The prerequisite for Ch'an practice

 by Patriarch Master Hsu-yun(1839-1959)

The prerequisite for Ch'an practice is to eradicate wrong thinking. Sakyamunii Buddha taught much on this subjet. His simplest and most direct teaching is the word "stop" from the expression "stopping is Bodi." From the time when Bodhidharma transmitted Ch'an teachings to today, the winds of Ch'an have blown far and wide, shaking and illuminating the world. Among the many things that Bodhidharma and the Sixth Patriarch taught to those who came to study with them, none is more valuable than the saying, "Put down all entangling conditions, let not one thought arise."