Ven. Guo Yuan on the mind of Chan in Luxembourg and London

On July 6 and 7, Venerable Guo Yuan (果元法師), abbot of Dharma Drum Retreat Center in New York, together with Venerable Chang Hu (常護法師), director of DDRC, held a one-day retreat, the Chan in Tea activity, and two lectures on Chan practice at the Soeurs Franciscaines in Luxembourg.

Venerable Guo Yuan leading Chan practice training course in London (by Venerable Chang Hu)

On July 6, the one-day retreat kicked off with Ven. Guo Yuan leading participants to do the Eight-form Moving Meditation, followed by Ven. Chang Hu guiding the practice of outdoor walking meditation and the experience of Chan in Tea. The next day, Ven. Guo Yuan gave two lectures entitled “Mind of Chan, Joy of Chan”, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, respectively in English and Mandarin, with altogether over 50 participants. Ven. Guo Yuan started off by sharing the story of Emperor Liang (梁武帝) meeting with Fudaishi (傅大士, 497 – 569), to explain the origin and historic development of Chan Buddhism in China. Ven. Guo Yuan also used a dialogue between Mazu Daoyi (馬祖道一) and Nanyue Huairang (南嶽懷讓) as an example, to answer questions such as “What is mind?” “What is Chan?” and “What is one’s true nature?”

The venerable then went on to explain the Buddhist concepts of “self” and “self-attachment,” as well as impermanence and no-self, in terms of the five skandhas (aggregates) and the twelve links of dependent arising, to introduce Chan Buddhist ideas to Westerners. Finally, by sharing the story of “an old lady’s challenge regarding the mind,” as recorded in the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, he illustrated the true meaning of “detachment from mind, thought, and cognition,” which is required in the practice of Chan.

During the sharing session, participants expressed how they had further experienced Chan practice, in that they were more able to remain calm and relaxed. Some were amazed by the serene feeling of solitude from the world as they were doing walking meditation, and were also impressed by the totally different way of having tea.

Texts: Dharma Drum Monthly
Photos: Venerable Chang Hu (常護法師)
Translation: Elenda Huang
Editing: Chang, Chia-Cheng (張家誠); DDM Editorial Team

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