CH'AN GATE DARTMOOR

"The timbers for a great hall come from the remote valleys, not from inhabited areas. Because they are far from humans, they have not been chopped down or damaged by their axes. One by one they grow into giant things: only then are they fit to serve as the ridgebeams.     Thus we know how to rest the spirit in remote valleys, to stay far away from the hubbub and dust, to nourish our true nature in the mountains and forswear conventional affairs always. When there is nothing before the eyes, mind of itself is peaceful. From this the tree of the Path blooms and the fruits of the Ch'an forest come forth."

大滿弘忍 Daman Hongren (601-674 CE)

We are custodians of a very special place on the edge of Dartmoor; a temperate wooded river valley, pasture land and wild places. Private, quiet, grounded and unspoilt, we use and offer humble and basic space for the dedicated study and practice of Ch'an Buddhism, for meditation and learning, and for steady inner transformation, for the benefit of all beings.

The way is much like navigating through an ancient woodland with an old map to hand. Seeing there was once a path, but, with traces faint, we find ourselves lost in a tangle of growth. Using the map as a guide we begin to find more traces, and, joining them up, we carefully clear the way. An ancient path emerges and eventually we can look both ways along its length. By walking the path everyday it becomes clear and navigable, the way becomes familiar, and through consistent steps the path is made clear for ourselves and others to walk. The simple yet profound path of the ancient Ch'an Masters, if studied, trained and embodied, leads to full awakening and a life of wisdom and compassion.