Dharma Master Fa-Chan’s Teachings – Fǎ Chán Shīfù de Kāishì (Èrshísì)
2026/07/19
All of you who have been walking on the path of the Zongmen (宗門, Chán school), whether reading the Dharma we have written or listening to the Dharma we have spoken, have already been practicing for many years. Now, it is time to move from the broad to the concise, to transform the complex into the simple, because the Great Way is ultimately simple, isn’t it? Perhaps you are still not very clear about how to go from the broad to the concise and transform the complex into the simple. In fact, as long as you grasp these four essential points, that will be correct.
- The first is: Dao gui fang xia (道貴放下) — the Way values letting go.
- The second is: Chan gui chao yue (禪貴超越) — Chán values transcendence.
- The third is: Fa ben wu fa (法本無法) — Dharma is originally without Dharma.
- The fourth is: Xin ben wu xin (心本無心) — Mind is originally no mind.
When you are able to grasp or penetrate these four essential points, you have truly entered the path in the Zongmen (宗門). When you have let go in your mind to the point where there is nothing left to let go, or transcended to the point where there is nothing left to transcend, what kind of state will your life present? Why not start from these two essential points, and with patience and perseverance, go penetrate what their ultimate essence is?
What exactly is the Dharma that is without any Dharma? What exactly is the Mind that is without any mind? You can also start from these two essential points, and with patience and perseverance, personally investigate and truly realize them. As long as the time arrives and conditions mature, naturally there will be the day when the water recedes and the stones emerge, and you suddenly awaken with great realization. *
What your original face (本來面目) ultimately refers to, in the end, still requires you to personally investigate and truly realize it yourself. Others cannot help you with this.
As a practitioner (Dao zhe, 道者), living in this dusty world, what kind of philosophy of life should we embrace? Our answer is actually very simple: “Exert your utmost heart and strength, and let all things follow conditions (盡心盡力，一切隨緣).” In short, facing everything in this dusty world, whatever we can do or should do, we must exert our utmost heart and strength to accomplish it. For the rest, we can only let all things follow conditions. The ancients also spoke of “exert human effort, and accept Heaven’s will (盡人事，聽天命),” didn’t they?
Our thoughts and the arising of intentions (qi xin dong nian, 起心動念) are very important, because they will influence our lifelong fortune and misfortune, success and failure. Living in this dusty world, we should cultivate positive and wholesome thoughts, and try our best not to have negative and unwholesome thoughts.
A person’s capacity of mind (xin liang, 心量) is very important. When the capacity of mind is great, the achievements will also be great. When the capacity of mind is small, naturally one cannot accomplish great things. This holds true both in worldly Dharma and in world-transcending Dharma.
Here I will also take the opportunity to teach you a very simple method of breath retention for health preservation. First, sit with the body upright and relax the entire body. Inhale deeply through the nose, then open the mouth and exhale slowly. Do this a total of fifteen times. **
On the last time, exhale all the air completely, then stop breathing. How long you can retain the breath is entirely up to you. Once you really cannot hold it anymore, resume natural breathing. Immediately after, take another deep breath, then retain the breath for fifteen seconds before resuming natural breathing. This counts as one round. It is best to do four to five rounds at a time. It is best practiced in the early morning on an empty stomach. If you feel dizzy or any other discomfort, please stop immediately and do not continue.
Those with high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, or lung/respiratory diseases should not practice this. This is also one of the rejuvenation practices taught by the old Daoist master in the past. The old Daoist master said: Regular practice will keep you full of energy and vitality even when old. However, the old Daoist master was, after all, not an ordinary person, but we ordinary people, as long as we practice regularly, should also receive benefits for our physical health.
Of course, the practices we teach are intended for ordinary people. If you have any specific illnesses, it is best to consult your attending physician first before deciding. All the practices we teach are provided only for your daily health maintenance and wellness. Frankly speaking, we are also very concerned about your physical and mental health, especially these elderly Bodhisattvas (老菩薩) who are advanced in age. Today, it is only natural that we share everything we know with you wholeheartedly, isn’t it?
Foot notes:
* These questions do not require answers, I approach them from the perspective of the Huatao. That is I use them to shift my mind into a “questioning state” or “state of wonderment.“
** As far as holding one’s breath, this practice might come as a surprise to tai chi students. Personally I believe stopping the breath is related to the temporary cessations of thought, or complete stillness. This is an advanced method that requires a lot of practice.
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