Month: December 2020
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The Perils Of States, Stages, And Stations
Zen and Chan (Chinese Zen) often have little to say about states, stages, and stations along the path–and for good reason. Concerning the huatou, Chan master Sheng Zen writes, [T]here are three stages in the development and resolution of the Chan doubt: first, giving rise to the doubt sensation; second, generating the great doubt mass;…
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Intellectual Bypass
You’ve no doubt heard of spiritual bypass. Someone uses spirituality to go around his psychological baggage. The result is that the one so bypassing continues to “act out” his shit despite having attained greater states of consciousness. My Zen teacher recently pointed out that in addition to spiritual bypass, there is also psychological bypass. In…
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Great Faith And Humble Openness, Not Modern Doubt Point The Way Ahead
At a Chan retreat, Chan master Sheng Yen says, But then again, some people may soon enough have doubts. The first day, they may listen and think, “Yes, I agree,” and tomorrow, they will say, “Prove it to me. Why does Dharma say this? Doesn’t Buddhadharma say this and that?” This habit is also a…
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Renunciation And Fragility
While reading Chan master Sheng Yen’s Shattering the Great Doubt: The Chan Practice of Huatou, I was reminded of Peter Sloterdijk’s You Must Change Your Life. Sheng Yen’s understanding of renunciation chimes well with Sloterdijk’s notion of secession. A Chan monk begins by renouncing samsara; an agile practitioner of the Sloterdijkian mold does something similar.…
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It’s Only Temporary Relief, I’m Afraid
People easily misunderstand Zen. When a practitioner puts his legs into a pretzeled position and sits there without moving for long stretches at a time, it can seem as if this is a ‘punishing act’ or as if this requires ‘great endurance’ or ‘great perseverance.’ Moreover, it can seem as if this Zen master, urging…
Andrew Taggart, Ph.D. 