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International Ch'an Buddhism Institute
johnathan
Canada Veteran
Has anyone had any experience with the ICBI or have any comments or concerns regarding them?
1
Comments
Well... I find their choice of language interesting. Zen is a lot more well known than Ch’an, Son or Thien, so it looks like a bit of a Chinese grab for control, if one were to try and read between the lines. I doubt whether they have much traction, but I could be wrong.
I thought the same @Kerome I may be wrong, but could this be Chinese Government here, we already know what they are trying to achieve re Tibetan Buddhism and the next Dalai Lama. Formed in London though.....
These are their Guiding Principles to be a member:
Guiding Principles
1) Membership of the ICBI is free of charge.
2) Any individual or group may apply for membership.
3) All members are equal.
4) The ICBI recognises that China is the spiritual homeland of Ch’an Buddhism.
5) The ICBI recognises that the Chinese diaspora preserves and transmits Ch’an Buddhism.
6) The ICBI recognises the importance of the spread of Ch’an Buddhism in countries outside of China, and Chinese cultural influence.
7) The ICBI recognises the importance and vitality of the contribution of all peoples outside of China who have embraced and transmitted Ch’an and Zen.
8) The ICBI recognises that all lineages of Ch’an Buddhism are of equal worth.
9) The ICBI facilitates the gathering and free sharing of knowledge.
10) The ICBI supports the spiritual practice of individuals and groups.
11) The ICBI supports free Dharma education.
12) The ICBI does not raise money and does not require donations.
13) The principle language of the ICBI is English, but welcomes communication in any and all languages.
14) Through the Richard Hunn Association for Ch’an Study (RHACS), the ICBI facilitates the translation of Chinese language Ch’an Buddhism (and related texts) into English.
15) The ICBI headquarters is in London, UK.
16) The realisation of the empty Mind Ground, and its manifestation in the world, dictates the policy direction of the ICBI.
17) The ICBI provides Ch’an education and training free of charge
18) The ICBI supports and perpetuates the letter writing tradition of Ch’an Buddhism.
19) The ICBI remains open to suggestions and advice from individuals and groups.
20) The ICBI recognises the absolute right of individuals and groups to exercise self-determination.
21) Individual and Institute Membership of the ICBI constitutes a binding acceptance of the Guiding Principles.
22) Substantiated complaints regarding ICBI members may result in ICBI membership termination.
They also claim:
Master Xu Yun (1840-1959) inherited all five houses of Ch'an and therefore, represents the entire (authentic) Ch'an lineage in China.
Am curious if this is true or not.
Seems I might have done them a disservice @jonathan this is Richard Hunn, the man behind it (sadly passed away)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upasaka_Wen_Shu
https://wenshuchan-online.weebly.com/biography-richard-hunn-1949-2006.html
Shidadao@mailforce.net
wrote to them at above email and asked if they are able to answer any questions here ... apparently not ... did anyone attend the first two parties? ...
Thank you for your email.
We are not members of that forum and do not interact through third parties. The details are clearly explained on the ICBI mainsite.
With Metta
Did read and enjoy 'Empty Cloud' which they associate with ...
https://www.holybooks.com/empty-cloud-the-teachings-of-zen-master-xu-yun/
They have a message board as well with a lot of information and resources.
https://chanbuddhismuk.proboards.com/
China, geographically speaking, is the "home" of the Chán tradition, but the nationalistic wording strikes me as odd.
"The Chinese diaspora preserves and transmits Ch’an Buddhism," does this mean they only ordain ethnic Chinese in diaspora as members of their monastic saṁgha? Curiouser and curiouser... There's a lot that's just not clear.
Ya, I found that odd wording... even the need for one to recognize it and share it as a guiding principle to others seems rather odd. Does sound like a control thing more than a sharing freely of the dharma.
They don’t seem to have many posts, and there are some forums devoted to Daoism, but none to non-Chinese forms such as Zen or Son. Hmm.
any one know of a Ch'an (Caodong) online sangha that appears more above board than the ICBI?
Or a Hua-Yen Buddhist online Sangha.
I saw that FreeSangha has a Zen/Ch’an/Son/Tien specific message board but postings appear sporadic at best. A quick search also turned up a few Facebook pages. I think a lot of these specific sangha’s are busy in other languages than English and so are hard to access for us.
Thanks @Kerome
Will have a look
..."I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT ME AS A MEMBER."
Groucho Marx, who as ever, despite the comedy, had a point....