Chan Meditation Center Hosts a Seven-Day Young People Retreat, Guiding Them to Relax and Recharge

From May 23–30, 2026, a Seven-Day Young People Retreat organized by Chan Meditation Center (CMC) concluded successfully at Bodhi Monastery in New York. During a pivotal time when many young people in North America are occupied with summer internships, graduation, job hunting, and planning for their future, participants set aside seven days from their busy schedules to immerse themselves in Chan meditation. Through this experience, they learned how to better connect with themselves and hoped to bring greater clarity, peace, and inner strength back into their daily lives, thereby enabling them to face future challenges with stability and peace.

Throughout the seven-day retreat, through video teachings by Dharma Drum Mountain founder, Master Sheng Yen, CMC guided participants step by step from theory to practice, helping them gradually develop a comprehensive and systematic understanding of Chan meditation. Participants gained clearer understanding of how to use meditation methods to calm the body and mind and to cope with worries and stress.

Shaohan, who traveled from Los Angeles to attend the retreat, shared that this retreat strengthened his confidence and faith in the Buddhadharma. He also deeply appreciated the importance of continued diligence and cultivation on the Buddhist path. Listening to Master Sheng Yen's teachings made him feel especially connected and inspired. Diana, who was likewise grateful for the compassionate guidance of the monastics, expressed her aspiration to bring what she learned during the retreat back into her family and daily life, sharing the Dharma with relatives and friends.

Jenny from Manhattan reflected that after five years of living in New York, the pressures of work and daily life had left her feeling as though she were constantly preparing for battle. Over the course of the retreat, the tension in her shoulders and neck gradually eased. She came to realize that the most precious thing in life is not the endless pursuit of external goals and achievements, but the inner sense of peace and stability within. She mentioned that the greatest benefit of the retreat was learning how to truly relax and rediscover a simple, tranquil state of mind.


Many participants expressed gratitude to CMC for helping them reconnect with a more relaxed and at-ease version of themselves. They hoped to use this retreat as a starting point for developing a daily meditation practice and reducing their dependence on mobile phones, making Chan practice a regular part of life. Several students remarked that they had initially thought giving up their phones and observing noble silence would be difficult. Instead, however, they experienced a long-forgotten sense of ease and freedom. Away from the constant flow of information and noise, their minds gradually settled. Although the retreat lasted only seven days, many felt as though they had fully recharged both body and mind.

During the sharing session, participants also expressed special gratitude to the volunteers who supported the retreat, including 89-year-old Grandma Su Rui (蘇蕊), 75-year-old Dharma sister Xiuhua (秀娃師姐), and Dharma sister Juanling (娟玲師姐), who prepared delicious vegetarian meals that were appealing in appearance, aroma, and taste. At the conclusion of the retreat, many students eagerly sought cooking tips from the three volunteers, and some even vowed to continue practicing a vegetarian lifestyle.

Liu Yan (劉岩), a volunteer from San Francisco, shared how deeply moved he was to see so many young people willing to enter the meditation hall and learn about the Buddhadharma. Having personally benefited greatly from Buddhist practice, he encouraged participants to cherish this valuable opportunity and continue progressing diligently on their path of spiritual practice.

CMC noted that although the young people retreat has come to a successful conclusion, the journey of practice is only just beginning. CMC expressed its wish that every participant would bring the stability, mindfulness, and wisdom cultivated during these seven days back into daily life, continuing to practice amid work, studies, and relationships. In this way, meditation can become more than an activity confined to the meditation hall—it can serve as a guiding light that illuminates one's entire life.



Original text in Chinese: Chan Meditation Center
Photos: Chan Meditation Center, 劉岩
Translation: Patricia Yang 
Editing: Keith Brown