Dharma Drum lineage of Chan followed and inherited the teachings of both the Caodong School (also known as Soto in Japanese) and Linji School (also known as Rinzai in Japanese) in the Chinese Chan tradition. The teachings in Dharma Drum lineage include both Buddha’s teaching and the core practice and meditation found in the Chinese Chan tradition, while meeting the needs of people in the present day. It is safe and healthy. It is rational and experiential. It is practical and adapted to modern living.

Chan is the combined result of wisdom and compassion. Chan also means to make use of Dharma in daily life. Chan is a kind of subjective experience from the within. It can only be understood through actual practice. Real Chan cannot be expressed by any words or languages. However, Chan requires words and phrases to be the medium for instruction and practice. Take, for example, the analogy of the index finger and the moon. You can point to the moon with your index finger so that others can see the moon. It is obvious that your finger is not the moon, even when we are able to see the moon through your pointing. Yet many people confuse the finger for the moon itself, meaning that they take language and symbols to be the real thing.

One can learn and practice Chan in stillness or in motion. For a beginner, the former method, such as sitting meditation, will provide a deeper experience of meditation. Sitting meditation is the best way to calm your body and mind. While you are in sitting postures, your body is stable and your mind can be calmed with less effort. The ultimate goal of meditation is to make use of the techniques in our daily life.

Meditation has a lot of benefits. For instance: It relaxes both body and mind. It balances the body from inside out. It promotes healthy blood flow and enhances the immune system. It moderates the heart rate and keeps breathing calm and steady. It reduces emotional distress and leads to a deeper level of relaxation. It improves one’s concentration, reduces wandering thoughts, and increases wisdom. As a whole, it improves harmonizing with self and others.