What's Donghua Zen

"Donghua Zen", also known as Donghua Awareness-Illumination Chan (DAIC), is the crystallization of the wisdom gained by Venerable Wanxing, the abbot of Donghua Zen Temple, through his true practice and realization of the Buddha's teachings. Over more than 30 years, his body, mind and spirit have undergone breakthroughs and transcendence, from entering the path with childlike innocence, to attaining enlightenment in solitary retreat, to building a temple, gathering monastics, giving Dharma talks, and universally helping sentient beings. With his life's work, he has opened up a path to liberation that enables people to realize their original nature. This has formed Venerable Wanxing's thought of "people-oriented Buddhism". 

"Donghua Zen" originates from the thought of Shakyamuni Buddha - being people-oriented (respecting people, being inclusive of people, understanding people, and serving people), the equality of all sentient beings, with being a good person as the foundation, and attaining Buddhahood as the goal. 

"Donghua Zen" draws from the methods of the ancestral Zen masters - not fearing the arising of deluded thoughts, only fearing the delay in awareness; cultivating awareness in all activities of walking, standing, sitting and lying down; becoming awareness and applying awareness. 

"Donghua Zen" is people-oriented, using worldly affairs to train the mind, awakening to and dedicating one's life. The purpose is to actualize the goal of humanizing Buddhism, creating a pure land on earth, and becoming a bodhisattva in this world. 

"Donghua Zen" integrates faith into daily life, actualizes practice in the present moment, infuses the Buddhadharma into the worldly realm, and merges the individual with the collective. One practices amidst work and works amidst practice, cultivates blessings by fulfilling responsibilities, cultivates wisdom through awareness, and cultivates liberation through dedication. 

"Donghua Zen" begins with arousing the mind of enlightenment (bodhicitta), emphasizes practice and realization, and fulfills great vows - generating the Four Immeasurable Minds, practicing the Four All-Embracing Virtues and Six Paramitas, and upholding the Ten Great Vows. Even if space itself perishes, the practice and vows remain endless. 

Venerable Wanxing's Explanation of "Donghua Juezhao Zen":