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Seven Day Chan Meditation Retreat
by Chuan Dun
Gratitude is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about the 7 Day Chan Meditation Retreat. I am truly grateful to the Abbott and all of the Shifus and Volunteers at Chung Tai who made the 7 days possible. I am also thankful and fortunate to have the support and teachings from the Abbess and the Shifus at Buddha Gate Monastery who encouraged me to participate in the 7 Day Chan.
The dharma talks were the most memorable part of the retreat for me. There seemed to be so many topics but there really was only one, the awakened mind. Through different stories the Abbott spoke about this topic.
The Abbott reminded us that breath counting was a tool to be used to settle down and calm our mind. I used this tool countless times. Chanting the Buddha’s name was another tool the Abbott spoke about, I choose to chant Guan Yin’s name and this helped me to stay focused and calm at times when I was not sitting in meditation. The Abbott spoke of these methods as tools and not to be taken for the awakened mind. He said that it is important to not get stuck here. I chose to interpret this as a reminder not to get lazy with meditation, something that is very easy for me to do.
With a calm mind the story the Abbott told about one of Buddha’s disciples using the analogy of a hotel front desk manager and guests coming and going to describe his awakening and understanding of who is the host and who is the guest resonated for me. The host is there (the pure mind); the guests (the thoughts) are coming and going filtering everything through the five sense organs and my ego, judging, labeling and rationalizing each thought as if it was real. It is best to just observe them and not attach. I practiced this for days. At first the more I tried to ignore “the thoughts” and not attach the louder they were and so I would have to go back to using breath counting. I realized that once again I was chasing something, leaning outward instead of focusing inward. This is something I find myself doing a lot, but now I see it more often and am able to let it go. Occasionally during the last days of Chan 7 there was nothing to chase. Whether sitting in meditation or in action there was clarity. Is this an awakened mind? No, I do not think so but it is a beginning and I will continue my practice with a focus on daily meditation and reading the sutras because Chan 7 has shown me both knowledge and practice are one.
The Abbess at Buddha Gate often says, “There’s a little, there’s a little more.” I understand this in a new way and if conditions are right, I will attend Chan 7 again next year.
Awakening in Meditation
by Anne Khoury
My face smiles as I remember my Chan 7 Retreat. My mind hears the sound of chanting, drums and the awakening bell, smells the incense, and sees the fog settled in the mountains at day break. My heart remains touched by the kindness and generosity of all who shared their wisdom, practice and guidance and made me feel at home in a new experience and land.
Sitting in mediation was a profound awakening, for my mind has seldom been still in the outside world. When sitting in meditation and my mind became calm, much delusion, ignorance and attachment floated by . . . some of which was deep rooted and long repressed. As I sat with a still mind, I felt a peace and lightness I have never before experienced. Attachments and judgment seemed to disentangle from my mind as clarity, calm, and a feeling of connectedness settled in. That feeling of connectedness to the universe and all beings increased as I meditated during Zen breakfast and lunch . . . reflecting on how what I put into my mouth, to became part of my body, came from a multitude of sources and perspectives.
It is now my challenge to hold onto this experience in practice as I “pick up” in the outside world. Interestingly, upon my return to the USA, there was no jet lag and my mind seems to have transformed. It is much calmer, focused, and aware of the essence of what I am here to contribute. There is hope. Perhaps our world leaders and all sentient being need a Chan 7 Retreat. The world would be a much different place.
Thank you for your generosity in sharing the dharma, your practice and for the joy of glimpsing my awakening mind.
Reflections on a Half-day Meditation Retreat
by Mae Hoag
A half-day meditation retreat at Buddha Gate Monastery provides a welcome change from one’s daily life of routines and demands. It is an opportunity to return to one’s true nature through focus and concentration in a quiet, peaceful environment free of interruption and intrusion. How easy it is to lose sight of who we really are in our every day existence. To participate in a retreat is a reassuring reminder which leaves one renewed and refreshed. In stillness comes charity and a realization, “I am home.” I am returning to that place where no “I” exists and the long cultivated persona is not needed or required. I become mindful of what is truly important in my life and renew my commitment to being awake and fully present here and now.
Thoughts during “One Stick-of-Incense” Meditation
by Mae Hoag
To enter the Chan Hall for meditation is to take refuge. There is an immediate sense of tranquility and peace which transports me from the world outside to the world within. I am at home. During the hour of sitting and walking meditation, I experience a familiar and comforting beauty. I forget who I am; my persona is like the shoes I remove and leave at the entrance. Meditation seems a natural process and many of my other activities artificial. I ask myself “Why am I not here every day?” My life would be very different if I sat for one hour daily in the kind of supportive environment the Chan Hall provides. However, my limited experience of “two sticks of incense” during this month encourages me to be more disciplined in my practice at home and wherever I may be. I feel tremendous gratitude that Buddha Gate Monastery exits and offers such opportunities.[:zh]
禪七心旅
Chuan Dun
回想起禪七的體驗，心中第一個念頭就是感謝。由衷感謝中台禪寺住持和尚、所有法師以及每位義工的護持。我也很感激佛門寺住持法師和大眾法師的鼓勵與教導，讓我有幸能夠打七。
佛法開示是最令我難忘的部份。每次開示主題好似不同，但其實只有一個主題，那就是開悟。住持和尚用不同故事來闡述這個主題。
住持和尚提醒我們，數息是讓心性安定與平靜的工具。這個工具我用了無數次。念佛號是住持和尚提到的另一個方法，我在沒有打坐的時候選擇誦念觀世音菩薩聖號保持專注與平靜。住持和尚說這些方法只是工具，不要以為是開悟。住持和尚說，重點是不要停滯於此。我將這句話解讀為不要懈怠於禪修的提醒，這是我很容易犯的問題。
說到心的安住，住持和尚講了一個我很受用的故事，有一位佛弟子用旅館櫃檯經理和來來往往的旅客來比喻他的心性、誰是主人、誰是客人。主人就在這裏(清淨心)；客人(念頭)是由五根及我執生起的種種分別心，包括批判、分類、合理化所有想法，以妄為真。最好僅是觀察它們而不去執著。我練習了好幾天。起初我愈是想放下、不執著，妄想與執著就愈強烈，所以我回歸於數息。我知道自己又在向外追逐，而非向內專注。我發現自己常常這樣，不過我現在比較能觀照到這一點，而且放得下。打七的最後幾天，偶爾不再有追逐。不論在靜中或動中，都能清楚明白。這就是開悟嗎?我想不是，但這是一個開始，我會持續每日專注於練習打坐並且閱讀經典，因為禪七讓我知道什麼是知行合一。
佛門寺住持法師常說，「有一些些，還有一些些。」我對這句話有了新的認識。如果因緣俱足，明年我還要再次參加禪七。
禪七的契悟
Anne Khoury
想起禪七，臉上泛起了笑意，心中聽到了梵唱、鼓聲、引磬聲，聞到了薰香，看到了山上破曉時分的晨霧。至今我仍十分感念每一位法師，他們慈悲寛厚地分享智慧、指導我們修行，讓我在新的體驗和新的環境中有家的感覺。
靜坐讓我有深刻的領悟，因為我的心在世俗生活中很難安住。心在靜坐時變得平靜，一些深藏和壓抑在心底的妄念、無知、與執著不時地掠過。當我靜坐讓心安住時，體會到前所未有的平和與清淨。當心依止在清明、寧靜及融合的感覺時，執著與分別似乎就超脫了。在早午齋之間的靜坐時，我和宇宙及一切眾生連結的感受增強了……我從不同源起和面向，觀照我所進用的食物，如何成為身體的一部份。
現在的難題是，重拾世俗生活後要怎麼保任這些體驗。耐人尋味地，返美後我沒有任何時差，心境似乎有所轉變，變得更沈靜、專注、明白我應該要奉獻什麼。我懷著希望。或許世界的領導人與一切有情眾生都應該需要打禪七，這樣世界將會變得很不一樣。
感謝法師慈悲，授予法寶、身教、讓我一瞥契悟的法喜.
半日禪心得
Mae Hoag
乏味而沈重的日子，因佛門寺的半日禪有了令人愉悅的轉變。專心安住於寧靜、平和、不受妨礙與干擾的境界，讓我有機會返觀自性。我們很容易在日常生活中忘記什麼才是真實的自我。禪坐是一個警示，讓我們還復清明。寂靜彰顯慈悲與悟性。「我回家了」，回到一個無「我」的地方，沒有執守習性的必要。我更能領會什麼才是人生中真正重要的事，重建我要悟道、活在當下的決心。
一支香的省思
Mae Hoag
進入禪堂靜坐就是得到加被。我會立即感受到寧靜與祥和，讓我從外緣轉向內心。這是我的家。打坐和行香時，我感受到熟悉且舒適的妙境。我忘了我是誰：自我就像是被我脫掉放在門口的鞋。禪修像是自然而然的事，而其他活動大部份是造作的。我問自己「為什麼不每天來這兒?」如果每天在禪堂這麼有助益的環境中禪坐一小時，我的生活將會很不一樣。不過，這個月我參加「二枝香」僅有的經驗，激勵了我不管在家或在任何地方都要更精進修行。萬分感激佛門寺提供了學習的機會。[:]