Ven. Guo Yuan Leads Seven-Day Chan Retreat in Mexico, Guiding 38 Participants on a Deep Journey into Meditation Practice

From June 14 to 21, 2025, at the invitation of Laura Del Valle, founder of Mar de Jade Retreat Center in Mexico, Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) Seven-Day Silent Illumination Chan Retreat was successfully completed under the guidance of Venerable Guo Yuan (果元法師), Vice Abbot of DDM and Abbot of Dharma Drum Retreat Center. A total of 38 participants from Mexico and the United States attended the retreat.

During the Chan retreat, Venerable Guo Yuan gave teachings in English, with Spanish interpretation provided by Laura and her daughter, Angélica. The program of the retreat included introduction to basic sitting postures, the mindset and concepts of meditation, instructions on walking meditation, as well as the principles and demonstrations of Eight-Form Moving Meditation. Ven. Guo Yuan also included in-depth explanations of core Buddhist teachings, such as dependent origination, cause and effect, and karma.

During the final day's sharing session, many participants expressed that they were deeply inspired, particularly by the body and mind relaxation practices guided by Ven. Guo Yuan, the one-on-one guidance during individual interviews, and the meditation approach of combining stillness and movement, which they found very helpful. One participant, a psychological counselor by profession, shared that she has long been in the role of listening to others and often wondered: "But who listens to me?" Through the retreat, she gradually came to realize that, no matter where we are or what external constraints we face, there is always a source of strength within us. Only by learning to listen to ourselves can we truly listen to others.

In addition, at the conclusion of the retreat, eight participants took the Three Refuges and Five Precepts from Ven. Guo Yuan, formally becoming Buddhists on the path of continued mindfulness practice.

Original text in Chinese and photos by Venerable Yan Jian (演建法師) 
Translation: Venerable Yan Jian (演建法師) 
Editing: Keith Brown, YKL