Refreshing Imprint of Youth:
2018 International Rotary Youth Chan Camp
July 17, 2018 at 9:00 am marked the start of Youth Chan Camp; at the invitation of the International Rotary Club, 30 youngsters aged between 18-25 from 15 countries, namely the Czech Republic, India, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Romania, Thailand, U.S.A., England, Italy, Belgium, Slovakia etc., gathered at the DDM World Center for Buddhist Education and Great Wisdom Hall of the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts to experience complete relaxation of the body and mind through purified encounters at this one-day Chan retreat.
In her opening remarks, head of the camp Ven. Chang Ji (常寂法師) guided the students to be aware of breathing, and experiencing calmness of the body and mind through a short meditation practice, followed by picking up a few fundamental Buddhist etiquettes.
Filled with anticipation yet not losing tranquility, the students toured the DDM Grand Hall while learning the concept of "The original face" (本來面目); Beside the Wish Fulfilling Pool, next to the Guanyin Hall, they attempted to comprehend the origins of " Entering the Stream Where Objects Are Renounced "(入流亡所); they appreciated the wisdom of cultivating inherent nature at the Founding History Memorial Hall; and the students were filled with pleasant surprise by the ingenuity of the Smiling Chan Life Hall.
The bowl-holding meditation before lunch, firstly guided the students to the entry point of full concentration; then their Chan experiences were gradually lead to the systematic learning, namely Eating Chan during lunch, Sleeping meditation right after the lunch, followed by formal Chan meditation courses in the Grand Wisdom Hall guided by Ven. Chang Xiang (常襄法師).
He shared the origination of the Chan Buddhism, and also the concepts and methods of Chan practices in everyday life. Curiosity was fully stimulated as they have never heard of the concept of "No-Self" (無我), and found this idea incredible. Before its concluding remarks, there was a demonstration of the Eight-Form Moving Meditation, further enriching the students' experiences via various forms and methods of Chan meditation.
Clear blue skies and a radiant sun illuminated the start of the camp, then gradually dimming into the evening. The black ceremonial robes (海青) adorned the solemnity of the Buddha Hall, so students precipitated their youthful souls and alluring their minds to the Sanskrit songs of prayers. One of 9 team leads, from DDM for Young People, Fan Ning-Xian(范寧鷴) was deeply touched by students’ earnest attitude and concentrated effort from all over the world , with their open-hearted willingness to understand Chinese Buddhism and the Chinese culture. The unexpected joy came through the ingenious coupling of the English evening service and ceremonial rituals, where the international students were able to intuitively understand the compassion and wisdom of Buddhism!
Chan experiences did transcend all language and cultural barriers! Brimming with Dharma joy on the young faces, and filled with the desire to understand more of Chan wisdom, the students shared their whole day of abundant Chan experiences in DDM Institute of Liberal Arts. The hosting organizers extend their gratitude to all venerable and volunteers whom made this event possible, wishing everyone would carry this refreshing imprint of youth on their journey into the future.
Texts: Elenda Huang
Translation: Chang, Cheng-Yu (張振郁)
Editing: DDM Australian Editorial Team