Chan Buddhism is often described as a path of direct insight into one’s true nature, a tradition that insists that awakening is not something added from outside but a recognition of what is already present. At its heart stands the teaching of Buddha-nature: every being possesses an inherent potential for enlightenment, and “seeing one’s nature” is both the method and the realization itself. This emphasis on mind as fundamental is captured in sayings such as “mind is Buddha,” pointing to the understanding that delusion and enlightenment are functions of the same mind. From this perspective, purity and defilement do not reside in external things but in how mind relates to them, and enlightenment is the clear, unobstructed functioning of this very mind.

Because of this focus on direct realization, Chan places practice above conceptual understanding and scriptural study. The famous characterization of the tradition as a “special transmission outside the scriptures, not founded upon words and letters, directly pointing to the human mind” captures this stance. Scriptures and doctrines are not rejected, but they are treated as fingers pointing to the moon rather than the moon itself. Authentic transmission is said to occur mind-to-mind between teacher and student, forming lineages that value experiential understanding over formal doctrine. This transmission is not merely symbolic; it is regarded as recognition that the student has realized the same mind as the Buddhas and patriarchs.

Meditation is the central discipline through which this direct insight is cultivated. Chan emphasizes seated meditation, a silent, attentive stillness in which the mind is allowed to clarify itself without clinging to specific objects of concentration. Over time, different approaches developed, including forms of silent illumination and the contemplation of gong’an (koans), all intended to exhaust discursive thinking and open the way to non-conceptual awareness. Within this framework, the tension between “sudden awakening” and “gradual cultivation” is treated as a matter of skillful means: awakening may be sudden recognition, yet its embodiment in conduct and character unfolds through ongoing practice.

Chan teachings consistently point toward non-duality and emptiness, affirming the fundamental non-separation of samsara and nirvana, ordinary mind and Buddha-mind. This non-dual insight is expressed in notions such as “no-mind,” which does not mean blankness but a responsive awareness free from fixation and self-centered grasping. Ordinary activities—walking, standing, sitting, lying down, eating, working—are all regarded as fields of practice, so that “ordinary mind is the Way.” When realization is genuine, it naturally manifests as compassionate, ethical conduct within community life, supported by monastic discipline and structured routines that provide a container without becoming rigid dogma.

Chan masters are known for their unconventional methods, which serve the same goal of cutting through attachment to concepts. Paradoxical statements, sudden shouts, physical gestures, and the use of gong’an are all employed to shock students out of habitual dualistic thinking and to reveal the limits of language. These methods are not mere theatrics; they function as skillful means to bring the practitioner back to the immediacy of the present moment. In this way, Chan integrates deep meditation, non-dual wisdom, and compassionate action into a single path that permeates every aspect of daily life.