Chan

1
Chan A Way of Tangible Religious Practices

• Hong Lin
• Department of Computer Science and Engineering
  Technology
• University of Houston-Downtown

2
Introduction to Chan

• Chan (or Chan in Chinese)
• Zen (in Japanese)
• Dhyana (in Sanskrit)
• Wikipedia Definition
• Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism, referred
  to in Chinese as Chan. Chan is itself derived
  from the Sanskrit Dhyana, which means
  "meditation"

3
Wikipedia Definition (Contd)

• Zen emphasizes dharma practice and experiential
  wisdomparticularly as realized in the form of
  meditation known as zazenin the attainment of
  awakening. As such, it de-emphasizes both
  theoretical knowledge and the study of religious
  texts in favor of direct, experiential
  realization.

4
Origin

• Flower Sermon, in which Sakyamuni Buddha
  (Siddhartha Gautama) transmitted direct prajña
  (wisdom) to the disciple Mahakasyapa. In the
  original Sino-Japanese, this story is called
  nengemisho (????, literally "pick up flower,
  subtle smile").
• Gautama Buddha gathered his disciples one day for
  a dharma talk. When they gathered together, the
  Buddha was completely silent and some speculated
  that perhaps the Buddha was tired or ill. The
  Buddha silently held up and twirled a flower and
  twinkled his eyes several of his disciples tried
  to interpret what this meant, though none of them
  were correct. One of the Buddha's disciples,
  Mahakasyapa, silently gazed at the flower and
  broke into a broad smile. The Buddha then
  acknowledged Mahakasyapa's insight by saying the
  following
• I possess the true Dharma eye, the marvelous mind
  of Nirvana, the true form of the formless, the
  subtle Dharma Gate that does not rest on words or
  letters but is a special transmission outside of
  the scriptures. This I entrust to Mahakasyapa.

5
Lineage and Spread-out

• Indian prince turned monk Bodhidharma (early 5th
  century) the 28th patriarch in India and the 1st
  patriarch in China
• "special transmission outside scriptures" which
  "did not stand upon words".
• From China, Zen spread south to Vietnam, and east
  to Korea and Japan.
• In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Zen
  also began to establish a notable presence in
  North America and Europe.

6
Chan Methodology

• The Flower Sermon was wordless, encapsulating
  ineffable tathata it comprised the purity of
  direct communication between Sakyamuni and
  Mahakasyapa, who smiled. The smile signified
  Mahakasyapa's direct cognition.
• Zen emphasizes experiential prajña in the
  attainment of enlightenment. As such, it
  de-emphasizes theoretical knowledge in favor of
  direct realization through meditation and dharma
  practice.
• through Zen there developed a way which
  concentrated on direct experience rather than on
  rational creeds or revealed scriptures.

7
Jesus Teaching

• Johns 11 In the beginning was the Word, and the
  Word was with God, and the Word was God.
• Mathew 1125 Jesus said, I praise you,
  Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you
  have hidden these things from the wise and
  learned, and revealed them to little children.
• Mathew 183 And he said I tell you the truth,
  unless you change and become like little
  children, you will never enter the kingdom of
  heaven.
• Johns 424 God is spirit, and his worshippers
  must worship in spirit and in truth.
• Johns 414 but whoever drinks the water I give
  him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I gave
  him will become in him a spring of water welling
  up to eternal life.

8
The Middle Way of Religions --- Anti-idolatry

• Zen asserts, as do other schools in Mahayana
  Buddhism, that all sentient beings have
  Buddha-nature (Skt. Buddhadhatu,
  Tathagatagarbha), the universal nature of
  transcendent wisdom (Skt. prajña), and emphasizes
  that Buddha-nature is nothing other than the
  essential nature of the mind itself.
• The aim of Zen practice is to discover this
  Buddha-nature within each person, through
  meditation and practice of the Buddha's
  teachings. The ultimate goal of this is to become
  a Completely Enlightened Buddha.
• The cognition of this complete enlightenment is
  without the desire to become a Buddha, as said by
  Chan patriarchs.
• Therefore, Buddha is not an idol.

9
Meditation

• Sitting meditation core aspect of Zen practice,
  during which practitioners usually assume a
  position such as the lotus position.
• To regulate the mind, awareness is directed
  towards counting or watching the breath or put in
  the energy center below the navel.

10
Essence of Meditation

• Bodhidharma Chan Meditation with no objects,
  anchors, or content, is the primary form of
  practice. The meditator strives to be aware of
  the stream of thoughts, allowing them to arise
  and pass away without interference.
• The awakening is carried not in meditation, but
  in every moment of life. Therefore, sitting
  meditation is simply a form of practice, not the
  essence.

11
Buddhism and Christianity on practice

• Meditation and Prayer
• Bodhidharma The Dharma way of watching minds
  embraces all Dharma ways. (On Breaking Forms,
  Tang Dynasty)
• Pure Land School (???) Amitabha Buddha
• Original Oath School (???) Meditation no
  salvation
• Christianity built on faith
• Prayer the only communication to God

12
The Way

• Pure land is in the heart Ascending to the
  pure land is real, while not leaving the present
  world.
• John 1715 My prayer is not that you take them
  out of the world but that you protect them from
  the evil one.
• John 1420 you will realize that I am in my
  Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
• John 1721 that all of them may be one, Father,
  just as you are in me and I am in you. May they
  also be in us
• Luke 1720, 21 The kingdom of God does not come
  with your careful observation, nor will people
  say, Here it is. Or There it is. Because the
  kingdom of God is within you.

13
Meditation and Religious Truth

• Winston L. King (Theologist at Vanderbilt
  University)
• Meditation is a scientific way to reach
  religious truth.
• 3 Books
• Buddhism and Christianity
• In the Hope of Nibbana
• A Thousand Lives Away

14
Effects of Chan --- Proactive Therapy

• Chinese saying Illness comes from heart (mind).
• Cause of illness obsess (desires) in mind, which
  causes greed, anger, and dumbness, which further
  cause physical anomaly.
• Desires in mind is caused by separating self from
  its environment.

15
Words in Bible

• Genesis 225 The man and his wife were both
  naked, and they felt no shame.
• Mathew 16 2-3 He (Jesus) replied, When evening
  comes, you say, It will be fair weather, for the
  sky is red. and in the morning, Today it will
  be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast. You
  know how to interpret the appearance of the sky,
  but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
  
• Mark 834 If anyone would come after me, he
  must deny himself and take up his cross and
  follow me.
• Luke 637 Do not judge, and you will not be
  judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be
  condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
• Luke 12 22, 25, 26 Then Jesus said to his
  disciples Therefore I tell you, do not worry
  about your life, what you will eat or about your
  body, what you will wear. Who of you by
  worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since
  you cannot do this very little thing, why do you
  worry about the rest?

16
Science on Chan

• James 217 faith by itself, if it is not
  accompanied by action, is dead.
• Can faith be measured by its physical
  manifestations?
• Since Chan is a practice of self control in an
  every-thought level, and its effect is clearly
  felt, is there a way to measure the effects by
  scientific means?
• Summarized measurement can help regulate Chan
  practice.
• The starting point is measuring meditation.

17
Chan Medicine

• Health indicators heart pulse rate, blood
  pressure, regularity in breath,
  electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram,
• Statistical Model
• Comparisons in temporal progress
• Comparisons among groups
• Micro Model
• Five Element Theory
• Channels (Jing-luo) Theory

18
Five Element Model

• Categorization of Zang, Fu, Flavours and Senses
  according to the Five Elements

Elements Wood Fire Earth Metal Water
Flavors sour bitter sweet pungent salty
Zang liver heart spleen lung kidney
Fu Gall, bladder s. intestine stomach l. intestine urinary
Senses eye tongue mouth nose ear
Tissue tendon vessel muscle hair/skin bone
http//www.tcmbasics.com/basics_5elements.htm
Lessons at http//www.herbTVonline.com
19
Modeling Functionalities of Organs
http//ardisbiz.com/maintaining-your-health-with-t
iens-health-products/ http//www.5elementvet.com/A
lternative_Veterinary_Medicine/5_element_Theory.ht
ml
20
Five Element Testing

• An example testing done by Terrapin Therapy

http//terrapintherapy.com/5-Element_Testing.html
21
Five Element Psychology

• Emotion-Organ relationship

http//www.drstandley.com/readingRoom_4.shtml
22
Five Element Astrology

• Categorization of Objects, Nature and Phenomena
  according to the Five Elements
• A science of harmony between life (perceptions)
  and the environment
• Chans goal No separation between ones self and
  the surroundings (????)

Elements Wood Fire Earth Metal Water
Directions east south center west north
Changes germinate grow transform reap store
Color green red yellow white black
23
Channel (Jing-luo) Model

• Jing Luo (Channels and Collaterals I Meridians
  and Sub-Meridians)

• classification based on the main location of the
  Channel and its terminal point

Yin Channels (Organ) Yang Channels (Organ)
Lung (LU) Large Intestine (LI)
Spleen (SP) Stomach (ST)
Heart (HT) Small Intestine (SI)
Kidneys (KI) Bladder (BL)
Pericardium (PC) San Jiao (SJ)
Liver (LV) Gall Bladder (GB)
Hand Meridians Foot Meridians
Lung (LU) Stomach (ST)
Large Intestine (LI) Spleen (SP)
Heart (HT) Bladder (BL)
Small Intestine (SI) Kidneys (KI)
Pericardium (PC) Gall Bladder (GB)
San Jiao (SJ) Liver (LV)
http//www.sacredlotus.com/acupuncture/channel_the
ory.cfm
24
Energy Pathways

• Basis of Acupuncture

Abbreviations Pathway
3 Yin Meridians of the Hand (LU, HT, PC) Chest to Hand
3 Yang Meridians of the Hand (LI, Sl, SJ) Hand to Face
3 Yang Meridians of the Foot (ST, BL, GB) Face to Foot
3 Yin Meridians of the Foot (SP, KI, LV) Foot to Chest
25
A Time-Space System

• Circulation of Energy Through the Primary
  Meridians

Lungs 3 AM to 5 AM
Large Intestine 5 AM to 7 AM
Stomach 7 AM to 9 AM
Spleen 9 AM to 11 AM
Heart 11 AM to 1 PM
Small Intestine 1 PM to 3 PM
Bladder 3 PM to 5 PM
Kidney 5 PM to 7 PM
Pericardium 7 PM to 9 PM
San Jiao 9 PM to 11 PM
Gall Bladder 11 PM to 1 AM
Liver 1 AM to 3 AM
26
Chan Psychology

• Behavioral Model Analyzing mental health
  indicators Lust, Anger, Fear, Self-control,
• eg. using Five Element Model)
• Suzuki Teitaro Daisetz (????), E. Fromm, Zen and
  Psychoanalysis.

27
Progression Model

• Four-Level Chan (catvari-dhyanani) Theory
• Methods for entering four dhyanas
• Zhi Kai (??, AC 523-597), Essentials of
  Concentration and Reception (??) Meditation.

Four Dhyanas 1) First Dhyana Bliss Born of
Separation 2) Second Dhyana Bliss Born of
Samadhi (proper concentration and proper
reception) 3) Third Dhyana Wonderful Happiness
of Being Apart from Bliss 4) Fourth Dhyana
Clear Purity of Casting Away Thought
http//www.bhaisajyaguru.com/buddhist-ayurveda-enc
ylopedia/four_dhyanas_sz-chan_sz-jing-chu_catvari-
dhyanani_jhana.htm
28
Bodily Manifestations

• In the First Dhyana (The Ground of Bliss Born of
  Separation), one's pulse stops, but this doesn't
  mean one is dead. This brings a particular
  happiness which is unknown to those in the world.
  
• The Second Dhyana is called the Ground of Bliss
  Born of Samadhi. . . . In the Second Dhyana,
  one's breath stops. There is no detectible
  breathing in and out, but at that time an inner
  breathing takes over.
• The Third Dhyana is the Ground of the Wonderful
  Happiness of Being Apart from Bliss. One
  renounces the dhyana-bliss as food and the
  happiness of the Dharma that occurs in initial
  samadhi. One goes beyond that kind of happiness
  and reaches a sense of wonderful joy. It is
  something that one has never known before, that
  is inexpressible in its subtlety, and that is
  inconceivable.
• The Fourth Dhyana is called the Ground of the
  Clear Purity of Casting Away Thought. In the
  Third Dhyana thoughts were stopped--held at
  bay--but they still had not been renounced
  altogether. In the heavens of the Fourth Dhyana,
  not only are thoughts stopped, they are done away
  with completely. There basically are no more
  cognitive considerations. This state is extremely
  pure, subtly wonderful, and particularly
  blissful.

29
Possibilities for Testing

• No fear
• Patriarch BaiZhang Coming back from and going
  forth to death is like doors opening
• Chinese idiom No eye winking when Mount Tai
  falling in front
• Mathew 8 24-26 Without warning, a furious storm
  came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over
  the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples
  went and woke him, saying, Lord, save us! Were
  going to drown! He replied, You of little
  faith, why are you so afraid?
• Mathew 14 29-30 Then Peter got down out of the
  boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and,
  beginning to sink, cried out, Lord, save me!
  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught
  him. You of little faith, he said, why did you
  doubt?

30
Easy Test?

• Roller Coaster

31
Chan Fitness

• Focus on mental-physical correlation
• Shaolin Martial Arts
• Origin Bodhidharma and Shaolin Temple
• Training of Mentality
• Stand like Pine
• Sit like Bell
• Sleep like Bow

32
Chan Arts

• Chan Arts
• Chan Poems
• Chan Drawings
• Chan Music
• Tao of Tea
• Scientific Scrutiny of Chan Arts?
• Why Nobel prize winners committed suicide?
• Ernest Hemingway
• Yasunari Kawabata (????)
• Superior or Obsessing?

33
Writers Should Learn Chan

• Master Geng Yun Writers Should Learn Chan.

34
Chan in Modern Society

• Features of Modern Society
• Instantaneous Information Propagation
• Short Span of Attentions
• Exposure and Vulnerabilities
• Mesh of Mouni Pearls
• Individuals are not isolable from the group
• All-inclusive perception of the surroundings is
  by separating from thoughts
• Dong, Zizhu, Eastern Interpretation of Bible.

35
A Program for Brain State Analysis Using
Electroencephalographic Data
Nodes AF3 through AF4 (read counterclockwise)
Example EEG peripheral device
36
Methodology
Example of visualization rendered from test data
on one node
37
Beyongsang Ohs Work
38
Spiritual Consciousness Studies 2010
39
Frontal Sagittal Axis

• According to the Physical System theory
  generalized for Spiritual System Modelling (P S.
  Satsangi , 2008) the energy points lie beyond
  the pupils along the sagittal axis from the
  pupils to the forehead and from the forehead to
  the apex of the head in the white matter as
  ganglions or focal points that are resistant to
  anesthetics like chloroform. This is a
  distinguishing feature of the focal points as the
  cell bodies can all be inactivated by chloroform
  but the neurons (cell bodies in the forehead and
  nerve centers in the white matter) related to the
  focal points can never be anesthetized as they
  are the highest points of consciousness for a
  particular region and domain they cover. The
  domain still needs to be determined definitely by
  neuroimaging technology.
• On Systems Modelling of Macrocosm and
  Microcosm in the Domain of Spiritual
  Consciousness. Vision Talk at the Inaugural
  Function of International Seminar on Spiritual
  Awakening A Systems Approach to adress the
  Civilizational Crisis (SPAWSYS 2008), January
  12-13, 2008.

40
Medical Imaging Towards a science of
Consciousness, April 9-14, 2012

• 1) Correlation Measured Energy distribution
  profiling, MEAD and level of consciousness in the
  upper 4 chakras
• disciplined prayer schedule and focused cognitive
  tasks
• consciousness and energy distribution between
  diff energy profiles of the human body
• Electrical energy profile inverse of temperature
  profile

41
Toward Science of Consciousness 2013, March 3-9,
2013, Dayalbagh University, Agra, India
Pioneering Consciousness through Forehead
analysis of CHCL3 resistant focal points along
Frontal Sagittal Axis
Symmetry of the face.
Sixty degree angle symmetry
Imaging by Polycontrast Interference Photography
(PIP) and/or Heat maps using IR/FIR technology
Validation of face-landmark as basis for
measurement
Landmark of the face
42
Meditation vs. Talking
43
Meditation vs. Talking (contd)
44
Meditation vs. Talking (contd)
45
Concluding Remarks

• Chan is a superior mental training methodology
• Meditation is the primary way of Chan
• Effect of Chan is measurable
• Chan science various models can be built
• Benefits to life and modern society

46
Questions and Suggestions?

• Hong Lin (linh_at_uhd.edu)