Giac Tam Meditation Center

10/29/2026

Our Monthly Sunday Community Meditation (First Sunday of the Month, starting on Nov. 1st this week) offers a welcoming opportunity to connect with the Giac Tam Meditation Center (GTMC) community and nurture our shared practice of mindfulness and meditation.

We warmly invite local practitioners to join us in person at the center. For those who live farther away or are unable to attend in person, we are pleased to offer the opportunity to participate via Zoom.

Join us in person or online as we come together to practice, cultivate peace, and deepen our connection as a community.

Join us through Zoom:
Meeting ID: 872 7319 8451
Passcode: 849413
​
Monthly Sunday Community Practice Schedule:
9:00 AM - Be on cushion
9:05 – 9:50 AM - Sitting meditation
10 AM - Chanting service
10:30 AM - Dharma sharing
Noon - Mindful vegan lunch
1:00 PM - Adjourn

We would appreciate if you register ahead of time if planning to attend in-person at the center:

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/yseeHew7L4dWks9H7

We look forward to welcoming you and practicing together!

https://www.zen-gtmc.org/pastoral-care-and-mutual-support-1

*For further inquiry please contact GTMC at [email protected]

10/27/2026

🌿 A Heartfelt Day of Mindfulness and Connection 🌿

Our recent Mindfulness Workshop for Healthcare Professionals was a beautiful reminder that meaningful experiences are not measured by the size of a group, but by the depth of our presence. Though small in number, we shared a warm, intimate, and deeply meaningful day filled with heartfelt conversations, genuine connection, wholehearted participation, and remarkable moments of learning and sharing.

We are deeply grateful to Ben Connelly for co-leading the workshop; Lan Nguyen and Phong Nguyen for providing healthy, delicious snacks and helping with food needs; Sister Thien Chan for preparing a nourishing lunch with her yummy pho; Ryan Sultan, Truc Pham, and Jennifer for your encouragement and support; and Janet Brown for lending a helping hand around lunchtime.

Most of all, thank you to all our participants for bringing your full presence, open hearts, and sincere commitment to caring for others. Your dedication to serving people through healthcare is a beautiful expression of compassion in action. May the mindfulness and connections cultivated together continue to nourish you and those you care for. 💚

With gratitude from Giac Tam Meditation Center 🙏

10/21/2026

🌿 A Special Invitation for Friends & Colleagues in Healthcare 🌿

To all my friends and colleagues in the healthcare professions,

I’m happy to share this Saturday’s Mindfulness Retreat for Healthcare Professionals with you. We have a few more spots left for registration. I hope you able to see our post in time and consider joining us for a meaningful time together.

This day is an opportunity to pause, breathe, reconnect, and restore—stepping away from the demands of our work to cultivate greater calm, resilience, self-compassion, and a renewed sense of purpose.

🗓️ Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
⏰ Time: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
📍 Location: Giac Tam Meditation Center
3729 Pilot K**b Road, Eagan, MN 55122

We would be honored to spend this meaningful day of mindfulness and renewal with you. 🌸

Registration form:
https://forms.gle/HM9Vn8rSL37XQquM9

With gratitude and warm wishes,
Sister Pearl

10/09/2026

Healing Retreat for Mothers with Child Loss

You Are Not Alone!
Join us for a gentle and nurturing retreat designed especially for mothers who have experienced the profound loss of child, either in pregnancy or after birth. Being guided by Buddhist/interfaith chaplains and Zen priests, this retreat offers a safe, compassionate space to honor your grief, begin the healing process, and connect with others who truly understand what you are going through.

Date & Time: Saturday, November 7th, 2026, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Location: Giac Tam Meditation Center (3729 Pilot K**b Road, Eagan, MN 55122)

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/KhiJN6dn6G3gi86D9

Retreat Overview

This Healing Retreat for Mothers with Child Loss is a supportive event created to bring comfort, understanding, and renewal. Together, we will honor each mother’s unique journey and provide caring resources for healing.

10/08/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EyeANJ6ar/?mibextid=wwXIfr

09/29/2026

Đời này được thân người không quí tu hành, đời sau chưa chắc được thân người.

"Thân người khó được, Phật pháp khó nghe" là một trong những giáo lý căn bản và sâu sắc nhất của đạo Phật nhằm nhắc nhở chúng ta về giá trị vô giá của kiếp sống hiện tại.

Phật thường dùng hình ảnh ẩn dụ kinh "rùa mù tìm bọng cây" (mang một khúc gỗ có lỗ thủng thả trên biển, một con rùa mù trăm năm mới nổi lên mặt nước một lần, cơ hội để đầu nó chui lọt vào lỗ khúc gỗ ấy còn dễ hơn cơ hội một chúng sinh được tái sinh làm người) hoặc "đất trên móng tay" so với đất của đại địa để nói về sự hiếm hoi này.

Sở dĩ nói "đời sau chưa chắc được thân người" là bởi những lý do cốt lõi sau.

Hằng ngày, chúng ta vô tình gieo quá nhiều hạt giống của tham, sân, si. Khi nhắm mắt xuôi tay, nghiệp lực tiêu cực (ác nghiệp) tích lũy trong cuộc sống rất dễ kéo thần thức đọa vào ba đường ác (địa ngục, ngạ quỷ, súc sinh).

Thân người hiện tại là kết quả của việc giữ giới và làm phước từ nhiều đời trước. Nếu kiếp này chỉ lo hưởng thụ, tiêu tán phước lành mà không tích lũy thêm, tài khoản "phước báu" sẽ cạn kiệt.

Đời người ngắn ngủi và mong manh. Nhiều người luôn hẹn lầm hẹn lỡ "đợi già rồi tu, đợi rảnh rồi làm việc thiện", nhưng vô thường có thể đến bất cứ lúc nào!

Biết được điều này không phải để chúng ta bi quan hay sợ hãi, mà là một lời thức tỉnh để "thắp sáng tâm bồ đề ‘’ trân trọng từng phút giây đang sống:

Giữ gìn năm giới:
Đây là tấm vé thông hành căn bản nhất để giữ được thân người ở đời sau (không sát sinh, không trộm cắp, không tà dâm, không nói dối, không uống rượu/chất kích thích).
Tích đức hành thiện: Tranh thủ làm phước, bố thí, giúp đỡ người hoạn nạn khi còn có thể.
Tu buông bỏ oán hận, phiền não thanh lọc nội tâm để khi đối diện với vô thường, tâm ta được an ổn, tự tại

09/23/2026

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6RT4Lm2iSAzKauqK9

Kỷ niệm 9 năm về trước sinh hoạt mùa hè với các em tại Thiền tự Giác Tâm.

Sweet memories 9 years ago with our wonderful youth group in the summer.

Tap to view!

09/16/2026

HOW TO LET GO OF THE PAST?
WONDERFUL ANSWER BY THE WISE MONK

A man once asked a wise monk:

“No matter how hard I try, I cannot stop thinking about my past.

The mistakes, heartbreaks, regrets, and memories still follow me everywhere.

How do I finally let go?”

The monk looked at him quietly and asked:

“If you keep carrying a dead tree branch on your shoulders for years, who becomes tired?”

The man replied,

“I do.”

The monk nodded gently.

“The past is the same.

Some memories continue to hurt not because they are happening now, but because you keep carrying them into today.”

The man lowered his head.

“But some things were painful,” he whispered.

“I was betrayed. I failed. I lost people I loved.”

The monk replied softly:

“Yes.

And pretending the pain never happened is not healing either.

But there is a difference between remembering the past and living inside it.”

The man became silent.

The monk continued:

“Many people unknowingly build homes inside old pain.

They replay conversations.

Relive mistakes.

Imagine different endings.

And slowly allow yesterday to steal today.”

The man asked quietly,

“So how do I become free?”

The monk smiled gently and pointed toward a river flowing beside the temple.

“Look at the river.

It keeps moving forward.

It does not stop flowing because leaves fall into it.

Life is asking you to move too.”

Tears filled the man’s eyes.

“But what if I cannot forget?”

The monk shook his head softly.

“You are not meant to erase the past.

You are meant to stop allowing the past to keep wounding your present.”

Then he added:

“In Buddhist wisdom, suffering can grow when we cling tightly to what life has already changed.

Peace begins when we acknowledge what happened, accept that it cannot be changed, and choose how we will live now.”

The monk smiled one final time and said:

“The past should become wisdom...

not a prison.”

5 WAYS TO LET GO OF THE PAST:

1. Stop replaying painful memories every day.
You cannot change yesterday by repeatedly reliving it. When painful memories arise, acknowledge them without allowing them to take over the present.

2. Forgive yourself for who you were during painful seasons.
You were learning, struggling, surviving, and making decisions with the understanding you had at the time. Learn from who you were without continuing to punish yourself.

3. Accept that some people will never apologize or understand your pain.
Your healing cannot depend on someone else finally recognizing what they did. Sometimes closure begins when you stop waiting for it from another person.

4. Focus your energy on the life happening now.
The present is where you can make different choices, build new memories, create healthier relationships, and experience peace.

5. Allow yourself to move forward without guilt.
You are allowed to heal.

You are allowed to smile again.

You are allowed to love again.

You are allowed to become someone your past could never have imagined.

You do not have to forget what happened.

You simply have to stop letting what happened decide what happens next.

Take the lesson.

Release the weight.

And keep walking.

Because the past may explain where you came from...

But it does not have to decide where you are going.

09/15/2026

PEACE CANNOT BE GIVEN FROM ONE PERSON TO ANOTHER !?
‎There are people who meet me and ask:
‎“Can you help me find the peace that you have?”
‎
‎I simply answer:
‎“I do not have a gift that I can place into your hands.”
‎
‎Because peace is not something tangible. It cannot be passed from one person to another.
‎Peace cannot be bought with money. It cannot be received simply through an award, nor can it be imposed through power or force.
‎
‎We can pray for peace and speak about peace, but if each of us has not yet learned how to care for the anger, fears, and suffering that are present within ourselves, then peace remains only beautiful words.
‎
‎For example, if a person is hungry, even seeing someone else eat or watching videos and pictures of delicious food cannot satisfy their hunger.
‎
‎In the same way, simply listening together as others speak about peace cannot bring peace into our hearts if we ourselves have not learned how to practice and nurture peace within, moment by moment.
‎
‎Peace in the world can only begin when we learn to return within and care for the unrest that is present in our own hearts...
‎
‎Namo Buddhaya
‎Namo Dhammaya
‎Namo Sanghaya