Continuing the affinity of Chan in Russia: Ven. Guo Xing led Seven-day Chan Retreat and Dharma Lectures in Moscow
From July 4th to 18th, Ven. Guo Xing (果醒法師), Master of the Meditation Hall, Ven. Chang Xiang (常襄法師), Director of the Meditation Activities Center, together with Ven. Yan Yi (演一法師), student from the Chan Department, DDM Sangha University visited Russia on invitation for a second time to continue the affinity started last year. In addition to paying solicitudes to local senior followers, they also led retreats in a retreat center in the suburbs of Moscow.
On July 7th, forty-five people attended the one-day retreat led by Ven. Chang Xiang. Apart from taking lessons and practicing sitting meditation, they also practiced outdoor walking meditation in a nearby white birch forest where they experienced body-mind relaxation and concentration in Nature. The following seven-day retreat started on the same day saw twelve participants, over half of whom were returners from the seven-day retreat held the year before. Ven. Guo Xing gave daily Dharma talks based on the wisdom of Buddha-nature in Chinese Chan School. He also shared concepts, such as Six Paramita, repentance, gratitude, no-self, and the spirit of Bodhisattva Path, receiving great response from the participants with question raised one after another.
In addition to the retreat, Ven. Guo Xing also gave two lectures on Buddhadharma, each attracting more than thirty people respectively, some of whom are members of the online Dharma Discussion Group meeting every other week. Ven. Guo Xing shared what he knew without reserve and hoped, by his aspiration of sharing Dharma teachings, that he could continue late Master Sheng Yen’s affinity with Russia when he brought Buddhadharma there back in 1998. Moreover, Ven. Guo Xing also hoped that Chinese Chan Buddhism would flourish in Russia and benefit a lot more local people.
Texts: Ven. Yan Yi (釋演一)
Photos: DDM Chan Practice Center
Translation: Frances Liu (劉演珮)
Editing: Elenda Huang, John Wu (吳俊宏)