<An-Hsiang Ch’an>Decoding An-Hsiang

Lecturer: Master Geng-Yun

Photographer: Richard Chen

“Buddha holding a flower without saying a word is the exactly symbolic representation of An-Hsiang. It was the sage Mahakassapa who smiled joyously to manifest his instantaneous realization of the teaching of Buddha.” This is the very origin of An-Hsiang Ch’an.

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The An-Hsiang Ch’an only has one precept to follow, which is “Never do or think anything that you are ashamed to tell others.”

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In practicing An-Hsiang Ch’an, you do not need to alter the external factors influencing your lifestyle; what you have to do is to alter your internal frame of mind. It simply asks you to respect yourself, discipline yourself, develop yourself, recognize yourself, affirm yourself, purify yourself, upgrade yourself, and fulfill yourself.

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Karma is the accumulation of all our actions and thoughts from the day we were born to the present. It is formed from the recognition of the external world, the association with the conscious issues and an exposure of all the negative and destructive emotions which emerge from the self.

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People should always introspectively reflect upon their lives, which will enable them to realize how their personalities have been formed and consequently can break through the barrier of karma to attain An-Hsiang and enjoy their blissful lives.

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Practicing Ch’an is not a mysterious term, nor a specialized phrase reserved only for monks. On the contrary, it is a compulsory subject that everyone must be aware of. To practice Ch’an simply means to rectify your thoughts and behaviors.

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It is a state of harmonious and unified mind that is free from worries, fears, desires, flattery and conflicts and also liberated from any attachments and contrasts. This state of mind is exactly the true perception and benefits of Dharma practice.

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An-Hsiang is the Genuine Perception;An-Hsiang is Samaya.An-Hsiang is the True Origin;An-Hsiang is the instinctive force of the original mind.An-Hsiang is the revelation of Maha Prajna (the Great Wisdom).

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An-Hsiang is derived from a peaceful and guiltless mind. 

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An-Hsiang is derived from maintaining legitimate, but not indulgent desires. 

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An-Hsiang is derived from the verification of the truth of the life and the universe. 

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An-Hsiang can repay the favors that normally cannot be repaid - to our parents, to our country, to the heaven and the earth and to all the sentient beings.

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People with An-Hsiang are naturally fit and strong and look decent. An-Hsiang can evaporate thousands of disasters to be invisible, and resist countless hardship.

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Apart from An-Hsiang, the practitioners cannot find the true perception and benefits of their practice, nor true life, true blood and pulse of Ch’an.

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Buddha Sakyamuni meditated under a bodhi tree and attained his enlightenment by realizing “the law of Conditioned Genesis”. The law of Conditioned Genesis is the law of organization. Therefore, it can be interpreted that “organization is the common cause of all things and the only means to create things”, and “to apply various conditions to change and improve the value and meaning of existence. True Buddhadharma teaches us to fulfill our responsibilities and obligations in our everyday lives.

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<Our original self is the Truth of the Universe. Many people are unwilling to reflect upon their own lives and find the answers they are searching for within themselves; hence they are always consumed by their worries. If it is not because you do, say, comprehend or view something wrong, will you have worries? Consequently, "mistakes are the causes of worries and destruction is the result of crimes."

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What we pursue in our lives is to live with a purified mind without any repentance. The meaning and value of our own life should not be built on the favors or disfavors of those subjective and prejudiced people. If we do not have such persistence and self-confidence, we will live in constant frustration.

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<The Mean emphasizes a moderate course of action, which can benefit both ourselves and others. It does not encourage people to make self-sacrifices to benefit only other people.

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A family unit is the site for Ch’an practice. Practitioners’ biggest mistake is always trying to transform other people to satisfy their own expectations. This is a mentality of Asura (a deity famous for his stormy temper). Firstly, you should try to improve yourself. When you have sufficiently reformed yourself, your family will also reform themselves accordingly.

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<What we need most is to find a habitation for our real purpose and to develop our true emotion. If we are only devoted to pursuing power and material pleasure, we will suffer from the emptiness within our lives. This is because our desire never ends.

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<A harmonious and complete family unit provides the best environment to foster great saints and sages. Parents should not spoil their children, instead, they should constantly encourage them to be courageous and help them build up a personality to face but not escape from reality. We should be strict to ourselves, but not to our families. People, who completely fulfill their own responsibilities and obligations to manage their families, are practicing Ch’an.

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People, who escape from responsibilities and obligations to concentrate only on the Ch’an practice, will never succeed. Rewards come after one’s efforts and contributions earn respect. When you are recognized as an integral part of your work place, your life becomes meaningful. It is because failing to create the value of life will definitely make life valueless.

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<Actually worries come from people. We should always seek our own faults, instead of others’. When we find people’s faults, we gain nothing but more worries.

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Illusive thoughts are the main enemies to the Ch’an practitioners. Illusive thoughts definitely obstruct our practice; moreover, it also shortens our life span.

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In order not to live with troubles, one has to be particularly cautious about one’s speeches and deeds. Always keep a civil tongue in your mouth, as its influence is very powerful.

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<Our self-adherences are derived from our likes and dislikes, which then form the desire of possession. The possessive desire brings us the desire of domination, which makes us create negative karma. That is the origin of “the original sin”. “Separation from differentiation” is equal to “exterminating the original sin”.

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Fear stems mostly from self-adherence. While fear makes life decay, An-Hsiang makes life prosperous.

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<"The fire of anger can burn the forest of all the moral achievements and merits.” Losing temper will attract demons, and depression will bring ghosts.

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When the external world becomes distorted because of our incorrect state of minds, our life is full of conflicts, regrets, chaos and bitterness.Unless we have striven for self-realization and have reached the origins of all life, we will be unable to appreciate the unified mentality of An-Hsiang.

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People who always feel pity for themselves will inevitably destroy themselves.

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People, who most easily forgive themselves, are most unlikely forgiven by others, Buddha and Heaven. On the contrary, people, who most willingly condemn themselves, will most easily secure the forgiveness from others, Buddha and Heaven.”

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<><The Samaya (Meditation) advocated by the Patriarchs of the Ch’an School is that one’s mind will not be allured by the outside environment, whereas the inside of one’s mind is in an undisturbed peace. If a Ch’an practitioner’s mind is always full of discrimination and adherence, he is not conducting the Genuine Practice.

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People who have reached the state of “genuine life” through practice can possess the genuine bliss, which is free from any impurity or conditions. In the genuine life, there is no love, disgust, desire, excitement, anger, sadness or joy, the so-called seven emotions and six sensory pleasures, nor jealousy, complaints or hatred. The genuine life is a perfect life where heaven and mankind have been completely combined and its full content is “Eternity , Delight, Self-consciousness and Purity”.

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All the above statements have been quoted from Master Geng-Yun’s publication – <An-Hsiang Ch’an>. You are more than welcome to visit the following websites to further understand Buddha Sakyamuni’s genuine Dharma and join us in the march towards the path of bliss. http://eg.anhsiangchan.org/May you always be aware of your mind,conscious of your thoughts,free from the burdens of guilt and regret,and lead a life filled with An-Hsiang.