Faith in Mind: A Commentary on Seng Ts'an's Classic

I am pleased that this book has been published again. I first read it more than 10 years ago. As I have just been returning to Buddhism, it is one of the first books I wanted to read. It is a book about practice. One can read and read about Buddhism (as I admittedly have done) but without practice Buddhism seems, in good measure, a waste of time. And, indeed, on these meditation retreats from 1984 and 1985, Master Sheng-yen provides help for practicing. Although the retreats were largely for sitting meditation, he also emphasizes the importance of practicing while eating and working. The poem "Faith in Mind" by an early Chan (Chinese Zen, this was the original Zen before it was transmitted to Japn) teacher is presented at the beginning of the book and provides a framework for Master Sheng-yen's talks. It is, by itself, a provocative poem and even I can understand why it is regarded as a classic. Heinrich Dumoulin, in Zen Enlightenment: Origins And Meaning (Buddhism & Eastern Philosophy), points out that this poem "betrays a very strong influence from Taoism". Although a commentary on this poem attributed to Seng Ts'an, Master Sheng-yen uses the poem to share his wisdom about Chan Buddhist practice and teachings. It is humbling to read the words of such an teacher. He is someone I trust. And it may not seem that faith has to do with Buddhism but without some faith, whatever doubt may have had at first, how will one continue? I may have lost faith for some years but felt encouraged by reading this book. Many key Buddhist concepts are clearly explained in these talks to the extent they can be, such as suchness, emptiness, enlightenment, illusions and Buddha nature. Master Sheng-yen relates them to what one would experience during (sitting) practice. His teachings, as most of Buddhist teachings seem to be, are challenging and not without paradox, but I was impressed by their clarity and flow. I want to return to this book often now that I have committed to daily meditation again. It helped before and I expect it to help again to correct many of the errors that creep into my practice and understanding of Buddhism. This time hopefully I will stick with my Buddhist practice. To a good extent, I never left Buddhism because my years of study and practice influenced me a great deal, as I can feel when I re-read this book. I recommend it as strongly as it makes sense for me to do to anyone, beginner or advanced, who wants to practice and understand (Ch'an) Buddhism. Master Sheng-yen does not disturb me by any forced authority nor does he seem at all to be appealing to vested interests. He seems to genuinely have benefited from Buddhism and be able to share his understanding powerfully. I strayed away before but I hope I can have this faith in mind that he teaches about. As he cautions, expecting quick results is counterproductive but after years of floundering, thanks to the seemingly odd combination of Brad Warner and Master Sheng-yen, I may