【Chung Tai Chan Monastery】05_Dharma Ceremonies 20240630

The 2024 Academic Summer Chan-7 Retreat at Chung Tai Chan Monastery

The virtuous ancients said, “If one wishes to achieve awakening within a set timeframe, it is essential to establish a strict schedule and practice for seven days.” To widely propagate the mind-ground teaching of Chan and guide practitioners in realizing their intrinsic nature, Chung Tai Chan Monastery held a Chan-7 retreat for academics from June 30^th to July 7^th, 2024, and respectfully invited Venerable Abbot Jianying to lead the retreat.

Over 1,100 participants, including professors, university and school teachers, college students, and individuals from the U.S., Italy, Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan, took advantage of this rare opportunity to practice meditation with ten daily sessions. Through sitting meditation, walking meditation, morning and evening sessions, and formal meals, they diligently cultivated mindfulness in both action and stillness, aiming to deeply understand their intrinsic nature.

Three Learnings to Perceive True Reality

At 3:30 p.m. on June 30^th, Venerable Master Jianying, the abbot of Chung Tai Chan Monastery, presided over the purification and initiation ceremony at Yuanming Lecture Hall and Yuanjue Chan Hall. During the subsequent opening tea reception, he reminded everyone that the purpose of the Chan-7 retreat is to awaken the mind, see our true nature, master our minds, and be free from afflictions. He also posed the question, “Who is the one drinking tea?” as a prompt to help participants awaken to the mind that is present in every daily activity, yet often goes unnoticed.

As the Buddhist teaching goes, “Sila is the foundation of supreme enlightenment.” On the second day of the retreat, Venerable Master Jianying compassionately transmitted the Eight Precepts to the attendees, guiding them in purifying both body and mind. This purification serves as a vital support for deepening meditation practice. Master Jiandi, the dean of the Chung Tai Buddhist Institute for Monks, also delivered an insightful lecture on the precepts, reminding the participants that “Sila gives rise to samadhi; samadhi gives rise to prajna.” By diligently observing the precepts throughout the retreat, practitioners can nurture the three essential disciplines—sila, samadhi, and prajna—leading to profound concentration and wisdom, enabling the mind to become tranquil and perceive reality.

During the Chan-7 retreat, the presiding master, Abbot Jianying, offered this teaching: “To study the Buddha Way is to know oneself. Participating in the Chan-7 retreat involves directly confronting oneself—genuinely facing one’s various thoughts, worries, entanglements, frustrations, emotions, and mental states. Through this confrontation, one can discover the meaning and purpose of life. It is essential first to calm the mind; only then can one find the ability to take command. Being in command means becoming the master of oneself, rather than being controlled by external conditions or habitual tendencies.”

“At the beginning, we may not succeed right away, so it's important to understand the method. This method, a way to begin our practice is, “first be still, then be alert.” Stillness is an expedient, while alertness, or awareness, is the primary goal. Stillness means that the mind must first be able to settle down, with fewer and fewer delusions. As Chan Master Yongjia Xuanjue said, ‘First, stop grasping conditioned things and allow the mind to still.’”

“Through the practice of samatha-vipassana—such as breath counting, mindfulness of breathing, reciting buddha's name, and chanting mantras or sutras—we gradually free the mind from distractions and its tendency to cling to external conditions and wandering thoughts. Over time, this develops our ability to be in command. Throughout this process, one will pass through stages such as inward abiding, continuous abiding, calm abiding, near abiding, harmonized (well-adjusted) abiding, still abiding, very still abiding, single-pointed concentration, and equal abiding (samadhi, maintaining non-duality without action).”

Being Alert-Yet-Still in Continuous Cultivation

“Next, be alert and avoid drowsiness, keeping the mind perfectly lucid.” Alertness means to keep our minds clear and aware, with awareness present. After achieving stillness, one must keep the mind clear and free from wandering thoughts and afflictions, avoiding drowsiness, boredom, or blankness, while maintaining a state of awareness. The term "perfectly lucid" refers to a sharp and distinct clarity, but within this clarity, there is stillness.

Sometimes, when we have many thoughts, we might feel an itch somewhere on our body, recall a good meditation session, or think about a snack we had during a break. Some might believe this is also perfect lucidity, but in fact, we've just been giving in to wandering thoughts. Chan Master Yongjia Xuanjue said, “Being aware and still is right,” meaning the mind should be clear, and perfectly lucid, yet still within this clarity. Maintain this one thought for ten thousand years, focus the mind solely on awareness, without any distractions or wandering thoughts—this is correct practice.

Conversely, "being aware but wandering is wrong," means that if the mind seems clear but is filled with scattered thoughts, it is not the right path.”

On the other hand, "Being still and aware is right." When the mind becomes still while simultaneously maintaining clarity and awareness, this is the right path. Conversely, “Being still but blank is wrong.” If the mind calms down but becomes drowsy or loses awareness, then it is not the correct practice.

In summary, this teaching emphasizes that both stillness and awareness must be present together for the practice to be effective. By continuously cultivating in this way, everyone will gain significant benefits from the Chan-7 retreat.

Under the guidance of Abbot Jianying, the presiding master, all participants diligently engaged in meditation to deepen their practice and contemplation. He also compassionately provided teachings in English for overseas participants, reiterating the essentials of sitting meditation and Chan practice. On the sixth day, he held a group consultation, during which he addressed participants' questions, helping clarify their understanding, strengthen their faith, and guide them toward realizing their original mind.

After the Chan-7 retreat, during the closing tea reception, participants eagerly took to the stage to share their experience, and the refreshing joy and wisdom they gained. At the end of the retreat, Abbot Jianying encouraged everyone: “After drinking this final cup of tea, it's time for you all to return home and continue on your path—the path to your own bodhi enlightenment. But how does one walk the bodhi path? It’s like the last verse recited during the retreat: 'The Chan seven-day retreat begins and ends; without beginning or ending is the universal nature.”

This state of "without beginning or ending" refers to non-arising and non-ceasing, which is to be without beginning and end. Any phenomenon or the good of provisional existence, like the beginning and end of the retreat, has a start and finish. However, the good of emptiness is pure, timeless, and unconditioned. Our mind is just like this. When we realize this state of "without beginning or ending," we see our true nature and understand the essence of mind, buddha, and all beings. Only then can we truly embark on the bodhi path.”

Filled with gratitude, the participants deepened their understanding of their pure nature during the retreat and were able to apply the insight to their daily lives. The light of their pure nature will not only illuminate their families and communities, but also guide all sentient beings to realize the bodhi mind.

Participant Reflections

Chuanrong
DSA President of Pu Yan Meditation Center
Associate Dean, School of Dentistry and Director, Graduate Institute of Oral Biology of NTU

This is my twenty-fifth time participating in a Chan-7 retreat, and each time I deeply benefit from the Buddhadharma, for which I am immensely grateful. From the Founding Abbot, Grand Master Weichueh, to Venerable Master Jiandeng, and now Venerable Master Jianying, I have always felt that their teachings leave me wanting more. During the retreat, I continuously strive to experience the mind that is neither arising nor ceasing. When there is only this one thought in the present moment, there is no more space nor time. Although I have not yet fully realized or perfected this understanding, I feel I am getting closer.

I encourage you to commit to practice for the long-term. While individuals may have varying capacities—whether superior, middling, or inferior—the mind itself is equal. Under the guidance of the shifus, we can all experience this supreme, pure, and wondrous bodhi mind.

Chuanning
DSA Supervisor of Pu Tian Meditation Center
Professor, National Formosa University

This Chan-7 retreat marks exactly thirty years since my first experience, and it has been the best one of those thirty years. This time, I followed the abbot’s instructions completely—I listened to the directions, followed the rules, didn’t bring a watch, and relied on the sound of the wooden board to guide me. When it was time to sleep, I slept; when I heard the board, I got up. I had plenty of rest, but throughout the process, I remained diligent, either practicing breath-counting or using the huatou method. In the past, I often tensed up during the retreat, which significantly reduced the effectiveness of my meditation. This time, by adjusting my mindset, I experienced a substantial improvement in my meditation practice.

Chuanji,
DSA Vice President, Chung Tai Zen Center of Houston

During this retreat, the abbot made us feel special with his personalized assistance to us in light of our limitations with the language. His Dharma talks were clear and straight to the point, which made the message a lot easier for us unenlightened people to understand. I am hopeful because I want to believe that under the abbot's leadership, we have a brighter future for Buddhism in America.

Chuanhui
Level 3 Student, Middle Land Chan Monastery, USA

During this Chan-7 retreat, I diligently followed the abbot’s guidance and focused on casting the light of awareness inward to reflect on and observe my mind. Through this practice, I realized that I must consistently practice mindfulness in my life. Maintaining awareness at all times is crucial because it is only by doing so that I can truly know myself, improve myself, and transcend myself. Only then can I become the master of my own mind, no longer causing harm to others out of ignorance and unawareness. We cannot control the myriad things in the world. The only thing we can control is our own mind. Therefore, it is essential to put effort into mastering this mind.

The 2024 Academic Summer Chan-7 Retreat at Chung Tai Chan Monastery

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