Over 3000 years ago underneath the bodhi tree, Shakyamuni Tathtagata saw the night stars and in a moment of vast clarity, realized true reality. He said, “Wonder of wonders! All sentient beings inherently possess the wisdom and virtues of the tathagata. But because of delusion and attachment, they are unable to actualize these qualities.” His example is unequivocal proof that all sentient beings possess the buddha nature and the potential to reach buddhahood.
During the Assembly on Vulture Peak, Shakyamuni held up a flower and Mahakashyapa smiled. At that instant, the true eye of Dharma, the profound mind of nirvana, the reality transcending all forms—the supreme and subtle teaching was transmitted to Mahakashyapa. Holding up a flower, the Tathagata embodied Buddhadharma’s highest truth and pointed straight to our present mind. With the mind that smiled, Mahakashyapa attuned perfectly to the Buddha’s mind. The mind that can smile and the mind that can hold up a flower—they are equal, non-dual, and not different. Smiling and holding up a flower are both functions of this very mind.
The Dharma light was passed from one to another for 28 generations of Indian patriarchs, each of whom continued the Buddha’s wisdom life. When Bodhidharma came East, he brought the teaching that points directly to our mind and transmitted the mind-seal of buddhas. The 6th Patriarch Huineng said forthrightly, “Our bodhi nature is originally pure. Simply taking on this present mind, one directly attains buddhahood.” Good cultivators! There is no better way to resolve the matter of life and death than taking on this truth directly, lighting up the mind-lamp, and benefitting all sentient beings. In this way, we will achieve the universal wisdom of bodhi.
In the Dharma Semblance Age and Ending Age, fallacious teachings emerge like bees from a hive, muddling the minds of human beings so they lose the treasure that is innately theirs. What can we rely on, in times like these? Right view is our only beacon: realize, demonstrate, awaken, and enter the view of buddha, so innate wisdom can shine its guiding light. A room lies in darkness for a thousand years, but a single light instantly dispels that darkness, and the precious pearl of our intrinsic nature is naturally revealed.
From the beginning, the virtuous patriarchs—in their cultivation and realization of the Way, their explanation of sutras and writing of commentaries—have never been apart from this very mind. Thus, the mind-ground Dharma gate taught in the Chan tradition points directly to our mind, and has “seeing one’s true nature to become a buddha” as the homeward path. Because of this, Chan calls it “the one upward path.”
The methods and recipients of this Dharma transmission have changed in accordance with the conditions of different eras. It can be generally classified into three periods:
The Single-Line Transmission of Vulture Peak:
The Lineage Grows on a Single Branch
The World-Honored One sat underneath the bodhi tree and saw the endless sky alight with stars. As the starry light broke the night’s dark languor, the mind’s light that had till then been shrouded for thousands of years was suddenly lit. In a flash, he brought forth the pure mind and perfectly realized its intrinsic nature. From that instant began the Chan tradition’s Dharma gate of sudden enlightenment.
In the Assembly on Vulture Peak, when Shakyamuni Buddha held up a golden Udumbara flower, thousands of heavenly beings and bhikshus sat mystified in complete silence. Only Elder Mahakashyapa broke into a smile. Without a word, the mind that held up a flower and the mind that smiled were sealed together in the same truth.
Beginning from Mahakashyapa and Ananda, the mind-seal was transmitted in a single lineage for 28 generations. With the 28th Indian Patriarch, Bodhidharma, the Dharma-water flowed eastward to China, where he founded the Chan school. From Bodhidharma onwards, the lineage was transmitted to the 2nd Chinese Patriarch, Huike, who transmitted it to the 3rd Patriarch and so forth, until it reached the 6th Patriarch, Huineng.
During this period, the mind-seal was passed from one to another, along with the Buddha’s robe and bowl as proof of transmission, although this Dharma lineage was transmitted only to monastics. From India to China, the single-line transmission lasted 33 generations, as the Dharma was passed from master to disciple, with a single lineage holder each generation.
The Single-Line Transmission of Vulture Peak was between sangha members who upheld the pure precepts, and perfected both samadhi stillness and prajna wisdom. Because each awakened to the original mind, the mind-seal was thus passed down from generation to generation. This is known as “passing down the lamp, and illuminating each other by its light.”
Thus, one generation enlightens the next, from past to present, from present to future. Throughout the ten directions and three periods of time, only one thing is ever transmitted: the mind of buddha. It is this very mind when it is always clear, lucid, and unmoving in suchness: wherever we are, that is where the mind is. It is this very mind, always in control wherever we go and ever-present wherever we are. It is awakening to this very mind, which is to realize the Way. Then, the true buddha is here in the world. This first period of transmission is called The Single-Line Transmission of Vulture Peak.
The Mass Transmission of Caoxi:
The Lineage Flourishes with Many Flowers
The second period of transmission spanned from the 6th Patriarch to Venerable Master Empty Cloud, during which “one flower opened five petals” in what was known as “The Dharma Gate of the Patriarch.”
A monk asked the 6th Patriarch: “Who obtains the true teaching of Huangmei?”
The 6th Patriarch said: “One who knows the Buddhadharma obtains it!”
Whoever knows the Buddhadharma receives the mind-seal. Whether a woodcutter or a rustic, anyone who realizes the essence of Dharma can enter the gate of patriarchs. The 6th Patriarch could not read a single character, but after reaching enlightenment in one leap, he became the most influential patriarch in the history of Chinese Chan—proof that the buddha nature is equal among all beings, all of whom have the capacity for sudden enlightenment.
Huineng, the 6th Patriarch, observed that conditions were ripe for mass transmission of the Dharma gate of sudden enlightenment. Therefore, he publically taught and demonstrated the principle of mind, the true eye of Dharma. Going beyond the tradition of monastic-to-monastic transmission, he taught the path to buddhahood as the practice of actualizing this principle. Whether monastic or lay practitioner, anyone who realized their original mind could obtain the Dharma and its benefits.
The 6th Patriarch taught at Caoxi for over 30 years, where under him, the single-line transmission, like a flower opening five petals, developed into the Five Schools of Chan: Linji, Caodong, Fayan, Guiyang, and Yunmen. Thereafter, the lineage expanded into five branches and the Chan tradition flourished, like flowers blossoming in spring. In this period, the lineage spread over ten directions, and the Dharma was transmitted without the Buddha’s robe and bowl. While monastics were the primary recipients, lay practitioners could also receive transmission. Whether male or female, old or young, highborn or everyman, anyone who saw the essence of Buddhadharma could taste the sweet dew of Caoxi.
The Universal Transmission of Chung Tai:
The Dharma Takes Root Wherever It Lands
The Mass Transmission of Caoxi made the heart of Buddhadharma, the Buddha’s raison d'être, widely accessible and many great masters emerged in turn. But from the Song dynasty onwards, the Chan tradition entered a period of decline. Following the inauguration of the Republic of China, it fell on Venerable Master Empty Cloud, the most distinguished master of his generation, to carry on the lineage-line for each of the Five Schools and revitalize the Chan teaching of mind. He did so tirelessly.
Venerable Master Lingyuan was a Dharma heir of Master Empty Cloud. Grand Master Weichueh, at the age of 30, was ordained as a novice monk and received the full precepts under Master Lingyuan at the Shifang Dajue Chan Monastery in Keelung, Taiwan, becoming a second-generation disciple of Master Empty Cloud.
In response to the technological advancements, sensory desires, prevalent anxiety, and widespread misinformation of our time, the Grand Master decided to reopen the Dharma Gate of the Patriarch and universally transmit the mind-ground teaching. For this aim, he built Lingquan Monastery in Wanli and began holding Chan-7 retreats, where he taught breath counting, Chan inquiry, and the middle way reality meditation as methods to guide participants in recognizing their intrinsic mind.
Old or young, rich or poor, it does not matter upon entering the Chan hall, where “Those from the ten directions gather, each to learn the unconditioned. This is a place for choosing buddhas; realize the emptiness of mind to be named on the list.” The Grand Master knew a stable society begins with the people’s peace of mind. In the spirit of unconditioned compassion and helping more people awaken their minds and see their true nature, the Grand Master built meditation centers in cities around the world and raised the banner of Dharma. Hence, ordinary people with fast-paced lifestyles can learn the Buddhadharma, purify their minds, and practice Chan without adding a long commute to their daily routines.
This form of proactive, universal transmission, making the Dharma available without the robe or bowl, has sown the seeds of buddhahood among a greater multitude. The teaching of mind, like a plant teeming with vitality, spreads roots wherever it lands. It is sown in our mind-ground from the moment we hear it, forever a seed of the Way. A single seed, half, or even a third, will all grow roots in time. Our mind-ground is like this: when the seed of bodhi begins to sprout, it will grow in haste. Whether monastics or lay practitioners, helping all people equally benefit from the Buddhadharma is the goal of The Universal Transmission of Chung Tai.
When Lingquan Monastery could no longer accommodate the growing number of people who came from all walks of life to learn the Dharma, the Grand Master began planning the construction of Chung Tai Chan Monastery in Puli. It would be a monastery to meet the needs of a modern sangha, embody the teachings of sudden enlightenment and gradual cultivation, combine the traditions of Mahayana and Theravada, feature the best qualities of Eastern and Western culture, and redefine traditional notions of a Buddhist monastery. This marked the beginning of a new, global era in the transmission of Buddhadharma and the Chan tradition.
In 2001, Chung Tai Chan Monastery opened its doors and the Assembly on Vulture Peak convened once more, as if it had never ended. Chung Tai not only carries on the Chan lineage, but is also a monument to Buddhism worldwide.
“The spiritual truth of ancient buddhas shines like starlight that never changes.” From Vulture Peak to Caoxi, from Caoxi to Chung Tai, the one thing transmitted throughout these three periods was right view, the shared view of all buddhas. Right view is the light that pierces through the age-long darkness of afflictions and ignorance, allowing us to awaken the mind and see our true nature. Seeing our true nature, we become buddhas.
Even while constructing Chung Tai from the ground up, the Grand Master never hesitated to fulfill his bodhisattva vows. He continued to transmit the precepts, hold Chan-7 retreats and various Dharma ceremonies as expedient means to deepen our cultivation. However, “Though expedient means offer many doors, only the non-dual path leads back to the source.” The non-dual path is the ultimate Dharma that points directly to our mind, the key to carrying on the Buddha’s wisdom life.
It takes years to grow trees for building a temple, but decades to educate monastics to turn the Dharma wheel. Piling up sand to make a castle, the Grand Master led his disciples one step, one footprint at a time to build Chung Tai Chan Monastery. After ten years of planning and construction, it was completed in 2001, symbolizing not only the continuation of the Chan lineage, but also a new era of duty in carrying on the banner of Dharma.
The Grand Master emphasized education as one of Chung Tai’s fundamental tenets. He established meditation centers for social education, the Buddhist institutes for sangha education, and the Pu Tai schools for scholastic education. Under his compassionate leadership, the fourfold assembly united their efforts to create Chung Tai World, a pure land founded to awaken all beings to their intrinsic nature.
Transmitted over three periods is the buddha eye,
To realize the true buddha,
Residing on the Middle Platform (中台, chungtai).
Awaken the inherent buddha eye,
And see dharma’s empty nature.
By realizing the original mind and abiding in true reality—the way we intrinsically are in the present moment—we can all become buddhas. The Buddhadharma of Chung Tai is not apart from our very mind in the here and now. It is up to us to sow the seeds of Dharma in the mind-ground far and wide, so they can take root wherever they land.