9-Day Intensive Chan Retreat, 2/7-2/15, DDRC, NY
Led by: Abbot Guo Yuan
Level: Advanced
Fee: $675
Begins: Friday February 7, 2020
Check-in: 4:00 - 6:00 PM - late arrival not allowed
End Date: Saturday February 15, 2020
End Time: 10:00 AM
Deadline: no applications accepted after February 4
REGISTRATIONThis retreat will use videos of retreat talks by Chi Chern Fashi, Master Sheng Yen’s first Dharma heir. Abbot Guo Yuan will provide additional talks and interviews.
On this retreat, participants may use whatever Chan method they are comfortable with, including the breath method, reciting the Buddha’s name, or the advanced methods. The Dharma talks will provide more general instruction on the use of the various methods.
This is an intensive retreat; to be accepted, the applicant should have:
* already received basic meditation instruction
* established a daily personal practice
* previously attended at least one of our weekend intensive retreats (or a comparable retreat at another Buddhist center)
This retreat is the first part of a longer 23-day retreat, 2/7-2/29 .
Retreat Program
Meditation methods will be taught in the context of daily life activities, such as sitting, standing, walking, sleeping, working, and eating. Chanting and gentle yoga exercises further harmonize the body, breath, and mind. The retreat also includes daily lectures, meditation instruction, guided meditation, and personal interviews.
NOTE: Talks will be given in both Chinese and English.
Chi Chern Fashi, a Dharma Heir of Master Sheng Yen
Ordained by Master Zhu Mo in Penang, Malaysia, Chi Chern Fashi studied at the Fo Guang Buddhist College in Taiwan. Around 1980, he participated in several seven-day retreats and a period of fasting with Master Sheng Yen at the Institute of Buddhist Culture (Wen Hua Guan). During this time he had a profound experience.
With Master Sheng Yen’s confirmation, he returned to Malaysia to teach meditation. He received transmission from Master Sheng Yen in 1985, becoming his first Dharma heir. Chi Chern Fashi is currently the principal of the Malaysian Buddhist Institute, and is one of the most respected meditation teachers in Malaysia and Singapore.
Abbot Guo Yuan, a Dharma Heir of Master Sheng Yen
Guo Yuan Fashi, one of Chan Master Sheng Yen’s Dharma heirs, is a Buddhist monk trained in Chan Buddhism. In 1985 he first encountered Master Sheng Yen’s teachings while attending a seven-day retreat in New York. He then decided to become a disciple before finally leaving his job in Toronto, Canada, to become a monk in the Chan tradition. He was ordained in 1987 in Taiwan. For over twenty years, he accompanied and became translator to Master Sheng Yen in various Chan meditation retreats in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, and Mexico.
He studied Theravada Buddhism for a year in Thailand in 1991. Upon returning from Thailand, Guo Yuan Fashi was elected abbot of both the Chan Meditation Center (CMC) in Queens and the Dharma Drum Retreat Center (DDRC) in Pine Bush, New York. His responsibilities included attending interfaith services, teaching meditation, and giving lectures on Buddhism. In 2006 he became the director of the International Chan Retreat Center in Dharma Drum Mountain, Taiwan. In 2016 he returned to Pine Bush to become once again the abbot of DDRC. Fluent in Mandarin, Vietnamese, and English, he leads Chan retreat in many countries around the world.
