f406ccc4-9bef-11ef-943d-c9de5a43d6bf /publications/.content/item/TSFgsihbLibraryItem_00237.xml Three Dimensions of the Humanistic Spirit of Oxhead Chan as Expressed in the Treatise on the Transcendence of Cognition

Venerable Master Hsing Yun has often pointed out that traditional Chan Buddhism contains within it the rich and profound spirit of Humanistic Buddhism. Modern Humanistic Buddhism should also draw from the ideas of traditional Chan Buddhism. The humanistic principles contained within Oxhead Chan2 are worthy of our attention and application. This paper explores the spirit of Oxhead Chan through analyzes of various versions of the Treatise on the Transcendence of Cognition, an essential text of Oxhead Chan. Three main concepts will be analyzed: “emptiness is the basis of the way,” “there is nothing other than knowing the foundation of the original mind,” and “traveling no path is the way to enlightenment.”