Experience sharing
Review of May 18 – 27 2024 Retreat Led by Venerable Guo Goang
By Martin Applebaum 5/30/24
Photo by Yin Ting
About 30 wonderful and committed people gathered together for nine days at tail-end of May 2024 for a silent Chan retreat at the Gateless Meditation Center in Augusta, West Virginia. The retreat center is the embodiment of the amazing vision and dedication of Su Hwa Liang Tan, who brought it to life with the help of so many. The retreat was led by the inspiring and insightful Venerable Guo Goang, with the joyous and capable assistance of Venerable Chang Zhai and Venerable Yan She.
Photo by Yin Ting
About 30 wonderful and committed people gathered together for nine days at tail-end of May 2024 for a silent Chan retreat at the Gateless Meditation Center in Augusta, West Virginia. The retreat center is the embodiment of the amazing vision and dedication of Su Hwa Liang Tan, who brought it to life with the help of so many. The retreat was led by the inspiring and insightful Venerable Guo Goang, with the joyous and capable assistance of Venerable Chang Zhai and Venerable Yan She. The retreat consisted of meditation periods interspersed with yoga and stretching exercises, walking meditation, Dharma talks by Venerable Guo Goang and private interviews with her, daily chanting of the Heart Sutra and the Four Bodhisattva Vows, meals, and work and rest periods. But the richness of what occurred around this simple schedule cannot fully be put into words.
First of all, the retreat center is located in a special environment, set above a series of rolling hills and valleys receding far into the distance, bands of white clouds separating the ranges as in a Chinese landscape painting – as if the landscape itself emerges out of emptiness. The landscape can also change dramatically in short periods of time, from clear to cloud-covered, and from peaceful to extremely agitated, as if the landscape were demonstrating the impermanence of things – and the wide swings of our human emotions as well. And while the retreat was a silent one, we were joined throughout by the punctuating calls of an array of wildlife, somehow deepening the silence.We sat together in a beautiful, wood-paneled meditation hall and Venerable Guo Goang introduced us to a unique method of 12th century Master Hongzhi Zhengjue, helping us to inquire into ourselves and our world, and to do so in the context of investigating fundamental Buddhist principles, such as dependent arising, no-self and impermanence. The Venerable's talks on these subjects wove together many diverse strands of Buddhism into a coherent narrative supporting practice in a way that is very rare to find. And the method taught is a very special one because it can be wholly brought back to daily life. That is, the method is not limited to certain times of focused practice set aside during the day as other mindfulness methods are but can be undertaken at all times and amidst all activities. It is a truly precious practice continually involving both calm concentration and a deep, wise knowing not based on division, comparison, and preference.
Those of us who do not speak Chinese were fortunate to receive the teachings through the incredible translation efforts of Venerable Chang Zhai. She handled the difficult task with lightness, sharing in the warmth and humor shown throughout by Venerable Guo Goang. There were many – many – moments of shared laughter during the Venerable's talks, tenderly humorous reminiscences of human frailty touching us all. And, indeed, everyone - from the retreat supervisor, Venerable Yan She, to the timekeeper, Ian, to the behind-the-scenes support of Su's husband, Sy Tan – performed their retreat roles with calm and bright sincerity, so that the participants could flow as one.
The retreatants were also guided through repentance and gratitude practices intended to remove obstructions to a life in the Dharma, with each person dedicating merit gained during the retreat to others. These were important and deeply affecting cleansing activities highlighting our interconnection and solidarity with all sentient beings.Venerable Guo Goang also displayed an open mind, saying that many different formulations of Buddhism can be legitimate – as long as they remain true to the core Buddhist teachings. As well, she noted that individuals may have affinities for different types of Buddhist practice, and that there is no single correct method for all.
The unique method taught by Venerable Guo Goang on this retreat gradually took hold over the course of nine days. Wandering thoughts were often caught early, the method then more consistently remaining at the center. And what came to the forefront for these periods of time, even if briefly, was an indivisible subject, body and mind joined as one, unperturbed by arising objects - not caught in grasping after things and in following the dictates of likes and dislikes. Even the constantly changing physical landscape appeared differently. During times when the method took hold, the landscape no longer seemed to consist of roiling waves of changes pulling and pushing 'me' this way and that; now, there simply was an ocean of serene impermanence – our natural abode.
Letting go even of such a wonderful and powerful result, just continuing with the method, what further depths may be realized? Forgetting even this question, just continuing with the method on and on...
