Entering the Gateless: A Chan Master's Advice

Chan has no gate. However, to enter the gateless Chan, there are gateways to learning and practice. If you have read or heard about Chan (Zen) retreats, and you are curious about what a silent meditation retreat might be like, this little book of introduction will walk you through a landscape of the meditation world where, eventually, you will find nothing except that your original self is immaculate. In this collection of short writings, Master Chi Chern helps you to mentally prepare yourself for experiencing a seven-day intensive Chan retreat. With a poetic style of friendly advice, he offers you encouragement and guidance as you are inspired to learn further and take on a meditation practice. Although Chinese Chan originated directly out of Buddhist practice taught by Shakyamuni more than twenty-five hundred years ago, to understand what is being taught in this book does not require commitment to practice in a certain Buddhist tradition - what is being offered here outlines some general disciplines that apply to any school or lineage of meditative practice.