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South Mountain China Tours

Announcing Fall 2010 tours that will provide an unprecedented understanding of Chinese Zen. The tours will emphasize early Chan development, including extensive new information about Bodhidharma from my forthcoming book.

For an introduction to a new perspective on Bodhidharma, visit this page.

The tours planned to China in the fall of 2010 will examine evidence not seen before about the real significance of Bodhidharma, including evidence never brought to light previously in China or elsewhere. In addition, the Oct 27 tour entitled "Dharma Rain" will explore Zen at its origin monasteries, with stays at Baizhang and Daoxin's temples (Daoxin is the Fourth Chan Ancestor). This tour will also visit Dogen's temples in China, plus take part in a grand Dharma convocation at Bodhidharma's burial place, Empty Form Temple.

Want to know the proper way to pronounce the Zen Ancestor's names in Chinese? Simply click on the "Zen Trips" link above and then on "Zen Names" tab. There you can click on the link of over a hundred Chinese ancestors and hear exactly how their names should be pronounced.

The exciting reason to travel to China today is that the Chinese Chan community is flourishing. From both a practice and research point of view, China's Chan community is taking on an unprecedented liveliness.

For a long period, Chan practice and scholarship was overcome by China's political situation. Although many questions concerning politics remain, it is also true that the ancient dharma seats of Chan masters have reopened to embrace a new generation of adherents. Genuine practice in China with deeply knowledgeable, and even English speaking teachers is the new reality.

Chinese Chan scholars of a new generation have brought forth a fantastic body of new research that penetrates much of the obscurity and confusion that surrounds early Chan. There is a great need for Western scholars and translators to make this new research available for western practitioners and audiences. South Mountain China tours focuses on this task.

Why is this important? Don't we already understand enough of the old Chan tradition to carry out proper practice and teaching? Of course we do. Yet as much as we know about Chan, the amount we don't know is still vast. Much of this new scholarship may help establish the intellectual foundation for allowing Chan to be widely understood and appreciated in the West.

Much of the story remains to be explored and retold. Come join us as we uncover it.

People interested in getting a very deep look at ancient Chan should consider joining the "Dharma Rain' tour indicated in the tour menu at the upper left. That tour, which will stay at the ancient monasteries of Baizhang and the Fourth Chan Ancestor Daoxin, will take an unprecedented look at early Chan