A New Chapter in the Spread of Chinese Chan Buddhism in Europe - Dharma Drum Mountain Establishes Liaison Offices in Berlin, Germany and Nantes, France

Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) has opened a new chapter in the propagation of Chinese Chan Buddhism in Europe, with the official establishment of liaison offices in Berlin, Germany and Nantes, France, announced this April. These two liaison offices aim to provide local Taiwanese communities and European people with a supportive space for learning meditation and settling the body and mind, which marks a significant step forward in spreading DDM's vision of "uplifting the character of humanity and building a Pure Land on Earth" in the European context.

Winona Lin (林琬千), head of the DDM Liaison Office in Berlin, is a Taiwanese musician who has lived in Germany for many years. Her karmic affinity with DDM began in 1990 during her university years. At that time, she came across "Orthodox Chinese Buddhism", written by DDM's founder, Master Sheng Yen. Deeply inspired, she later traveled to DDM Nung Chan Monastery, where she formally took refuge under Master Sheng Yen. After personally participating in a seven-day meditation retreat led by the Master, she was deeply moved by his teachings, which became a lasting source of strength and guidance for her life abroad.

From Master Sheng Yen's publications, Winona Lin traced the Master's past footsteps of spreading the Dharma in Europe and was surprised to discover that in 1999, the Master had led a Chan retreat in Berlin, and even more remarkably, the Buddhist Society of Berlin (Buddhistische Gesellschaft Berlin, in German) that had invited him to lead the Chan retreat at the time was located just two kilometers away from her residence. In 2024, after obtaining permanent residency in the European Union, this Dharma connection that transcends time and space inspired her to establish a new base of Dharma Drum Mountain for Dharma propagation in Germany to share the benefits of Chan meditation with more people.

Around the same time, Yaochao Kung (龔姚兆), incumbent member of Overseas Community Affairs Council of Taiwan and president of Nantes Emergency Relief Association (Association de Sewurs de Nantes, in French) who has lived in France for over 30 years, also fulfilled her long-cherished aspiration of establishing the DDM Nantes liaison office in France this year. Her karmic affinity with Master Sheng Yen began in 1989, just before leaving for studies in Japan, when she happened to see a book featuring the Master's photo in a bookstore. Feeling a deep and inexplicable sense of familiarity, she kept the book with her ever since. It was not until 2011, during a trip back to Taiwan, that she attended a meditation activity at DDM's Yunlai Monastery and created karmic ties with the Buddhist organization.

For many years, Yaochao Kung has been dedicated to community care initiatives in France. Faced with many individuals experiencing illness, divorce, and emotional trauma, she hoped to offer the stabilizing power of the Dharma. "There are no Dharma centers of Chinese Buddhism here, so I decided to establish one myself." she said. After seven years of preparation, she successfully established the Nantes Liaison Office, with the aspiration to share the Dharma that has deeply benefited her life. Located in Ancenis, the Nantes Liaison Office is easily accessible, situated near downtown Nantes and the airport. Its tranquil setting makes it highly suitable for meditation practice. Gong stated that in the future, in addition to hosting meditation activities every year, the Nantes Liaison Office also plans to offer Buddhist study groups to promote the Threefold Training of hearing, contemplation, and practice, and will be open to participants from all across Europe.

With the establishment of the liaison offices in Berlin and Nantes, DDM's Chan meditation and Dharma propagation network in Europe is becoming more complete. This in turn will allow more Westerners to find physical and mental peace through meditation and to experience the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha's teachings. The liaison offices in Berlin and Nantes will invite Venerable Guo Xing (果幸法師), associate professor in the Department of Buddhist Studies at the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, to lead three 3-day Chan retreats and give a Spiritual Environmentalism Lecture in Berlin, Germany. Additionally, she will guide the "Perceiving the Clarity of Silence – Chan Meditation" in Nantes, France. The two liaison offices warmly welcome all those who are interested to register for and join these events, thereby practicing diligently together in the joy of Dharma.

For more information about the upcoming events, please visit:

DDM Liaison Office in Berlin, Germany:
Three 3-day Chan retreats (June 27–29, July 4–6, July 11–13, 2025)
https://www.dharmadrum.org/portal_b6_page.php?cnt_id=2393
 
Spiritual Environmentalism Lecture (July 2, 2025)
https://www.dharmadrum.org/portal_b6_page.php?cnt_id=2394
  
DDM Liaison Office in Nantes, France:
Perceiving the Clarity of Silence – Chan Meditation (August 17, 2025 )
https://www.dharmadrum.org/portal_b6_page.php?cnt_id=2392


Original text in Chinese: Patricia Yang 
Translation: Patricia Yang 
Editing: Keith Brown