Venerable Guo Yuan Invited to Lead a 9-Day Chan Retreat in Texas

From August 2 to 10, Venerable Guo Yuan (果元法師), Abbot of Dharma Drum Retreat Center (DDRDC) in New York, was invited to lead a 9-day Chan retreat at Lien Hoa Buddhist Temple (Đạo Tràng Liên Hoa, in Vietnamese) in San Antonio, Texas. The retreat was supported by Venerable Yan Gu (演鼓法師), who served as the retreat manager. A total of 70 people joined, including resident monastics and volunteers from Lien Hoa Buddhist Temple.

This retreat came about through the Dharma connection of Lin Xian-jun (林賢鈞), a Dharma Drum Mountain devotee based in Vietnam, who conveyed the sincere invitation of Venerable Thích Chúc Thiện (祝善法師), the temple's Abbot. Moved by both devotee Lin's dedication and Venerable Thích Chúc Thiện's strong aspiration to propagate the Dharma, Venerable Guo Yuan accepted the invitation and served as the lead teacher for the retreat. Most of the participants in this retreat were Vietnamese living in Texas, with a few Chinese participants. Some came from as far as Massachusetts and New York, while the majority had never received systematic training in meditation.

Since most participants were joining a long-term meditation retreat for the first time, Venerable Guo Yuan spent the first two days teaching basic meditation methods, concepts, and sitting posture. The formal seven-day Chan retreat then followed. During the retreat, Venerable De Guang (德光法師), a resident monastic at Lien Hoa Buddhist Temple and a graduate of Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, along with Venerable Jing Yan (淨嚴法師), a graduate of Dharma Drum Sangha University, provided on-the-spot translation. This allowed both Chinese- and Vietnamese-speaking participants to fully receive Venerable Guo Yuan's teachings.

The retreat schedule included the Eight-Form Moving Meditation, sitting meditation, walking meditation, prostrations, and Dharma talks. Each day guided participants progressively from physical awareness to mental stillness. Venerable Guo Yuan taught the concept of "Two Entrances and Four Practices" by Bodhidharma, emphasizing the practice of diligence (Virya, in Sanskrit) among the Six Paramitas as a way to cultivate the purifying power of body, speech, and mind. He also personally demonstrated walking meditation, sweeping, carrying water, and arranging the meditation hall. In doing so, he encouraged participants to maintain awareness and mindfulness in every action, thereby making daily life into Chan practice.

As the retreat progressed, participants became increasingly calm and joyful. Some shared how walking meditation and the Eight-Form Moving Meditation were particularly beneficial and applicable to everyday life. Notably, Venerable Guo Yuan, himself an overseas Chinese from Vietnam, led 7-day Chan retreat in Vietnamese for the second time. He skillfully responded to questions using the distinct accents of Southern and Northern Vietnam. During the sharing session, participants all expressed gratitude for Venerable Guo Yuan's compassion, which allowed everyone to truly feel the care and warmth embodied in his Dharma teachings.

Venerable Thích Chúc Thiện participated fully throughout the retreat and expressed a desire to continue learning the Chan methods of Dharma Drum Mountain in the future. As the retreat concluded, Venerable Guo Yuan, the resident monastics, and volunteers of the Lien Hoa Buddhist Temple expressed mutual gratitude. Dharma Drum Mountain and the Lien Hoa Buddhist Temple formed a strong Dharma connection, committed to jointly promoting the teachings of Master Sheng Yen and benefiting communities across the United States.


 
◎Original text in Chinese and photos: Dharma Drum Retreat Center (DDRC)
◎Translation: Patricia Yang 
◎Editing: Keith Brown