Some people don't like any kind of form, especially chanting. How should we approach them?
Zen master: This is Western mind, always strong like and dislike. But there are many people who like chanting very much. Chanting means doing together action with other people; then this together action takes away your opinion, your condition, and your situation very easily. That's the teaching of chanting meditation. If people don't like Korean chanting, then maybe some time in the future we will chant everything in English. But remember that our school is not only in America, but also in Poland, Germany, Spain, and other parts of Europe. So if someone from America goes to Poland, it's the same form, same chanting; then you have the feeling of being part of a large international family. Then your mind becomes bigger and you are at one with the world; you "become world peace."
Could you talk a bit more about chanting as meditation?
Zen Master: Meditation means not-moving mind. As I said before, old style meditation means body sitting, but mind sitting is more important than body sitting. When you chant you first have one mind, not-moving mind; that's mind sitting, chanting samadhi. You keep chanting "Kwan Seum Bosal, Kwan Seum Bosal, Kwan Seum Bosal," then you perceive sound; that's clear mind. Clear mind is wake-up mind; wake-up mind is enlightenment. So in chanting, samadhi mind is the first step; this is one mind. The next step is perceive sound; this is clear mind, enlightenment. If you attach to samadhi, then you have a problem. That's a very important point.
ok i find what he had said above.. quite interesting..
Pls refer to this link:
http://www.kwanumzen.com/primarypoint/v06n2-1989-fall-dssn-wearingakasacarryingtheworld.html(AEN: link corrected)