in practice chan do I need teacher !

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SunWuKong
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Re: in practice chan do I need teacher !

Post by SunWuKong »

To practice Ch'an, that is after you learn what you need to know to get started, you don't need a teacher.

Unless you want to move forward in the sangha.

Or until you have a problem, or get stuck in your practice.

Or if you want kung-an instruction.

Or a lot of other fun things.

If the problem is, there is no teacher near you, possibly you can make arrangements for getting instruction online?
"We are magical animals that roam" ~ Roam
adept
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Re: in practice chan do I need teacher !

Post by adept »

SunWuKong wrote: Sat Apr 27, 2019 12:01 am To practice Ch'an, that is after you learn what you need to know to get started, you don't need a teacher.

Unless you want to move forward in the sangha.

Or until you have a problem, or get stuck in your practice.

Or if you want kung-an instruction.

Or a lot of other fun things.

If the problem is, there is no teacher near you, possibly you can make arrangements for getting instruction online?
Thank you for your insightful post. I have been in touch with a Ch'an teacher and he confirmed everything you said. As a result of this communication, I've tweaked my practice a little and incorporated attending to the hua tou.
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SunWuKong
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Re: in practice chan do I need teacher !

Post by SunWuKong »

adept wrote: Sat Apr 27, 2019 11:35 am
SunWuKong wrote: Sat Apr 27, 2019 12:01 am To practice Ch'an, that is after you learn what you need to know to get started, you don't need a teacher.

Unless you want to move forward in the sangha.

Or until you have a problem, or get stuck in your practice.

Or if you want kung-an instruction.

Or a lot of other fun things.

If the problem is, there is no teacher near you, possibly you can make arrangements for getting instruction online?
Thank you for your insightful post. I have been in touch with a Ch'an teacher and he confirmed everything you said. As a result of this communication, I've tweaked my practice a little and incorporated attending to the hua tou.
Great! Have fun!!
"We are magical animals that roam" ~ Roam
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gedatsu
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Re: in practice chan do I need teacher !

Post by gedatsu »

The importance of Zen or Chan teachers is that, for you, they represent the Buddha and his teachings. Still, they are by no means Buddhas. And here is the kicker, there is no way you can tell if they are Buddhas. The important thing is the teacher represents the Buddha and his teachings. After a few years you will realize that you have to rely on yourself — not the teacher. The buddha-nature lies hidden within you which is covered over by habitual delusions. Eventually, you have to clear it away so you can see, firsthand, your buddha-nature. One more thing, for a while I believed my teacher was the Buddha and I followed his every word. I outgrew this and became self-reliant. Eventually, I found myself living in seclusion and meditating in an abandoned adit (a nearly horizontal opening by which a mine is entered — called also a tunnel)!
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Taikor.Taikun
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Re: in practice chan do I need teacher !

Post by Taikor.Taikun »

Hi, need advise from Chan practitioners.

In some Chan learning centres n temples, i am told that a Master is required to prevent spirits from entering the body. I heard the same thing in Yoga. Is that correct?

I know practicing Chan generally requires a Master and the right place for beginners. The Master can help to observe, adjust our postures, monitor our concentration, guide us, test us... etc. But the thing about spirits, worries me. Please enlighten
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Astus
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Re: in practice chan do I need teacher !

Post by Astus »

Taikor.Taikun wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 6:19 amIs that correct?
Doesn't sound like that. The various beliefs about spirits are usually local folklore and not strictly Buddhist ideas.
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
spiritsu
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Re: in practice chan do I need teacher !

Post by spiritsu »

Taikor.Taikun wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2019 6:19 am Hi, need advise from Chan practitioners.

In some Chan learning centres n temples, i am told that a Master is required to prevent spirits from entering the body. I heard the same thing in Yoga. Is that correct?
I would be interested to know where this idea comes from if you have any references.
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