Volume five of Studies on Humanistic Buddhism contains eight articles translated from Chinese, one article that was written in English, and four student papers. The theme of the articles is Humanistic Chan Buddhism, particularly Fo Guang Chan as developed by Venerable Master Hsing Yun. Chan is the Chinese version of what in English is often known by the Japanese pronunciation—Zen. Read more…

Chan originated from the East and flourished there. However, in present times, Chan is no longer unique to the East, as its popularity spreads in the West. For example, many universities in America have meditation halls, a feature that is no longer limited to monasteries. Even astronauts embarking on their journey to the moon need to adopt a Chan mindset during their training. It is evident that Chan possesses a certain degree of importance in the modern age. Read more…

This article explores Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s views on the meaning of Chan by examining his answers to the important question: What is Chan? This article has three parts. First, Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s expression of Chan is described, showing a multitude of answers to this issue. The second part focuses on Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s view that Chan is the foundation of Humanistic Buddhism. The third section describes Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s idea that Chan is life in more depth. The idea that Chan is life is then further examined. Essentially, Chan is a life guided by an ordinary mind, a life lived in true reality, a life oriented toward what is good. In other words, a beautiful life. This article concludes that Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s idea of Chan is creative, fusing the teachings based on the scriptures with those outside the texts, combining Chan and Pure Land, and harmonizing the three doctrines of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Read more…

This paper discusses the meaning and practice of Fo Guang Humanistic Living Chan from two aspects: (1) Dharma can only be found in the world: the meaning of Humanistic Buddhism in Hsing Yun’s Chan Stories; and (2) Enlightenment cannot be attained away from the world: daily practice in Hsing Yun’s Chan Stories. Together, these two aspects detail the integration of Humanistic Buddhism into the everyday lives of Fo Guang members. Using Hsing Yun’s Chan Stories as the research subject, Humanistic Buddhism Chan meditation was popularized among Fo Guang members through television broadcasting in the early period (1987). The propagation of the Dharma through such a ubiquitous medium highlights Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s response to the audience’s needs. Read more…

This article examines Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s thought in the context of the history of the ideas of Chan Buddhism, which can be seen as a continuation of early Chan thought. Contextualizing the practices in the early stage of Chan, this article initially clarifies the influence of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra in the early development of Mahāyāna Buddhism in China and the meaning of true practice. The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra had a significant influence on early Chan masters, especially Bodhidharma. Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s concept of true practice is congruent with the tradition of the early Chan, but is at the same time innovative. His concept of true practice is examined by focusing on four main subjects: 1. the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, 2. its relationship with the bodhisattva path, 3. the practice of Chan, and 4. its relationship with the threefold training. Read more…

Humanistic Buddhism teaches the concept of “I am Buddha.” Engaging the spiritual attitude of a Buddha, many kinds of Buddhist activities can be undertaken in our daily lives. Subjectively, this attitude strengthens one’s resolve. Objectively, it leads to one making significant contributions to society. The Chan approach to spiritual cultivation is “This mind is Buddha.” Being in the state of mind where no thoughts arise, and having the mind of a Buddha, is a manifestation of “I am Buddha.” If one attains the former state, then no matter when one achieves Buddhahood, in this life one will do the Buddha’s work. If one attains the latter state, then no matter when one achieves Buddhahood, one will always be in the state of Buddha-mind. Read more…

Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s Humanistic Buddhism places great importance on the study and practice of Chan. Fo Guang Chan is founded upon the Buddhist scriptures and commentaries, as well as the traditions of Chinese Buddhism, and is adapted to the needs of modern society, with a system of progressive cultivation which includes the paths of accumulation (saṃbhāramārga), preparation (prayogamārga), morality (śila), concentration (samādhi), wisdom (prajñā), vision (darśanamārga), cultivation (bhāvanāmārga), and the adept path (aśaikṣamārga). Among these, the paths of concentration and wisdom are at the core of Fo Guang Chan. Śamathavipaśyanā in Fo Guang Chan is based on the concepts of concentration and wisdom of early Buddhism, and further integrates the Mahāyāna doctrine of prajñā wisdom and the Tiantai practice of śamatha and vipaśyanā, with special emphasis on its application in daily life. Read more…

Venerable Master Hsing Yun has often pointed out that traditional Chan Buddhism contains within it the rich and profound spirit of Humanistic Buddhism. Modern Humanistic Buddhism should also draw from the ideas of traditional Chan Buddhism. The humanistic principles contained within Oxhead Chan are worthy of our attention and application. This paper explores the spirit of Oxhead Chan through analyzes of various versions of the Treatise on the Transcendence of Cognition, an essential text of Oxhead Chan. Three main concepts will be analyzed: “emptiness is the basis of the way,” “there is nothing other than knowing the foundation of the original mind,” and “traveling no path is the way to enlightenment.” Read more…

Buddhism has always played an active role in the cultural interaction between China and Japan. Much of the history is documented, from the eight Japanese monks who visited China in the Tang Dynasty, then the Gozan monks of the Song and Yuan dynasties, and later the Ōbaku monks that traveled to Japan during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The same interactions occurred between China and Korea. Before the policy of promoting Confucianism and suppressing Buddhism prevailed in Korea, there is no doubt that Buddhism was the most important platform for mutual exchange between the two countries. Read more…

The Platform Sūtra ranks as one of the most popular texts ever produced by Chinese Buddhism. While Buddhists such as Daisaka Ikeda have linked the Lotus Sūtra to Buddhist humanism, few studies have investigated the Platform Sūtra for its humanistic elements. The earliest extant version of this sūtra is the Dunhuang edition, which arguably represents an early transformation from Indic to Chinese Buddhist humanism. Of greater interest is how the form of ninth century Chinese Buddhist humanism encapsulated in this sūtra becomes a form of posthumanism in the twenty-first century. This paper argues for this makeover through Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s commentaries on the Platform Sūtra. Of particular concern is how such Buddhist posthumanism may inform future discourses in the twenty-first century as humanity faces the sixth mass extinction caused by the Anthropocene. Read more…

McMahan considers the Japanese Zen scholar Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1970) to be an important figure in the modernization of Buddhism, who transcends boundaries of any particular religion, culture, and tradition. This paper revisits the significant role of D.T. Suzuki on the modernization of Buddhism through his teachings of illogical Zen, and evaluates the literature that supports and contradicts this claim. Read more…

The world is on fire. 2020 saw global temperatures rise 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels. The rising temperatures have triggered violent weather events such as recent heatwaves in Canada, floods in Germany, and wildfires in Australia. Adversely, impacting our food supply, health, economic livelihood, and living conditions. From the famous Fire Sermon in Ādittapariyāya Sutta of the Pāli canon, the Buddha depicts a seemingly similar burning world where “everything is burning…burning with the fires of greed, hate, and delusion.” Our degrading environment can thus be seen as a man-made crisis driven by the three fires of “greedy consumer cultures (i.e. greed), dissatisfaction (i.e. hatred), and other attitudes that can be looked upon as vices (i.e. delusion).” Read more…

The debate regarding euthanasia has attracted increased public attention in recent decades. Opinion polls indicate support for euthanasia in many Western countries, reflecting legal developments which make euthanasia and physicianassisted suicide possible. The meaning of euthanasia can be summarised as the merciful killing of those who are incurably ill or greatly suffering from pain. This motivation distinguishes euthanasia from other types of killing. Despite the motivation, there is still much vigorous debate on the question of whether it is appropriate for doctors to kill. Most of the current debates have been conducted within Western, namely Christian, religious frameworks; few Eastern religious voices, such as Buddhist ones, have been heard. Therefore, an investigation of the Buddhist perspective on euthanasia provides a new viewpoint with regard to end-of-life resolutions. Read more…

Should Buddhist Chaplains serve in the military of the United States of America? This question holds many assumptions that deserve as much attention as any answer. As gong’an practice teaches, sometimes asking a question can illuminate our situation even if there is no concrete resolution. For this reason, the first half of this essay will unpack the subtleties of this question and explore its real-world circumstances, before moving on to different ethical considerations in forming a response. For brevity, terms such as “military,” “government,” and “chaplain,” etc. refer to the United States/US military context, such as “US military,” “US government,” or “US military chaplain,” etc. unless otherwise noted. Read more…