The Method of No-Method

The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination

By Chan Master Sheng Yen

$18.95
SKU
9781590305751
- Paperback
Available
Shambhala Publications
11/11/2008
Pages: 176
Size: 5.5 x 8.5
ISBN: 9781590305751
Details

This book is also included in our Reader's Guide on The Works of the Song Dynasty where you will find other important Zen classics.


Here is a spiritual practice uncomplicated enough for anyone to learn, yet rich enough to be worked with for a lifetime. The traditional Chan (Chinese Zen) practice called Silent Illumination begins with nothing more than putting aside all thoughts except the awareness of oneself “just sitting.” It’s so simple in execution that it has sometimes been called the “method of no-method”—yet simple as it is, the practice is subtle and profound, with the potential for ever subtler refinements as the practitioner moves toward mastery of it. When fully penetrated, this radical form of emptying one’s busy mind-stream leads to perception of the vast ocean of pure awareness.