Founding Purpose

In his Platform Sutra, the Sixth Patriarch Hui-Neng expounded on Patriarch/Matriarch Chan (Zen) as follows: “The wisdom of enlightenment (bodhi-prajna) is inherent in every human being. It is because of the self-centered delusive mind that they fail to realize it themselves, and that they have to seek the advice and the guidance of enlightened great Masters for seeing into their self-nature. … Now, let me expound on the Mind Dharma of “The Great Perfection of Wisdom” (Sanskrit, Mahaprajnaparamita), so that each of you can attain wisdom. …… Ordinary people are Buddha, and vexation is bodhi. A deluded preceding thought makes one an ordinary person, while an enlightened succeeding thought makes one a Buddha. A preceding thought that abides in the sense objects is vexation, while a succeeding thought that frees from attachment to the sense objects is bodhi. The Great Perfection of Wisdom is the most honorable, supreme, and foremost. Without abiding in the mind of the present, past, and future, all Buddhas of Pure Dharma Body in the ten directions and three times manifest at the very moment.”

Furthermore, in his 108 Adages of Wisdom, our Patriarch Venerable Sheng Yen said, “Wisdom is to reduce your own vexations; compassion is to reduce others. With true wisdom one will not have any vexations; with true compassion one will not encounter any enemies. To uplift our character, begin with cultivating peace in mind, body, family, and activity.” Therefore, based on the significance of Investigation, Realization and Transmission of Patriarch/Matriarch Chan, together with that of inner peace and altruism to all human beings in the world, Cosmos Chan Community, the World Center of Global Patriarch/Matriarch Chan Communities, has been established in British Columbia, Canada by Master Beishi Guohan and some learned fellow practitioners of Patriarch/Matriarch Chan.

The founding purposes of Cosmos Chan Community are:

• To manifest inherent great wisdom and great compassion of all human beings by way of the Investigation and Realization of Patriarch/Matriarch Chan, and the Mind Transmission of the Chinese Linji, Caodong and Dharma Drum Lineages of the Chan Sect, as transmitted through Chan Patriarch Sheng Yen.
• To establish Patriarch/Matriarch Chan Communities all over the world for uplifting the character of all human beings through Patriarch/Matriarch Chan training, and for bringing forth true peace, harmony, altruism and happiness for the whole world.
• To build up a pure land on Earth by providing Patriarch/Matriarch Chan training for enhancing spiritual endeavors of people of all faiths, and benefiting them with “true peace lies in a peaceful mind”, and “the purity of mind ground is the true pureness of the world”.

Patriarch Sheng Yen has also said, “Chan practitioners have two great missions: one is to solemnize the Buddha land, and the other is to bring sentient beings to spiritual maturity. Be a bottomless trash can that can never be choked by others’ mental junk; be a dustless mirror that reflects the world as it is with no distortion.” All Chan (Zen) practitioners, who are interested in uplifting the human character and building the Pure Land on Earth, are sincerely welcomed to play the role of Bodhisattva in Cosmos Chan Community’s global Patriarch/Matriarch Chan communities, with great compassion, great vow, great wisdom and great action.

Wisdom is not knowledge, nor views, nor experience, but a selfless attitude in daily life. Chan Patriarch Sheng Yen