Wisdom and concentration

Chan is unique in its approach to the disciplines of concentration and wisdom. Chan regards the mind, its processes and its contents as the field of inquiry that uses the mind itself as the tool of investigation. The idea is to realize the nature of mind—and therefore Buddha—by contemplating mind itself. That wisdom can be realized by contemplating one's own mind is different from approaches such as studying the scriptures, reciting the Buddha's name or mantras, earning merit through good deeds, and devotional practices. While these are parts of a fully rounded practice, for the Chan adept Chan meditation is the most efficacious and most direct means for revealing the mind's true nature as that of a Buddha.

After six years of arduous and solitary practice, Shakyamuni realized that he could not accomplish his goal of helping humankind relieve their sufferings purely through asceticism. He then decided to embark on the Middle Way, a course that lay between indulgence in life's pleasures and the extreme self-deprivation. This Middle Way was the way of mindful contemplation while living an ordinary life. Thus began a journey of discovery in which Shakyamuni devoted himself to the practice of dhyana in order to liberate his own mind from the grip of attachment to samsara, the cycle of birth and death. The way to dhyana is through the gate of samadhi, deep concentration. As a monk and ascetic, Shakyamuni had already mastered the disciplines of training and calming the mind. What was different now was his discovery of the Middle Way and his renewed vow to attain supreme enlightenment in his current lifetime. On a starry night, under the Bodhi tree, after six days of samadhi, he attained supreme enlightenment and became the Buddha.

All the methods used and taught by the Buddha for contemplating mind can be collectively called dhyana, a word when transliterated to Chinese, became "chan-na," eventually evolving into the name of the school, Chan. When Chan spread to Korea, it was called "Son," and, when it reached Japan, it became "Zen." Thus the cultivation of dhyana is the central paradigm of Chan.