Zen master Taiun Jean-Pierre Faure was ordained as a monk by master Taisen Deshimaru in 1981. In 2003, he received the transmission of the Dharma from Minamizawa Zenji, a high authority in Zen and abbot of Eiheiji temple in Japan. He is now abbot of Kanshoji Monastery in the Dordogne region of France. He transmits Buddhism in the Sôtô Zen tradition.
How did you receive this transmission of the Buddha’s teachings?
I received the transmission of the Dharma because I wanted it, and because my master wanted to give it to me. I ardently desired to put an end to my mental agitation, my fears, my anger… Inspired by the natural functioning of the universe, I thought it was possible to reach a state beyond hatred and fear… And I sought a way.
Previously, I had a Christian approach, and later my approach was to be politically engaged; then I met Master Deshimaru. He really resembled the great masters of the past that I had heard about. He radiated such kindness and strength that I wanted to follow him, to walk in his footsteps. During my Christian period, I knew the Christian notion of a sacrificial love, but here I saw a man who, without sacrificing himself, worked for others. His actions were acts of love, imbued with wisdom.
I was touched to see through him that love and wisdom were two aspects of the same thing. The Prajnaparamita Sutra teaches us to go beyond all forms, without fixing on anything, with a completely free and transparent mind. This sutra invites us to constantly embrace the ever changing reality. Even if an image, a representation of reality, forms in our mind at every moment, we must not dwell on any of them.
A mind that is always fresh in the face of the situation, in tune with reality, is wisdom. With an open mind, seeing the folly of human beings, we make the vow that our life be beneficial to all lives, including our own. We dedicate our practice to helping others to liberate themselves: this is the highest form of compassion and true love.
The best way to relieve the suffering of others – to help them out of their anxieties, aversions and ignorance – is to introduce them to the Dharma. This was the message conveyed by Master Deshimaru. This is how I became his disciple and how a transmission from mind to mind took place, without my knowing it.
How does one go from being a disciple to a teacher, or even a transmitter? 
I was a disciple, and I still am… The more time passes,
the more grateful I feel for the gift given to me by Minamizawa Zenji and, before him, by Master Deshimaru. This path has transformed my life, which was often ruled by stupidity, anger, narrow-mindedness… Today, I feel much more love around me, because in fact, love exists deep within me. In situations that I thought were inextricable, I discover a way to get through them; through the practice of wisdom, I attain an equanimous mind in situations that are difficult to accept.
I loved Master Deshimaru deeply; I admired and respected him. It took a great deal of courage for him to transmit the Buddha’s teachings to us Westerners. As for Minamisawa Zenji, although he speaks little, he possesses a rare inner depth and humility. Standing beyond words, he is endowed with great power in his actions. From him, too, I receive a great teaching.
The expression of my gratitude is to give back today what I have received. I am in the position of someone who has received a wonderful gift and does not know how to thank the giver.
I have approached two Zen masters who enabled me to understand and practise the teachings of Buddha.
I could see how wonderful and precious these teachings are, because they enable human beings to resolve the great problem of life and death. Having experienced their benefits, I made a vow to share them with as many people as possible.
That is why I became a Dharma teacher. I understood that to be a true disciple is to help one’s master spread the Dharma and continue his mission after him. One becomes a true Dharma teacher only if one has been a true disciple.
There are other ways to live and move forward in this world in flames, but the best way is to go with the spirit of Buddha, that is to say, without weapons or armour. To be awakened to reality is the right way to make good choices.
“What do you want to do with your life if not put it at the service of life?” Life has been giving itself to life since eternity, and this law has not changed and will never change. Your life is part of this endless circle: the life of the universe is at the service of your life, your life is at the service of the life of the universe.
One day, Master Deshimaru said to me, “You are not going to practise just for yourself.” And he invited me to open a place of practice and to make zazen known. Later, Minamizawa Roshi came to France to the Gendronnière temple, of which I was in charge at the time. When we met, he spoke of the need for authentic transmission. Later, he gave me the Shihō (the transmission of the Dharma). At such a moment, the master recognises that the disciple understands his teaching and is now his successor, a new link in his lineage. Much later, I transmitted the Shihō to two disciples who had loyally followed and helped me.
The important thing in the process of transmission is that the disciple is motivated by the vow to return to their Buddha dimension and by the vow to help their fellow beings to do the same.
s realisation.
So far, we have talked about transmission, but what is actually being transmitted? 
There is nothing tangible, comprehensible, or even visible that is transmitted to the disciple. One person approaches another and opens up to them. A child absorbs the behaviours and values of their parents by living at their side. Similarly, the disciple who lives by the side of the master absorbs the master’s realisation. This happens gently, unconsciously, intuitively, through resonance. One of the conditions for this transmission is that the disciple has a strong aspiration to awaken; the other condition is that the master is ready to respond to it.
This is not a material transmission. Just as a torch coated with resin ignites on contact with a burning torch, the disciple’s aspiration is realised on contact with the master’
In Zen, we speak of i shin den shin, a wordless transmission from mind to mind. The master practises liberation, and it is this fragrance of Buddhahood that the disciple feels and makes his own. It is in a relationship of trust and respect that the disciple opens himself to the master’s values and comes to follow the same path as him. Receptivity to the master’s values depends on how the disciple sees the truth in the master. Master Dōgen reminds us that transmission is effective when the disciple is able to bow down before the master’s truth. For Master Dōgen, a person is venerable from the moment that truth manifests itself naturally in their behaviour, words and spirit.
The phenomenon of Dharma transmission does not belong to the world of the mind. Indeed, the disciple does not always understand intellectually, at first glance, the master’s realisation and the teaching that goes with it. Etymologically, to respect means to look twice. Indeed, the disciple must attach importance to the master’s instructions, examine them deeply, again and again, in order to understand their spirit. One could say that the disciple looks over the master’s shoulder to see the direction in which the master is heading. This implies that the disciple gradually gains access to penetrating insight, to awakened vision, where, through intuition, he understands beyond words. Sometimes it is enough for the master to raise an eyebrow or blink an eye to give an instruction or direction.
This transmission takes place in a relationship of true love, of great love, beyond any personal interest, solely in the service of the Dharma. In the master-disciple relationship, the disciple is concerned with helping the master and not tiring him. The disciple feels the master’s love and, in turn, shows kindness towards him; he does everything he can to help him, to help him in his mission, in fact to help the Dharma spread.
A true disciple does not think about becoming a master, but is instead motivated by the bodhisattva spirit, which is to awaken, to help others awaken, and also to help the master who transmits the teaching of Awakening.
That is why one day, sensing this spirit of gratitude in the disciple, the master considers him to be a transmitter of the Dharma – free from any idea of selfish personal development. He recognises that he possesses the three minds of the Way, specific to Enlightenment: the magnanimous mind, the responsible mind, and the joyful mind.
The magnanimous mind sees widely, sees beyond the self and the mine. The responsible mind works with compassion and love to alleviate the suffering of the world. The mind that freely gives the best of himself finds joy in doing so.
When the disciple has reached the point where these three minds guide his life, at that moment, through the Shihō ceremony, the master recognises him and certifies him as his successor.
What we revere in the way of Buddha is Reality as it is! This revered Reality is found in the acts of daily life, such as getting dressed and receiving food; these are the places of Awakening. This explains why, during the Shihō ceremony, the master offers the disciple the kesa – a garment that symbolises the universe that covers us – and the monk’s bowl – which symbolises the monk’s head, the one that receives and understands the gift of the universe.
These physically transmitted objects remind us that monks pay little attention to the material conditions of their lives. Master Dōgen says, however, that monks who transmit the Dharma will never have to suffer from hunger or cold.
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