Dharma Master Fa-Chan’s Teachings (No. 22)
November 18, 2025
(This is an annotated English translation of the original Chinese text, with inline links to cited works or related resources where directly applicable. For the core Zen texts recommended in point 4, I’ve embedded links to reliable English translations. For the Zhaozhou quote in point 2, I’ve linked to a primary source collection of his koans. The health practice in point 5 draws from traditional Taoist qigong; while the exact “Whole-Body Trembling Exercise” (全身顫抖功) is an oral transmission, I’ve linked to similar documented shaking qigong methods. The “Kidney Shu” (腎俞) acupoint is BL23 on the bladder meridian—see the linked explanation below.)
- The ultimate destination of all dharmas rests on a single word: “Thus” (如). When you thoroughly penetrate this “Thus,” you have truly come home.
- In the Chan (Zen) school, the Dharma we speak of is alive, not dead. If you turn our Dharma into something rigid and dead, you’ve truly let this old monk down. Old Zhaozhou once said: “When an upright person teaches a crooked Dharma, the crooked Dharma also becomes upright; when a crooked person teaches an upright Dharma, the upright Dharma also becomes crooked.” Isn’t this telling us that the Dharma is alive? Truly, if you haven’t crossed the river yourself, don’t talk like someone who has—otherwise, those with clear eyes will laugh at you behind your back.cnacupuncture.com
- In this world there is a very basic law of operation: what we attract is exactly what we ourselves send out. Therefore, everything we think, say, and do will eventually come back to us—whether good or bad, it will return as karmic retribution. My Taoist and Buddhist friends, we really must guard well our three karmas of body, speech, and mind. Keeping these three pure is only natural, isn’t it?
- If any of you sincerely wish to walk the path of the Chan school, start by investigating these classic treasures:
- Faith in Mind (信心銘): Full English translation by Master Sheng-Yen (with commentary on non-duality).
- The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch (六祖壇經): Scholarly translation by John R. McRae (PDF) (on sudden enlightenment).
- Song of Realizing the Way (證道歌): Translation by Robert Aitken (poetic guide to awakening).
- Essentials of Mind Transmission (傳心法要): Translation by John R. McRae (PDF) (direct mind-to-mind teaching).
Adding the Diamond Sutra (金剛經): Modern translation by Alex Johnson (on emptiness), and the Heart Sutra (心經): Thich Nhat Hanh’s translation (core wisdom text), would make it even better.
But the point is not merely to understand these texts intellectually—whether your own mind can completely resonate and unite with these teachings is the real key.
- Here’s an extremely simple health practice passed down personally by an old Taoist master, called Whole-Body Trembling Exercise (全身顫抖功). This aligns with traditional shaking qigong methods for circulating qi—stand with feet shoulder-width apart, relax the entire body from head to toe as much as possible, let the shoulders sink, arms hang naturally at the sides, knees slightly bent.
Once you feel completely relaxed, start shaking or trembling the whole body up and down, using the lower body to drive the vibration through the upper body. Let the hands relax and shake naturally with the movement. You can choose the speed—fast or slow, whatever feels right. The key is that you should feel vibration from the very top of the head to the soles of the feet.
The old Taoist master said: on the surface it looks like an external exercise, but it’s actually an internal one because it gets everything—inside and out—moving. If you practice it consistently, it will make the qi and blood circulate smoothly throughout the body, quickly eliminating all kinds of discomfort and fatigue. He said this is a comprehensive health and longevity method: the movement is simple, but the effects are profound. Just shake every day and you’ll naturally enjoy good health and long life.
You can do it for 5, 10, or 15 minutes each session, morning and evening or whenever you have time. Your own body will tell you how effective it is. Most illnesses and pain come from poor qi and blood circulation. I sincerely recommend this to office workers who sit all day, and to middle-aged and elderly friends—this simple-looking practice has tremendous benefits.
Once I asked the old master, “This exercise is so simple anyone can do it—why is it so powerful?” He replied: “The Great Way is utterly simple. This practice generates yang qi in the body, opens all the meridians, smooths the flow of qi and blood, expels turbid qi, draws in clear qi, tonifies the kidneys, regulates the spleen and stomach, corrects the spine, calms the spirit, leaves you refreshed, and helps you sleep soundly every night.”
Our usual habit is to finish the trembling exercise and then follow it with 2–3 minutes of rubbing and pressing the Kidney Shu (腎俞) points: make loose fists, place the backs of the hands on the Kidney Shu points (located on the lower back, 1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the second lumbar vertebra, on the bladder meridian as BL23), and continue the whole-body shaking. The two practices are similar, but the latter adds stimulation to those points.
As long as you practice diligently and persistently, all physical and mental fatigue and discomfort will greatly improve. When things flow freely, there is no pain; when there is pain, something is blocked—isn’t that so? Just stand and shake up and down with a relaxed and happy attitude. Remember to keep the knees slightly bent so you don’t injure them.
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