Dharma Talks at CMC: Putting the Teachings in Buddhist Scriptures into Practice in Daily Lives

From September 17^th to 20^th, 2024, Chan Meditation Center (CMC) in New York invited Ven. Guo Xing (果醒法師), the Master of the Meditation Hall of Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM), to conduct a 4-day course of "Scriptures and Practice," which was attended by more than 100 people both in person and online. During these 4 days, through the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment (圓覺經), the Blue Cliff Record (碧嚴錄), and Chan masters' quotes that point directly to the nature of mind, Ven. Guo Xing guided the participants to constantly examine their own physical and mental states and progressively perceive their innate True Mind.


The theme that ran throughout Ven. Guo Xing's four-day course is "Start from the mind, return to the mind." He pointed out how the key that determines whether a mundane person either transmigrates involuntarily in samsara or attains enlightenment lies in a single thought of the mind. Vexation is precisely bodhi, since the troubled mind in its true essence is the complete, perfect, and enlightened Mind. He also reminded us that worldly ignorance is revealed through our bodily attachments, composed of Five Aggregates and Four Elements, which we mistakenly take to be the self. In order to fulfill the desires of this body, we bind ourselves as various afflictions arise. In fact, however, the Mind is always in a state of enlightenment and clarity.

During the course, many participants asked how to practice the essence of these scriptures or the concepts and methods shared by Ven. Guo Xing in their daily lives. Ven. Guo Xing then took examples from his own experience. By sharing many real-life stories and examples, he elucidated how to train our own mind through real-life situations. For instance, Ven. Guo Xing shared that, generally speaking, when we adjust ourselves to accommodate others, we are engaging in a Buddhist practice of shaking off our attachment to the concept of self. Ven. Guo Xing also shared Master Sheng Yen's teaching: if our mind can remain unaffected by whatever we perceive, wisdom will spontaneously emerge.

Participants indicated that they benefited greatly from Ven. Guo Xing's lectures. Many of them also said that they must keep learning and practicing in order to understand Ven. Guo Xing's sharing of the teachings that point directly to the nature of the Mind. According to a participant, when Ven. Guo Xing shared "When interacting with others, ask yourself: what benefits can I bring to others," which Master Shen Yen taught by example, he was surprised that we can actually interact with others with such a mentality in daily life. It has been many years since Ven. Guo Xing's last visit to CMC, and everyone rejoiced to listen to his Dharma talks again, expressing their gratitude for this precious opportunity to learn the Dharma.



Photos and original Chinese text / Chan Meditation Center
Translation / Li Siang-ling
Editing / Keith Brown, YKL