Faculty and Students from CUNY Experience Chan Culture at Dharma Drum Mountain in Taiwan

▲Students from the City University of New York experiencing Tea Chan and sitting meditation at Baoyun Branch Monastery. (Photo by Zhao Bingyi 趙炳義)

From January 1 to 20, the City University of New York (CUNY), which is affiliated with Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts (DILA), --- held its first winter overseas Chan meditation program in Taiwan. Accompanied by Venerable Chang Hwa (常華法師), Director of Chan Meditation Center (CMC), Professor Zhang Jia-ru (張嘉如) of CUNY's Department of Global Languages, Literatures, and Cultures led 12 students to Taiwan. Through lectures, sitting meditation, Tea Chan, and outdoor visits, the program guided Western students to learn about and experience Chan practice while exploring Taiwan's Chan culture.
 
The three-week meditation program was held primarily at Dharma Drum Degui Academy in Taipei, Baoyun Monastery and Baoyun Branch Monastery in Taichung. The participating students came from a wide range of academic fields, including medicine and accounting, and all shared a strong interest in Chan meditation. The curriculum centered on koans and the Chan School's recurring symbolism of the "ox," with courses such as "The Ox: From Ecocriticism and Chan Koans to Biophilia," "From Bodhidharma to Chan Buddhism," and "The Ten Oxherding Pictures." In addition to classroom learning, students engaged in daily meditation practice. Site visits were also arranged to DILA, Yangmingshan National Park, and Buffalo Academy. On January 17 and 19, faculty and students participated in half-day Chan retreat, Tea Chan, and a "farm-to-table" agro-Chan lifestyle experience at Baoyun Branch Monastery. On the final day, they presented their learning outcomes at Baoyun Monastery.

During the presentation session, an Italian student stated that "the phrase 'where the body is, there the mind is', shared by a monastic, was the most moving statement for me." He explained that he came to seek the roots of Chan Buddhism and discovered through this journey that Chan practice is not individualistic but communal. Especially during the Tea Chan, when volunteers crouched down to serve tea to everyone, the mutual respect and harmony between people deeply moved him and filled him with gratitude.

Another student, who is adept at writing, shared that the instructor's guidance in investigating the "Wild Fox Chan" koan led her to reflect on what habitual patterns keep her trapped in cycles of birth and death. What began as an exploration of Chan Buddhism and self-awareness ultimately transformed into a deep sense of gratitude for Chan. Another student remarked that the visit to Taiwan changed his worldview and consumption habits, prompting reflection on capitalist thinking. Whether through experiencing the agro-Chan lifestyle or participating in Tea Chan, he said that the program helped him cultivate greater gratitude and appreciation for life.
 

Photo: Zhao Bingyi 趙炳義
Original text in Chinese:  Dharma Drum Monthly (法鼓雜誌) No. 434
Translation: Patricia Yang
Editing: Keith Brown