Practicing
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What is Chan?
Chan is freedom, expressed through wisdom and compassion. Awakening in Chan means the direct experience of being freed from self-referentiality and vexations. Buddhism articulates this freedom as the wisdom of emptiness (śūnyatā), which is not nothingness but that everything is interdependent, connected. Selflessness or wisdom of emptiness simply means relationships. Compassion is the activity of selfless wisdom. This means wisdom and compassion is selfless activity, the ability to connect with everyone and everything, beyond the duality of self and others, grasping and rejecting.
Chan as practice means grounding and engaging. Grounding means facing, embracing, working through, and letting go of the self. Engaging means offering oneself to the benefit of others. In this practice, all the ups and downs of life become part of the path.
Chan is also a school within East Asian Buddhism, with a history dating back to 7th century CE in China. Later this form of Buddhism was transmitted to Japan as “Zen” in the 13th century.
"One Minute Chan"
During your busy day, try to find a few moments to stop, sit, relax, and clear your mind. You need not always sit on a cushion to practice for thirty minutes. You can do your practice anywhere, at anytime, at your desk, in a car, an elevator, or train, right now. Pick five times or situations to practice the “one-minute Chan” method, which is for one minute relax your body and mind and be completely with the task at hand. If you pick 10am as one of your five “one-minute Chan” practices, then when 10am comes just relax and be with whatever you happen to be doing. If you pick going up the elevator as one of the situations for daily practice, then in the elevator ride just stand there and scan your body to make sure your body is fully relaxed. Let clarity and a gentle smile arise from within; allow your body and mind to refresh itself. if you do this everyday, the power of your mindfulness and focus will increase and these five moments will start to have a positive impact on the rest of your day.
Your Life as Practice
Practice should not be separated from daily living. Proper practice includes cultivating mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom. Be aware of your changing mental and physical conditions. See how they affect your thoughts, words, and actions. In all our actions of body, speech, and mind, we should consider whether our intentions are beneficial to others. In this way, we can check ourselves before acting. If we put other people before ourselves, self-referential feelings will not arise as frequently.
Considering others is as much a form of practice as formal seated meditation. Sentient beings have their own karmic causes and conditions, their own merits and virtues, their own karma. You cannot change them, nor can you take on others’ karma. Of key importance is your intention. You should sincerely try to help others, whether or not you succeed. Do not do anything that will make you feel tense, tired, or miserable. If you whip yourself all the time, you will be no use to others or yourself. Use meditation as a supporting discipline and Buddhadharma as your guide. Do the best you can, but don’t push too hard.
Upcoming Dharma Talks
London Affiliate Q&A (Online)
Mindful Yoga + Guided Meditation + Guo Gu Q&A
Saturday, June 10, 9:00am – 11:00am ET
Dharma Talk Series on the “Heart Sutra”
GuoGu offers a series of talks on the Heart Sutra, one of the shortest Mahayana scriptures that expound the core message of Buddhism. The Heart Sutra is also one of the most important scriptures in the Chan/Zen tradition. The series will continue every first Monday of each month and will last until 2024. Each talk will be independent, but we encourage you and your friends to attend all sessions. During these Monday sits, we will begin with a short period of meditation followed by the Dharma talk. There will be opportunity to ask questions and to socialize a bit after the talk.
Meets In Person at the Tallahassee Chan Center or streamed live on Zoom
Monday, July 3, 6:30pm – 8:00pm ET
Upcoming Retreats / Workshops
June 2023
6-Day Intensive Chan Retreat
Guo Gu to lead a 6-day retreat at the Great Vow Monastery. This retreat is offered both in person and on Zoom.
June 19 – June 25, 2023
Great Vow Monastery
Clatsakanie, OR
July 2023
7-Day Intensive Chan Retreat
In the Chan tradition, there are two main approaches to awakening: the method of silent illumination (mòzhào) and investigating a critical phrase (huàtóu). The former is a settling method of serene reflection on the nature of awareness; the latter is an explosive approach that aims to concentrate and shatter all mental states so awakening manifests. This 7-day retreat will deepen your practice, regardless of method, with 30 minute sitting meditation periods punctuated by mindful yoga and walking meditation. There will be daily Dharma talks by Guo Gu, and opportunities for personal consultations to practice. Vegetarian meals will be provided.
July 15 – July 22
London Chan Meditation
London, England, United Kingdom
August 2023
7-Day Intensive Chan Retreat
In the Chan tradition, there are two main approaches to awakening: the method of silent illumination (mòzhào) and investigating a critical phrase (huàtóu). The former is a settling method of serene reflection on the nature of awareness; the latter is an explosive approach that aims to concentrate and shatter all mental states so awakening manifests. This 7-day retreat will deepen your practice, regardless of method, with 30 minute sitting meditation periods punctuated by mindful yoga and walking meditation. There will be daily Dharma talks by Guo Gu, and opportunities for personal consultations to practice. Vegetarian meals will be provided.
August 12 – August 19
Tallahassee Chan Center
Tallahassee, FL
November 2023
3-Day Retreat on “Silent Illumination: The Practice and Realization of Natural Awakened Mind”
In the Chinese Chan (Zen) tradition, silent illumination refers to the natural awakened mind. It is also a method of cultivation, the simultaneous practice of stillness and clear-seeing, quiescence and luminosity, or samādhi and prajñā. It is similar to the practices of śamatha and vipaśyanā (Pāli: vipassanā) in the Theravada tradition and the shikantaza (“just sitting”) practice of Japanese Soto Zen. Silent illumination, however, is also unique. As a practice it cannot be pigeonholed into distinct sectarian methods, intellectual knowledge, or some kind of reified experience that can be possessed. This study retreat will be based on the writings of Chan master Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091–1157). We will explore several expedient means to cultivate silent illumination on and off the cushion, learning formal seated meditation practice as well as how to cultivate silent illumination in daily life.
November 10 – November 12, 2023
Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
Barre, MA
December 2023
5-Day Intensive Chan Retreat
Guo Gu to lead a multi-day Chan retreat at the Florida Community of Mindfulness. Registration will be open in September.
December 6 – December 11
Florida Community of Mindfulness
Tampa, FL
7-Day Intensive Chan Retreat
In the Chan tradition, there are two main approaches to awakening: the method of silent illumination (mòzhào) and investigating a critical phrase (huàtóu). The former is a settling method of serene reflection on the nature of awareness; the latter is an explosive approach that aims to concentrate and shatter all mental states so awakening manifests. This 7-day retreat will deepen your practice, regardless of method, with 30 minute sitting meditation periods punctuated by mindful yoga and walking meditation. There will be daily Dharma talks by Guo Gu, and opportunities for personal consultations to practice. Vegetarian meals will be provided.
December 26, 2023 – January 02, 2024
Tallahassee Chan Center
Tallahassee, FL
Connect with the Chan Community
World of Chan: a WhatsApp Group
This is a group of invite only, limited to people who are greatly interested in Chan practice and are Chan practitioners. Send us an email with the title “World of Chan Access” and more information about your practice for potential access to the group.
Chan Zoom Call
To support Chan practitioners, Guo Gu hosts a platform for anyone interested in the various aspects of Chan practice. Register for the Zoom link.
Please register one day before the call.
11:00am – 12:30pm ET
2023: • Sep 2 • Oct 21 • Dec 16
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