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A. The more radical doctrines of Chan (we might say, the most characteristically Chan ideas of Chan) appear to depart from what we usually consider Buddhist. They pay little or no attention to Buddhist ethical precepts; they define monasticism and discipline as irrelevant; they even deny the importance of the Buddha. In what sense, then, is Chan of this sort Buddhist at all?
B. To what extent is Buddhist monastic practice, as described in the chapters of Welch's Practice of Chinese Buddhism in your e-reserve, really conducive to the psychological and spiritual goals of Buddhism? To what extent does Welch's portrayal of Buddhist monasticism support or refute the radical, "southern" Chan critique of Buddhist institutions?