Attaining the Way: A Guide to the Practice of Chan Buddhism

by Sheng Yen

This is an inspiring guide to the practice of Chan (Chinese Zen) in the words of four great masters of that tradition. It includes teachings from contemporary masters Xuyun and Sheng Yen, and from Jiexian and Boshan of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Though the texts were written over a period of hundreds of years, they are all remarkably lucid and are perfect for beginners as well as more advanced practitioners today. All the main points of spiritual practice are covered: philosophical foundations, methods, approaches to problems and obstacles—all aimed at helping the student attain the way to enlightenment.

Genres: Buddhism, Zen

269 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2006

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book full of rich information. I think it would be best suited for someone who is new to Chan Buddhism, but has a decent amount of knowledge of Buddhism as a whole. I recommend that after reading the preface and introduction, that you read part 4 first, followed by part 3, part 1, and lastly finishing up with part 2. I found this helped to lay down foundational knowledge before delving into works of the older Chan masters featured in parts 1 and 2.

The only complaint I really have with this book is that it is a bit repetitive, which caused me to skim over some sections. Otherwise, I think it is a good tool to figure out if the Chan school might be a good fit for you.

[ROHIT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part 4 is the most important one. Others can be skipped.

[Jonn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intermediate Zen/Chan book that suffers from some unfortunate organization issues. It has 4 sections: two by ancient Chan masters (Boshan and Jiexian) and two by contemporary teachers (Xuyun and Sheng Yen). It makes sense that they wanted to put the ancient teachers first, but this results in the section by Jiexian, which is basically a guide to being a Chan teacher and running your own temple, coming before the section on beginner's Chan practice. The Xuyun section is excellent though. Sheng Yen's section is his recorded sayings from a retreat, which causes it to be repetitive occasionally though this can also be a good thing as it continually reinforces some of the important points. This is a good primer on Chan, if you're interested in seeing some of the differences between Zen and Chan (which isn't talked about nearly as much in North America), and you can tell that Sheng Yen was a great teacher who really knew what he was talking about.

[Alonzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of useful information. It, like so many other books on Buddhism, pushes the idea of not being able to reach enlightenment without a teacher. That aside, much of the information can be practiced by the lone practitioner.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Give your body to the cushion and your mind to the method."