Three-day Retreat Held at DDM Toronto Centre with Participants Full of Dharma Joy

From October 24^th to 27^th, 2024, Dharma Drum Mountain Toronto Centre held an intensive three-day retreat in Dunnville, led by Ven. Guo Yuan (果元法師), with Ven. Chang Yuan (常源法師) as the timekeeper and chief retreat coordinating monk. At the beginning of the three-day retreat, Ven. Chang Yuan reminded the participants to be mindful while staying relaxed and joyful in order to relax their body and mind when practicing sitting meditation.

First, Ven. Guo Yuan went through the basics of meditation, reminding the participants that Chan meditation puts equal emphasis on both concepts and methods; with imbalanced emphasis on either one, we will be like a bird with only one wing and thus cannot fly. Although concepts and methods are helpful for our spiritual cultivation, they do not directly lead us to enlightenment. Thus, we should not get attached to them.

Ven. Guo Yuan emphasized that the basic preliminary procedures are all essential, such as doing head exercises, taking deep breaths, adjusting sitting posture, and practicing relaxation. Only by following the basic preliminary procedures can we practice diligently using the method. In addition, Ven. Guo Yuan gave a clear and detailed explanation on the methods of following the breath, counting the breaths, and counting the recitation of the Buddha's name. He also elucidated the issue of drowsiness and distraction that practitioners often have when meditating: drowsiness occurs when people wear themselves out by thinking too much, or not being mindful enough when using the method. If the mind is too dull, one should check one's sitting posture, such as through assessing whether their back is straight, their neck is in line with the back, their chin is tucked in, etc. When the mind is too easily distracted and becomes scattered, one should return to their bodily sensations and perform the body scan until their whole body becomes relaxed enough. As Ven. Guo Yuan pointed out, many people experience a lot of physical discomfort during sitting meditation, such as leg pains. When this happens, it is suggested to accept the pain and not insert the notion of "I" into the sensation.

As Ven. Guo Yuan reminded the participants, it requires extraordinary causes and conditions for us to be born as human beings in this life, to learn the Dharma, and to join a three-day retreat. Therefore, everyone should seize the present moment and practice diligently. Ven. Guo Yuan also spurred everyone on by citing Bodhisattva Samantabhadra's Admonition to the Assembly: "Our lifetime is diminished with this passing day. Like fish with little water, what joy is there for us? Strive to practice diligently, as if to fight a fire burning on head." Practitioners should be neither passive nor overly hasty in their spiritual cultivation. Otherwise, such an approach will cause disharmony between the mind and body, making it even harder to practice properly.

After the retreat, many participants shared that they gained a lot of insights, including experiencing things they had not experienced before and discovering emotions and thoughts that they had not been aware of. They indicated that they look forward to participating in the next three-day retreat.



Original Chinese text and photo / Dharma Drum Mountain Toronto Centre
Translation / Li Siang-ling
Editing / Keith Brown, YKL