Chinese Chan Buddhism in Nantes and Paris, France: Dharma Drum Mountain Invited to Lead Meditation Sessions

At the invitation of the Dharma Drum Mountain Liaison Office in Nantes, France, Venerable Guo Xing (果醒法師), Vice Abbot of Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM), and Venerable Yan Jin (演勁法師) led meditation activities from June 19 to 20 in Ancenis and Paris, France. They also conducted a two-day Chan retreat in Ancenis. On the afternoon of the 20th, Venerable Guo Xing gave a public lecture on “Life Chan” at the Nantes Library, offering local residents an opportunity to learn about Chan practice. On the 21st, Venerable Guo Xing and Venerable Yan Jin led a one-day Chan retreat in Paris’s 9th district at the cultural and artistic space “La Matrice.” A total of 22 participants joined, experiencing both relaxation of body and mind as well as the ease of Chan practice.

During the two-day retreat, Venerable Yan Jin guided six participants in practicing the Eight-Form Moving Meditation, sitting meditation, yoga, and massage. He also introduced the methods of Silent Illumination and Huatou, gradually leading participants from physical and mental harmonization into the core of Chan practice. Venerable Guo Xing shared that the essence of meditation lies in knowing one’s own mind, guiding participants to directly perceive the nature of mind and to let go of the separation between self and others. One French participant, Azibo Berta, originally from Ghana in West Africa, has long participated in online English meditation group practice led by Jimmy Yu in Bristol, UK, and has studied Chan for over ten years. Another participant, Mohammed Saïah, has more than 30 years of deep meditation experience. Both formally took refuge in the Three Jewels at the conclusion of the retreat.


On the afternoon of the 20th, Venerable Guo Xing gave a lecture titled “Life Chan” at the Nantes Library, sharing Buddhist wisdom with five participants from Taiwan and Vietnam. Drawing from everyday experience, he explained that Chan practice is not separate from life, but rather consists in a clear awareness of how the mind operates. He said: “When someone insults you and you become angry, the memories that arise make you angry a thousand times, while the other person only insulted you once.” He also noted: “When people feel anger or sadness, they are actually trapped by their own previous thoughts.” In response to the question of how to apply Chan in daily life, Venerable Guo Xing explained that when facing unpleasant external conditions, one can either “adapt to phenomena” or “change phenomena”—both are active choices made by the mind. The purpose of practice is to become the master of one’s own mind rather than being driven by habitual tendencies and conditioning.


In his final teaching, Venerable Guo Xing outlined three levels of understanding in learning Chan: First, conceptual understanding— one intellectually understands that emotional calm comes from letting go of attachment to the self, but remains at the level of theory. Second, operational understanding—requiring actual meditation practice, training oneself not to cling to objects or even to the sense of “I.” Third, experiential understanding—when the tendency to cling temporarily stops, there is no sense of a fixed self, like clouds parting to reveal the moon, naturally revealing one’s original nature.

After the events, participants responded enthusiastically and were deeply impressed by Venerable Guo Xing’s teachings. Some spontaneously discussed Chan philosophy for several hours. Others shared that they gained significant benefit from a full day of sitting meditation and noble silence. Many expressed a desire to continue studying Chan deeply and form reading groups, while feeling grateful for the rare opportunity to encounter Chan practice and Buddhist teachings.



Original text in Chinese and photos: Venerable Yan Jin
Translation: Patricia Yang 
Editing: Keith Brown