The Approach of Zhong Xin Dao: On "Abandoning Concepts and Encompassing Emptiness"

By Grandmaster Sam F.S. Chin

“Abandon concepts, realize all. Encompass Emptiness, and dissolve all duality.”

This message originally closed the 2nd edition of the System Guide and stands as the opening threshold of the 3rd edition.

During an instructor session, we discussed the intent behind these words. Members shared various interpretations—some viewed the message as part of our core philosophy, others as a specific mental state during training, and some likened it to the Buddha’s famous parable of the raft.

While these ideas are not wrong, they remain incomplete.

Beyond Philosophy: The "How" of Balancing

Zhong Xin Dao transcends the message itself: it is the direct HOW of our Approach.

The ever-changing present moment—the balancing moment—IS the abandoning moment. The action of balancing itself resolves this puzzle.

Reflection—the direct experience of the changing moment, or seeing what is happening as it happens—is the specific kind of knowing we call Being WITH. This quality of being is the very action of the moment; it is the process of abandoning itself.

Direct Experience Over Conceptualization

Knowing the moment requires direct experience. In Connecting (meeting, matching, and linking), there is no room for conceptualizing, naming, labeling, or thinking. All of these mental activities are subtle forms of "doing" rather than simply being with what is.

In Eastern philosophy, "abandoning" does not mean discarding something because you dislike it. Likewise, "embracing" does not mean grasping something because you prefer it—both reactions stem from duality.

True abandoning occurs only through balancing from within, using the neutral approach: