3 Day Meditation Retreat with Venerable Guo Chii, Melbourne (July 19 - 21, 2013)

From July 19th to 21st, there was a three-day meditation retreat led by Dharma Drum Mountain’s Ven. Guo Chii in DDM Melbourne Chapter.

Three-day meditation retreat is really arduous, even for one who has had a previous experience. At the end of the retreat, most participants thought it challenging, but beneficial.

The proceedings of the retreat are designed by the late Ven. Master Sheng Yen, the founder of Dharma Drum Mountain. As proven to many from around the world, his methods and teachings are practical and inspiring.

Long sitting meditation resulted in pain of legs, backache and drowsiness; “The upper part of the body was relaxed but my feet, especially my knees, gradually became very painful,” Ellen Lam said. However, the participants still persisted with finishing the practice through the guidance of Ven. Gou Chii; after which they felt more perceptive and developed greater compassion for others. The value of regular, long-term sitting meditation has been attested by many scientific researchers, who have also found that the benefits are diverse and far-reaching.

Participants all felt especially blessed after receiving the excellent instructions and guidance given in the retreat. For example, the participants experienced walking meditations, which were challenging but invigorating.

The water-bowl walking meditation was the most challenging and instructive, under which the retreat participants had to concentrate and devote themselves to saving every drop of water in the bowl as an offering for Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin Bodhisattva). Experiencing concentration, tranquility and devotion in the process of meditation is priceless and precious.

At the end of the retreat, all participants shared their experiences of benefits and vowed to practice more regularly when they return to their daily lives.

(Shared by DDM Melbourne Chapter)