular circumstance in life. Each experience (or ‘Chapter’), through the movable constituent six-lines, is connected to the other sixty-three experiences (or ‘Chapters’). Despite the thousands of years which have elapsed since its compiling, it is remarkable that each of the sixty-four situations defined, can be easily applied to the pre-modern, modern and post-modern worlds with no apparent loss of depth of meaning or relevance of interpretation. Although sometimes viewed as an early analogue computing system (exploring statistical probabilities), the Book of Changes offer guidance between ‘enlightened’ and ‘crude’ behaviour in any given situation – and the resultant consequences should one path be followed over the other. In this regard, the Book of Changes is a manual of ‘wise counsel’ and slowly trains a practitioner to discern the ‘superior’ path of endeavour in any given situation. For Ch’an practitioners, once the ‘empty mind-ground' has been realised – the next stage is to integrate the ‘void’ with the ‘form’ - or the ‘physical’ world of continuously changing circumstances.
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Post by Shi Da Dao on Jul 16, 2021 16:23:36 GMT 1
Changing Circumstance Richard Hunn Said: Before the inner mind can be transformed, it is often the case that the outer environment must be changed. This is because the inner patterns of the mind are often embedded within the physical circumstances within which we live. The ‘pull’ of reacting a certain way is so strong that it is often difficult to break a habit of response when the inner mind has been developed to reflect the outer environment. In theory at least, it is possible to sit in the midst of existential circumstance and ‘look within’ through seated meditation until the inner patterns of habit (and their deep roots) are thoroughly dissolved. Only the most extraordinary of beings can do this – even though for others there is no choice. People who live in abject poverty, war-zones or who live in prison, as well as those who reside within a disabled, injured or ill body – all must apply an effort far more stringent than a practitioner residing in optimum conditions. Do not forget that even the Buddha’s sublime teaching in India sprouted from the filth and poverty of ancient India – as even he felt the need to ‘change’ his outer life (giving-up the luxury and stability for rag-wearing and periodic starvation). Many other people, although reasonably well-off – still experience their lives as being ‘trapped’ and cannot ‘change’ anything substantial because the dynamics of the situation! None of this is a problem as such – but merely observations. Some of us are lucky enough to be able to ‘change’ are circumstances for the better – but even so, this does not automatically mean that greed, hatred and delusion are magically ‘uprooted’! There are many well-off people living in magnificent physical circumstances who are thoroughly despicable individuals who are no more enlightened than a dead tree stump or an old worn-out shoe! Yes - ‘changing’ the outer circumstances can be useful – but most of the time these changes are only temporary, like going into the mountains, forests or deserts to achieve inner peace and stability of mind! Eventually we must all return to our native conditions and ‘test’ just how far our development has progressed! (21.9.2004)
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