Venerable Guo Yuan Led 2018 Hua Tou Chan Retreat in Mexico

At the invitation of Laura Del Valle, the President of Mar de Jade, Ven. Guo Yuan Fashi came to Mexico to lead Hua Tou seven-day Chan Retreat from June 2 to 9, 2018, accompanied by Ven. Chang Xing Fashi, with 32 participants. Angelica De Valle, Laura’s daughter, helped to interpret from English to Spanish.

Ven. Guo Yuan Fashi’s dharma talk started by instructing people to relax their whole bodies, counting their breaths, and then expounding the method of Hua Tou Chan which derived from Chinese Buddhism. He further shared the historical lineage of the Hua Tou Chan, particularly through storytelling, as well as explained detailed methods to help the practitioners in their daily practices.

Ven. Guo Yuan Fashi’s dharma talk started by instructing people to relax their whole bodies, counting their breaths, and then expounding the method of Hua Tou Chan which derived from Chinese Buddhism. He further shared the historical lineage of the Hua Tou Chan, particularly through storytelling, as well as explained detailed methods to help the practitioners in their daily practices.

One day before the closure, Ven. Guo Yuan arranged an outdoor working meditation in the morning, to experience the core spirit of “wherever the body moves, the mind follows”.

Participants shared that they felt a lot of benefits from Ven. Guo Yuan’s dharma talks, leading the Chan practices, and providing guidance during the personal interviews. During the concluding sessions, six of them became Buddhists through the ritual of Taking the Three Jewels and Five Precepts.

Texts: Venerable Chang Xing (常興法師)
Translation: Elenda Huang
Editing: Christine Huang