Dragon Flower Ch’an Temple Opens in Tacoma, Washington

On August 7, 2007, the newly relocated Dragon Flower Ch’an Temple opened its doors in Tacoma , Washington under the guidance of Ven. Shih Shen Ling, Resident Instructor. A vibrant addition to the diversity of Buddhist traditions in the region, the temple offers authentic Ch’an meditation, instruction in traditional Chinese-style Pure Land Buddhism, and the combined practice of Ch’an and Pure Land. The combined practice has existed since the 8th century CE and skillfully blends the Ch’an emphasis on wisdom with the Pure Land cultivation of compassion.

Ven. Shih Shen Ling outside newly opened Dragon Flower Ch’an Temple, Tacoma.

Bodhidharma, the historical founder of the Ch’an tradition, brought his understanding of Buddhism from India to China in the sixth century CE. As the First Ancestor of Ch’an, he emphasized the practice of meditative awareness for the realization of one’s intrinsic Buddha-nature during a time when scripture study was in vogue. Ch’an flourished in China for over 700 years before being introduced to Japan as Zen. Some distinctive features of Ch’an Buddhism are the centrality of the teacher-student dynamic, the “mind-to-mind transmission” of the Dharma, responsive and individualized practice, and emphasis on meditative awareness as the means to see one’s Buddha nature directly.

The Dragon Flower Ch’an Temple was originally founded in northern Wisconsin by Venerable Shih Shen-Lung to fulfill the wish of Venerable Shih T’ai-Ts’ang to propagate the Ch’an Dharma in the West. Ven. T’ai-Ts’ang was the last monk to serve as Abbot of the prestigious Jinshan Monastery in Zhenjiang, China before the Communist takeover. Although the establishment of a full-time temple was planned in the 90s, Ven. Shen-Lung’s poor health delayed these plans and the temple was subsequently moved to St. Louis, Missouri. In the fall of 2006, Venerable Shen-Lung passed away and was succeeded by his Dharma Heir, Master Shih Ying-Fa, who undertook the relocation of DFCT to Tacoma.

Jinshan Monastery, Zhenjiang, China.

Ch’an Master Shih Ying-Fa, who serves as Abbot of both the Dragon Flower Ch’an Temple and CloudWater Zendo, the Zen Center of Cleveland, OH, will visit the Pacific Northwest in October 2007 to celebrate the re-opening of the Tacoma temple and to offer meditation instruction and Dharma teachings. He was recently named Honorary Spiritual Director of the Richard Hunn Association of Ch’an Study in England and is the founder of the Nien-Fo Ch’an Order of Buddhist Monks, whose stated goal is to teach the Dharma for the benefit of all living beings.

As Dragon Flower Ch’an Temple spreads its roots in the Pacific Northwest it will expand its offerings to include ceremonies, lectures, interfaith panel discussions, and retreats, functioning as a traditional temple adapted to modern Western culture. DFCT also plans to form an affiliate Sangha in Portland, OR.