Professor Garma C.C. Chang – The Illustrious Pioneer
Portrait of Professor Garma C.C. Chang in 1984
The Chinese Buddhist scholar Professor Garma C. C. Chang (1920-1988) was one of the few pioneering scholars who introduced Buddhism to the West primarily through the publication of books and his illustrious teaching career as a professor. He was an authority on Buddhist philosophy and was best known as an editor and translator of the teachings and practice of Tibetan tantra along with Zen Buddhism. Chang’s aim was to introduce people to vital books on achieving Buddhahood through strict Zen meditation or via esoteric tantric meditative techniques.
By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David
His father, Zhang Dulun was the provincial governor of Hubei.
The Illustrious Pioneer
His name Garma is a derivative of the word Dharma and C.C. Chang literally stands for Chen-Chi Chang, or in the Chinese order of placing the surname first, Chang Chen-Chi. In Pinyin, his name is spelt Zhang Chengji. He was born in Hubei, China in 1920. His father, Zhang Dulun was initially a senior army officer and was later promoted to be the provincial governor of Hubei. His mother was a devout Buddhist and was influential in shaping his childhood. Consequently, Chang’s childhood was filled with frequent visits to Buddhist temples and the recitation of many Buddhist sutras.
While studying, Chang found school to be meaningless and boring, and he instead filled his time by reading voraciously on philosophy and books on spirituality. He developed a keen interest towards philosophies that made him ponder the meaning of life and the uncovering of life’s great mysteries. After much effort at grappling with the archaic language used in such works, he was able to read a few volumes of sutras. He felt at peace reading the Buddhist teachings because they were deep and gave him an overwhelming sense of compassion. Therefore in 1935, at the age of 15 he left school, setting aside the ridicule and objection of friends and relatives in order to engage in Dharma study and practice as a lifetime pursuit.
Garma C.C. Chang followed an old lay master up into the Lushan Mountains in order to engage in a 100-day retreat
At 16, he followed an old lay master up into the Lushan Mountains in order to engage in a 100-day retreat and during this period, he was said to have been able to discern both true and false Dharmas. After the retreat, he came to the conclusion that nothing is more meaningful than the study and practice of Dharma. The following year, Chang wanted to travel to Tibet in order to deepen his realisation of the Dharma but his father objected. His father felt that Tibet was too remote and transportation in the region was undeveloped and unreliable.
In the end, his father made arrangements for Chang to visit Gangkar Monastery on Mount Gangkar, or Minya Konka Riwo in Tibetan, located in Kham, which is now part of Szechuan province. Gangkar Rinpoche was Chang’s mother’s teacher and the patriarch of the monastery. He remained in the monastery for eight years studying at the feet of this great master. Aside from studying the Buddhist teachings and practices, he also studied the Tibetan and English languages at this time.
A refurbished Gangkar Monastery that Professor Chang visited to study Tibetan Buddhism
Chang’s Tibetan master was the 9th Gangkar Rinpoche Karma Chokyi Senge. This master was born in Minya in 1893. On the day of his birth, it was said that the entire region witnessed two suns in the sky, which was considered to be auspicious. A few days later, was recognized as the incarnation of the 7th Gangkar Rinpoche. At the age of three, he was enthroned in the monastery as the tulku incarnation of Gangkar. He grew up to be a very famous scholar, master, lineage holder, and was followed by many disciples. He taught both sutra and tantra, and bestowed important empowerments unto many high lamas and ordained the famous disciples.
The portrait of the 9th Gangkar Rinpoche Karma Chokyi Senge who is the teacher of Garma C.C. Chang.
In 1948, Chang married Yu Nian Li (Helena) in Hankou and in 1949 he immigrated to the United States where he arrived in the 1950s with his wife via India, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In the United States, Chang became research fellow at the Bollingen Foundation in New York from 1955 onwards. During this time, he wrote many books, beginning with The Practice of Zen published in 1959, The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa published in 1962, and Teachings and Practice of Tibetan Tantra published in 2004. The book on Tibetan tantra was based on an earlier publication in 1993, which was itself based on the original version published in 1962.
In his book Teachings and Practice of Tibetan Tantra, Chang wrote about the generation of yogic heat in the body (Tibetan: tummo). In addition, he also taught tantric teachings on how sexual bliss can be transformed onto the path of awakening. John C. Wilson writes in the 1962 book’s introduction that Chang’s work on Tibetan tantra is hard to grasp with just a few readings. Therefore Chang advises that a serious practitioner should first be initiated and well guided in the basics before starting any actual tantric practices. As such, Chang’s book is only intended to be a source of reference for would-be tantric practitioners.
Ernst Schönwiese was an Austrian writer, lyricist, program director for literature, radio play and science at the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation
Chang’s extensive efforts in receiving teachings during his life and his written works regarding the Mahayana tradition has blazed a trail for others to follow. His first published Buddhist text in English was the Practice of Zen, which draws on the rich Chinese Mahayana tradition. Even earlier than that, he had translated The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa into English in the 1950s, a large collection of verses by Milarepa, all of which cemented Chang as a foremost Tibetan translator of his time.
Ernst Schönwiese a Austrian writer, lyricist and program director became a student of Professor Chang in 1971, who at that time was teaching Buddhist Philosophy at Pennsylvania State University. During the ensuing years, Schönwiese translated and published several important works by Professor Chang like The Mahamudra Handbook (1979), The Practice of Zen (1982), and The Buddhist Doctrine of Totality of Being (1989).
C.T. Shen is another important student of Chang whom he met in India in 1950
Aside from Schönwiese, C.T. Shen was another important student of Chang whom he met in India in 1950 and later became a very successful entrepreneur in the United States. Over the years, Shen contributed financially to Buddhist teachers, Buddhist meditation centres, and the development of Buddhism in America. So he was a co-founder of the Buddhist Association of the United States (BAUS). In a 1996 speech that he gave on his life in Buddhism, C.T. Shen spoke glowingly of his mentor and friend, Garma C.C. Chang. In his talk, C.T. Shen, a great Buddhist philanthropist, whose contribution to the Buddhist cause is legendary, attributed Garma C.C. Chang as the second most influential person in his life after his mother and that they shared a similar spiritual journey.
Kenneth Chen gave an excellent review of Practice of Zen back in 1961 and the review was published in Philosophy East and West, Vol. 11, No. 3 (Oct., 1961), pp. 174-176 (University of Hawaii Press).
“To the growing list of books on Zen Buddhism in English, Mr. Chang Chen-Chi has made a significant contribution. However, the author differs from many of the contemporary writers on the subject in that he has not been influenced by Japanese writers on Zen Buddhism. Again, he is not writing his account from secondary sources, but has gone back to the primary materials in Chinese. Finally, through his years of residence and study in Tibetan and Chinese monasteries, he has acquired a profound knowledge of the wider aspects of Buddhist philosophy that is fundamental to the proper understanding of Zen theory and practice… The author aims to show from these selections how Zen masters lived and worked – in other words, how they practiced Zen – in the hope that these might serve as examples for beginners at the present time. In addition to these translations, there are also discussions on the nature and problems of Zen. In the latter category, he seeks to throw some lights on such questions as, Is Zen completely unintelligible for the intellect? as Suzuki insists, and, What is Zen enlightenment? In answer to the first question, the author makes this sensible distinction between understanding Zen and realizing Zen, and that “to understand Zen through an intellectual approach is not reprehensible, but is the only way for the beginner, for who can get into Zen without having first some understanding or conceptual knowledge about it?” (p. 117)…”
Helena Chang
Professor Chang underwent two heart surgeries in 1974 and 1984. His failing eyesight also made it difficult for Chang’s quality of life and his work, which required a lot of reading and writing. In 1988, he finally passed away in Marietta, leaving behind his wife Helena Chang. Ever since, Helena Chang occasionally gives talks on her experience with her late husbands’ life and works.
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Book cover |
Books By Professor Garma C.C. Chang |
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The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa – the life-story and teaching of the greatest poet-saint ever to appear in the history of Buddhism. University Books, New York, 1962. |
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Teachings of Tibetan Yoga. 1963 |
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The Buddhist Teaching of Totality: The Philosophy of Hwa Yen Buddhism. 1971 |
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The Practice of Zen. 1978 |
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Treasury of Mahayana Sutras: Selections from the Maharatnakuta Sutra. 1983 |
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The Six Yogas of Naropa & Teachings on Mahamudra. 1986 |
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Teachings and Practice of Tibetan Tantra. 2004 |
German translations by Ernst Schönwiese
- Garma C.C. Chang: Mahamudra-Fibel. Octopus Publishing House, Vienna, 1979.
- Garma C.C. Chang: The Practice of Zen. Aurum Publishing House, Braunschweig, 1982.
- Garma C.C. Chang: The Buddhist doctrine of the totality of being. OW Barth Publishing House, Munich 1989.
For more interesting information:
- Kazi Dawa Samdup: a Pioneering Translator of Tibetan Buddhist Texts
- John Blofeld and His Spiritual Journey
- George Roerich – Light of the Morning Star
- Bill Porter (Red Pine): The Translator of Chinese Poems and Promoter of Zen Buddhism
- In the Footsteps of Joseph Rock
- Lama Anagarika Govinda: The Pioneer Who Introduced Tibetan Buddhism to the World
- Amongst White Clouds -Amazing!
- Alexandra David-Néel
- Nicholas Roerich & art (1874-1947)
- Ekai Kawaguchi – Three Years in Tibet
- Danzan Ravjaa: The Controversial Mongolian Monk
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Chinese Buddhist scholar Professor Garma C. C. Chang (1920-1988) was one of the few pioneering scholars who introduced Buddhism to the Western world. Since young he often visited Buddhist temples with his mother and regularly recited Buddhist sutras. That’s where he started to have an interest in Buddhism. He filled his time by reading philosophy and books on spirituality. He concluded that nothing is more meaningful than the study and practice of Dharma. In order to deepen his realization of the Dharma, he travelled to Tibet to increase his knowledge. Thanks to his language skills in Chinese, Tibetan, Sanskrit, Pali and English and his extensive knowledge of Buddhist philosophy, he translated and explained Chinese and Tibetan texts. He had inspired many in his written works and teachings regarding the Mahayana tradition. Interesting read .
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.
Professor Garma C. C. Chang is a Chinese Buddhist scholar, editor and translator . Through the publication of his books and translation works , he was responsible for the transmission of Buddhism to the West. Interesting…… Professor Chang since young somehow had a keen interest in studying Buddhism. That’s took him searching, travelling to Tibet looking for a teacher to further his Buddhism knowledge and life-long pursuit. He did a 100 day retreat to discover the difference between the true and false Dharma. He remained in Tibet under Gangkar Rinpoche at Gangkar Monastery to study Tibetan Buddhism. After acquiring many essential teachings, got married and later immigrated to the United States. He wrote many books such as The Practice of Zen, The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa , Teachings and Practice of Tibetan Tantra and so forth. Even though he had passed away yet his legacy lives on and well remembered by many.
Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor David for sharing this interesting article on Professor Garma C.C. Chang .
How can I contact you privately? I would like to give you an update on my mother’s book.
Eva Chang.
Hi Eva,
Sorry I didn’t notice your message easier. I just saw your message on my blog and will email you. Thank you
Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor David for posting this article on Professor Garma C.C. Chang and his being both instrumental and influential in bringing true Dharma to the western world. I received several books from Rinpoche just days ago, Professor Garma C.C. Chang’s, ‘Teachings and Practice in Tibetan Tantra’, being one of them. Thank you for these wonderful gifts indeed Rinpoche! Although small, this book has fast become a favorite. Due to it’s simplicity, serving as an introduction to very complex ideas, such as Dumo (Gtummo) Meditation and Tantric Practice, it must have been pivotal for many readers discovering their true nature of self and furthering their pursuit of Dharma. This book is a welcome addition to the personal library of anyone seeking the authentic teachings of such Masters as Naropa and Tilopa. Professor Garma C.C. Chang was most definitely an accomplished writer, practitioner and pioneer, bringing this knowledge to the west, and those who may not know the direction on the path to the liberation from suffering, embracing the Bodhi Mind and preserving the teachings of past masters, for the benefit of all sentient beings, to be sure. Certainly looking forward to reading more of Professor Garma C.C. Chang. Thank you immeasurably for your kindness in posting, caring and sharing this with us all. Be well friends and all the best to you from Canada.
Thank you Rinpoche. Please remain for many years to turn the wheel of Dharma. May you be well. Your kindness and encouragement are treasured and appreciated. I might add, I am in no way an authority of Professor Chang or Buddhism for that matter, but I am earnest aspiring to become one in time. I am grateful and humbled for being able to have a glimpse into the lives of these great writers and thinkers, rejoicing in their achievements. I hope to harness the strength and fortitude, resilience and diligence, they must well have had on their journeys, incorporating them on the path in my own right. I am honored and pleased to have the opportunity to read the books closest to your heart for the past thirty years. Thank you for your wave of great deeds that have helped so many, such as myself.
I admired and respect this great man-Professor Carma Chang, who had selfless contribution to propagating the teachings of the Buddha and brought Tibetan Buddhism to the western world. His determination and passion towards Buddhism at the very young age is inspirational. He is a great Buddhist Scholar and his books will benefit many peoples.
Professor Garma C.C. Chang has used his life to practice and promote Buddhism and his books will continue to benefit many. He did follow his deep interest since a young age, engaging in a 100-day retreat when most teens and even adults would not be able to do this. Yet he knew after this retreat the difference between false and true Dharma.
I am sure it was not easy but he went all the way and has left a treasure of books for us. He is one of the pioneers who brought Buddhist wisdom to the West.
Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor David for sharing about the inspiring Professor Garma C.C. Chang and his precious books with us.
Professor Chang story inspiring me about his determination to persue dharma and spiritual journey since young age. No doubt he have deep in print from his previous life. Is not easy for Professor Chang traveling to Tibet and study buddhism and stay at the Gangkar monastery over 10 year practice buddhism and learn the language.Despite all the hardship he become very knowleage in dharma and in tantric practice. Compare with people now always make excuses to come to dharma class to study. Professer Chang passion to learn dharma have make him sucessful befoming one of the schoolar and writer introduce buddhism to the west at the same time like Bill Porter and John Blofeld. His remarkable work will not forget by future generation by study his book.
Someone like professor Chang is just inspring and his story tell us that we should not give up spirituality and only focus on what is within secular. He find his own way to Dharma by himself since young , no one force him which indicate that Dharma could tell the truth of life.
I feel amazed, with age as tender as 15 Professor Garma had a very firm steady mind, totally a lot different with kids at this age. His strong enthusiasm and passion on learning, studying Dharma inspired many despite of criticism and discrimination from his closed members and friends. It was during revolution time and for sure tensed with strict laws. Imagine at this age, what you were doing then? For me, books, fun and know nothing about life! Lol.
I would supposed, Chang could be a highly scholar or spiritual practitioner in his previous life. If not, it’s impossible he gain realization during his 100 days retreats and could perceive true and false Dharma. His inspiration in Dharma motivates.
I always grateful to the Buddhist scholars like Proffesor Garma Chang for bringing Dharma to the world. Pro Chang used his whole life for Dharma. I believe being a writer was very hard at that time, need not mention about writing and publishing Buddhist books in USA.
His mother, a Devout Buddhist played an important role for his early up bringing in Buddhism . Since young he was passionate about Buddhism. He took up Buddhist practice as his career and pursue it all the way through out his life time. During the most difficult time in China, he studied two foreign languages, stayed in Tibet for 8 years to learn and practice the Tantra, hence he could write and teach from what he had learned and saw.
His legacy will not end by his passing. I thank Ms. Eva for continue to write. I am sure a life with Pro Chang was a very tough yet meaningful and interesting journey for Helena and Eva. The book will inspire lots of families to practice Buddhism.
I got the feeling that Professor Garma Chang must be a reincarnation of someone who have done strong Dharma in his previous life. At such a young age, probably with the help of the influence he got from his mother, indulged in reading Dharma books and maybe the main reason of quitting school early was because China was also under threat of Japan invasion. Those days are harder for someone to be even studying let alone Dharma. His passion into Dharma at such a young age when he went for a 100 day retreat in Lu Shan prompted me to draw comparisons with Rinpoche’s younger days. His inclination towards Buddhism in particular is also strong as he took the passion and effort to make sure he end up in Gangkar Monastery to study under Gangkar Rinpoche who is also the guru of his mother. His role in spreading Buddhism to the west were for all to see and especially in those days and places, it is not so conducive to learn another language for translation let alone Dharma. His passion never seemed end, well despite his old age it never stopped him from writing his last book at the age of 84 talking about Tantra practice which is not an easy subject to understand alltogether. It shows Professor Garma is a somebody in Buddhism studies.
I would imagine it was quite tough for Professor Garma Chang in his pursuit to learn and practice Buddhism in the mid 1930s when communism was already introduced in China. He could have find it tougher when communism, through Mao Zedong, took control in 1949 that later developed into Maoism. It is inspirational to read of this man’s passion in Buddhism, that against tough odds, he used his knowledge, learning, practice and writing to introduce Buddhism to the West. This article is one of many articles in Rinpoche’s blog that tells of how passion with determination, tenacity, not giving up, consistency, can make people or their dreams become a reality; same ingredients that are found in any passion, be in sports, business, studies, adventure.
Much respect to Mr Chang and those who are like him. For example, people like Alexander Neel, John Blofeld, George Roerich, etc are such inspirational figures. They travelled far and wide and at the same time be so passionate of what they were after despite the challenges they met. From young age, these extraordinary people pursued their spiritual path and benefitted many because of it. I salute and rejoice for their wonderful works!
And Mr Chang brought much wonderful Dharma teachings to the west! ‘Lucky’ for many, myself included, the books are in English!
I believe Mr Chang’s past lives’ imprints were quite strong as he met and pursued his spiritual path at such a young age. Even to the point he gave up his education for Dharma because he somehow understood it was more important.
Professor Garma C.C. Chang, this is the 1st time i heard of him, and Professor Garma C.C. Chang really inspired me. He written all the books from East ( China ) to West ( Western Countries ) and it’s benefit a lot of peoples.
As we discussed today with KFR team, Justin did mentioned Professor Garma C.C. Chang at the age of 84 he still writing books and about Tantra.
From Justin Cheah : Must be some special kid. I can relate to Rinpoche’s strong inclination towards Dharma. Such a young age already went to Lu Shan for retreat. Also went to Tibet despite objections from parents.
I totally agreed that.
Since young Chang already found that schooling is meaningless and boring and would rather spend his time reading on spirituality. His interest and enthusiasm in Buddhism since young to me I would relate it to imprint from his previous lives just like H.E. the 25th Tsem Rinpoche and many great master.
Chang’s is a very inspiring person. His passion and determination in Buddhism drive him to push through the difficulties he and his wife encountered to make Buddhism teaching propagate in the West. Chang’s even learn up a few languages such as Sanskrit and Pali to enhance his translation work. His selfless contributions in propagating the teachings of the Buddha is truly appreciated.
It is amazing that Professor Garma Chang who decided to leave school at the age of 15 to pursue in his spiritual path, back to the olden days, people left school at a young age is either their family could not support their education fees so they have to come out to work to earn money or they are not interested in study so they decided to come out to work, either way, it is still for the purpose of coming out to work and make money, many rich and successful people are the examples. But for Professor Garma, he is very different, at such young age, he already realized that the systemic education is meaningless, it does not benefit him in anyway, so he decided to leave school and step into his spiritual path.
Through Spirituality, Professor has made a great achievement in his life, he is not just being successful for himself, but at the same time, his success has also benefited thousands of people from his research and writings, even though today he is already not around, but the work he has done in his lifetime, it is still benefiting people until today, what greater work can we ask for in our life, what greater achievement can we ask for.
Without knowledge, Dharma cannot grow, thank you Professor Garma for your lifetime contribution that make the Dharma grow, your dedication has earned great respect from many people and I salute to you.
I admire with a tint of envy people like Professor Garma CC Chang who could in this new era of life be able to set off from a very young age to study and understand the Dharma without any distraction of what beholds for them in samsara. They are born with so much wisdom and imprints of the Dharma from previous lives.
Professor Garma CC Chang would turn his back on normal school and go into retreat and later to the monastery for Dharma studies. When he migrated to USA, he chose to continue his work and practice of Dharma and benefit the world with his books and knowledge of Buddhist practice.
Professor Chang wrote from experience of his personal practice and study and it is work of such great scholars that today we are able to learn more about Buddhism. Especially for English educated people like me who will always be grateful for the books of Buddhism written in the language I studied in.
With great appreciation to great scholars like Professor Garma CC Chang.
Just a few minor corrections. My father’s pinyin name would be Zhang Chenji. My mom’s name is Yu Nien Tze. I am working on a book with her about her life story, and will be happy to share it with you when it is completed.
Dear Eva Chang,
Thank you very much for your corrections. I will certainly make the amendments. This article on your father is actually part of a series of articles we are writing from our research on elite Buddhist scholars. Others include:
John Blofeld – https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/art-architecture/john-blofeld-and-his-spiritual-journey.html
Bill Porter – https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/books-poetry/bill-porter-red-pine-the-translator-of-chinese-poems-and-promoter-of-zen-buddhism.html
Lama Anagarika Govinda – https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/lama-anagarika-govinda-2.html
Alexandra David Neel – https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/alexandra-david-neel.html
Herbert Guenther – https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/herbert-guenther-master-of-languages-buddhism.html
Nicholas Roerich – https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/art-architecture/nicholas-roerich.html
George Roerich – https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/art-architecture/george-roerich-light-of-the-morning-star.html
Ekai Kawaguchi – https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/downloads/ekai-kawaguchi-three-years-in-tibet.html
Kazi Dawa Samdup – https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/people/kazi-dawa-samdup-the-pioneer-translator-of-tibetan-buddhist-texts.html
These elite Buddhist scholars are inspiring because they sacrificed everything in order to learn another language, travel and immerse themselves in the culture of the countries they travelled to in order to learn their rich Buddhist traditions. They became powerful scholars in their own right during a time when these studies were not mainstream or widespread. They really went all the way with their passion and in the process benefited many generations of people in their same field. People like your father and that genre of people are truly heroes and they opened the door to the deep philosophical wisdom of the profound east to audience that was ready. Now we can see Buddhism in all forms has become mainstream and growing in the West.
Your father is amongst these great scholars whose contribution to the transmission of Buddhism to the West is immense and so many of us English readers appreciate him greatly. However, as we were researching online to write an article on your father, there is so little information, which is not befitting of a scholar of his stature. People now and in the future need to commemorate and celebrate great scholars like your dad and so therefore more information on the blog post is important. If you have any information to enrich this article, I would be most appreciative. His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche would also be very happy about this because he admires your father’s dedication, vast knowledge and writings. He promotes and has also purchased many of your father’s books and gifted them to people. Once again, I thank you very much.
Pastor David Lai
Wow, imagine my surprise when I stumbled across this blog today. I am the daughter of Garma Chang. Thank you for keeping his memory alive.
Hi Eva Chang,
Thank you for commenting here. It was a pleasure researching and writing about your father because he indeed is one of the few pioneers whose translation works was responsible for the transmission of Dharma to the West.
He is indeed very beneficial and Tsem Rinpoche thinks highly of him and his work. He was also very excited about this article to go up on his blog. Therefore, if you have any more stories or pictures to add to this post, feel free to email them to me at kmp.davidlai@gmail.com Thank you very much.
Hi Eva, wow the world is very small.
I have just started reading one of your father’s books. I must say he is extremely knowledgeable about his pet subject and writes very succinctly. Looking forward to finishing the book I started.
Welcome to the blog!
With warm regards.
Thank you Pastor David for this write up. Buddhism is just great. Buddhism is able to change one’s life like Professor Garma C.C. Chang. He on the other hand benefit others by writing and publishing books about Buddhism. May his books continue to sell and benefit many.
With folded palms,
Vivian
This is a very good article on a man who dedicated his life to make Dharma teachings much more accessible to the public. He spent his entire life making the teachings more accessible to lay people and spiritualists.
At the age of 15 he already felt a deep pull for the dharma and what it represents, and is courageous to walk the path of learning much more about dharma and even taking on spiritual teachers. Wonderful story.
Thank you Pastor David for this very interesting article on Professor Garma Chang.
Professor Garma Chang’s role in introducing Buddhism to the West was via the publication of books and his teaching career as a professor of Buddhism. He wrote on Zen Buddhism drawing on his knowledge of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism, as well as on tantra ,and he was renowned for translating Tibetan Buddhist books , such as Milarepa’s 100 songs, into English.
It was his mother, a devout Buddhist, who shaped his childhood study and practice of Buddhism . As a child,he visited many Buddhist temples and recited many sutras.
Having found school meaningless , he focused on books on spirituality , and the study of philosophy. His keen interest in philosophy made him think deeply on the meaning of life. Reading Buddhist books made him feel at peace, and gave him “an overwhelming sense of compassion.” Thus at the age of 15, he did the unprecedented. He left school , amid criticism and objection from his relatives and friends, so as to be able to engage in Dharma study and practice as a life-long pursuit.
Then the following year, he went up into the Leshan mountains and engaged in a 100 day retreat. Through this retreat, he learned to discern between true and false Dharma. He also studied for eight years in a Tibetan monastery, the Gangkar Monastery, under Gangkar Rinpoche, who was his mother’s teacher.This highly realised master , famous scholar and lineage holder, bestowed important empowerments on him and other famous students(whom he ordained) and high Lamas, both sutra and tantra.and empowerments. At the Gangkar Monastery, Chang also studied Tibetan and English.With such a broad and profound background , it is understandable that he continued to make an impact on the world of Buddhist studies.
Later, he migrated with his wife, to the United States.There he continued to write and teach Buddhism. He had 2 students, who became well-known and carried on translating his works and publishing them, as well as finance Buddhist teachers, meditation centres and develop Buddhism in America.Thus his legacy to the world lived on after him.
His profound understanding of Zen Buddhism can be seen in the way in which he was able to clarify the distinction between understanding Zen and realizing Zen. “To understand Zen through an intellectual approach is not reprehensible, but is the only way for the beginner, for who can get into Zen without having first some understanding or conceptual knowledge about it?”
Interesting how Professor Chang was drawn to Buddhism from a very young age. But, it is to the benefit of many in the west that he did as he went on the publish many books on Buddhism in a language and nuance that those outside of China can understand. That he emphasized proper training before embarking on certain practices speaks volumes about his own training and discipline.
It would be interesting to read his books.
Professor Garma CC Chang’s books and their contents must be extremely insightful as they were written from his personal experiences and practice of the Dharma.
The appeal of his writings must be great, because besides writing from experience, he wrote with great passion on what he loved that is the Dharma.
Personally, I will get hold of some of his books to read.
The Chinese Buddhist philosophy, editor and translator Professor Garma C. C. He Chang was one of the famous scholars who introduced Buddhism to western world. travelled extensively 8 years in Tibet and studied Buddhism in several monasteries. Wow ,at age 16 he already show a interest in Dharma study.He is a great Buddhist scholar-cum-practitioner whose single-minded quest for the universal truth Renowned for his English translation of The 100,000 Songs of Milarepa, Garma C.C Chang was also the author of many other books that was the fruit of many years of extensive studying Buddhism.
Thank you Pastor David Lai for sharing this great Buddhist scholar.
In writing about Professor Garma C. C. Chang, I have come to appreciate his diverse background of zen and Tibetan Buddhism. He wrote a number of books on both and introduced the western audience to the profundity of Buddhist philosophy and practice.
He is indeed a pioneer that because he was asian, he had an acute sense of appreciation for the teachings and he had great teachers that revealed wondrous teachings to him. Due to his sensitivity of being asian and his audience in the West, he was able to somehow be an effective bridge between east and west. He was indeed an expected pioneer of Buddhism in the West.
When I was very young, down the street from where I lived in Howell, New Jersey was a Kalmuck lady who was very spiritual. She was my friend at the time. She was in her 30’s and had a large collection of spiritual books of which many were on Buddhism. I would borrow books from her quite often and read. She would have read them and give me her thoughts on the books and highly recommend this one or that one. I would then read the books she recommended and we would often discuss about them. It was a very enjoyable time in my life. I miss this friend very much. Some of the books she had were from Professor Garma C.C. Chang, Govinda, Alexander David-Neel, Evans-Wentz, John Blofeld, etc.. and I read some of them. Those books inspired me so much. My conversations with this friend inspired me so much and I enjoyed her spiritual company tremendously. That was one part of my childhood that was good.
I have all these books by these great authors in my library now and still read them. I have made them available from Kechara for invite and also will have them in the future Kechara library coming up.