The main differences between modern and traditional Chan Buddhist practice include simplification, secularization, anti-liberation, to name but a few. With the purpose of avoiding a backlash against the ultimate Buddhist values, how shall we understand and interpret Master Sheng Yen’s thought of Chan Buddhism? Master Sheng Yen and Thich Nhat Hanh are both contemporary prominent Chan masters. Their life goals are the same, to renew Buddhism. This article will firstly discuss how Master Sheng Yen explained the connection between Chan and Ethics. Secondly, how did the Master regard the precepts as ethical foundations of purification of the self-mind and the societies? Finally, I will seek to explore the difference and similarities between Master Sheng Yen and Thich Nhat Hanh’s interpretation about śīla and ethics. Since Thich Nhat Hanh argues that “The practice of the precepts (śīla) is the practice of Right Mindfulness”, and “One cannot meditate without practicing the precepts.”
