06/12/2026
May31–June13, 2026 | Silent Illumination Retreat at Chan Meditation Center
Led by Venerable Guo Guong: Cultivating Samatha–Vipashyana and Deepening Insight into Dependent Origination
From May31 to June13, 2026, Chan Meditation Center 14-day Silent Illumination retreat at Bodhi Monastery. More than 50 practitioners from both Eastern and Western backgrounds participated. The retreat was led by Venerable Guo Goang, who guided participants through the essential teachings of Silent Illumination Chan, drawing on Hongzhi Zhengjue’s “Admonition on Seated Meditation”.
This retreat marked one of Venerable Guo Guong’s final teachings in North America before returning to Taiwan. It attracted over a hundred applicants, with participants traveling from as far as Vancouver, Canada, and even Shanghai, China.
During Dharma talks, the master emphasized that the key to practice lies in clearly observing the functioning of body and mind as it truly is. When the five sense faculties encounter the five sense objects, there is no inherent problem if one simply knows them as they are. However, once experience enters the mental faculty, the mind begins to elaborate, adding interpretations and repetitive thinking, thereby distorting simple experiences into suffering.
The master offered in-depth teachings on dependent origination, explaining how the mental faculty clings to external conditions, generating a chain of psychological processes that ultimately accumulate into suffering. Much of this suffering arises from attachment to a sense of “self.” When all experiences are tied to “me,” dissatisfaction and complaint naturally arise. Letting go of this attachment reduces affliction.
Over the fourteen days, the master systematically introduced the methods of samatha and vipashyana. She stressed that calming the mind is the foundation for both ethical discipline and wisdom. When the mind can return to the present moment again and again, stability is established, allowing clarity and awareness to naturally develop.
She likened the mind to a king: when the king remains settled in his own kingdom, clarity and order prevail; when he is absent, afflictions—like thieves—invade and take control.
Although Buddhism offers 84,000 Dharma methods, their differences lie mainly in their objects of focus. All practices are grounded in core principles such as dependent origination, the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the cultivation of precepts, concentration, and wisdom, as well as the realization of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self. Chan practice, however, is like a “fast train,” directly pointing to the essence, enabling swift entry into realization before reflecting back on the entire process.
The master also reminded participants that most suffering arises from the continuous operation of greed, anger, and ignorance. Wholesome roots are the absence of these three poisons. If not carefully nurtured, unwholesome conditions will grow and bear painful results. Everyday actions such as gossip, divisive speech, and idle talk deplete one’s merit and obstruct practice. At such times, one must arouse a sense of repentance and humility to remove these obstacles.
Through the practical method of Silent Illumination—“"Not encountering things, yet knowing;not opposite to conditions, yet illuminating.”—participants trained to keep the mind unified and no longer chase after external objects, thereby reducing the ongoing cycle of suffering.
Throughout the retreat, practitioners applied mindfulness in all postures—walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. From initial restlessness and unease, they gradually experienced greater stability and clarity of body and mind. Many shared that the retreat helped them see more clearly the patterns of their inner processes and strengthened their confidence in the principle of dependent origination.
Due to the large number of participants and the remote location, the retreat faced challenges with limited water resources. Yet through mutual understanding and mindful conservation, participants gained a deeper appreciation for the meaning of gratitude and interdependence.
While external resources may be limited, the inner sources of merit and wisdom continuously arise through practice. Under Venerable Guo Goang’s careful guidance in Silent Illumination, participants returned to the present moment, settled the mind, and not only learned to cherish conditions but also uncovered the inexhaustible purity within. The retreat thus concluded on a profound and fulfilling note.
5/31-6/13東初禪寺「默照禪十四」果廣法師帶領 修行止觀 深入緣起
2026年5月31日至6月13日，東初禪寺於同淨蘭若舉辦「默照禪十四」。中西方眾超過50位學員參與，本次禪期由果廣法師主七，講解宏智正覺禪師的「坐禪箴」，帶領大眾體驗默照禪的核心法要。
此次禪期，是果廣法師回台前，對北美護法信眾，進行止觀默照禪法的指導。吸引了許多信眾報名，有的學員專程從加拿大溫哥華前來，最遠則是來自中國上海。
在禪修開示中，法師指出，修行的關鍵在於如實觀照身心運作。當五根接觸五塵時，若能如實了知，本身並沒有問題；然而，一旦進入意根門，心便開始加油添醋、反覆思惟，將原本單純的經驗，扭曲成不真實的苦境。
法師深入講解「緣起」的道理，指出我們的「意根」如何對外境產生執取，形成一連串的心理活動，最終累積成為苦的聚合。而煩惱多源於「我執」，當我們將一切經驗都與「我」連結時，便容易落入抱怨與不滿；若能鬆開「我」，煩惱自然減少。
十四天中，法師循序漸進地說明「止」與「觀」的修行方法，強調「止」是持戒、觀慧的基礎，如果能讓心王，隨時回到當下，就能建立穩定身心的基礎，進而培養清明覺照的能力。
法師比喻心如同國王。當國王能安住於自己的國土，內在自然清明安定；否則，煩惱如盜賊，便會趁虛而入，佔據內心世界。
而佛教八萬四千多種法門，修行方法只在「所緣境」的不同，一切方法不離「緣起」、「四聖諦」、「八正道」、「戒、定、慧」、「苦、空、無常、無我」等核心義理。而禪宗的方法如同「快車」，直指核心，迅速契入。
此外，法師提醒，大多數的痛苦來自於內心的貪、瞋、痴等煩惱不斷相續運作。善根即是無貪、瞋、癡。若不善加照顧，便會生長不善、不順的苦果。日常生活中，如說是非、兩舌、戲論，皆會折損福德資糧，讓修行出現障礙。此時就要提起慚愧懺悔心，化解障礙。
透過默照的實修方法，「不觸事而知、不對緣而照」練習時時刻刻將心止於一處，不再追逐外在的境相，就能減少煩惱痛苦的輾轉相續。
十四天的禪修中，學員們在行、住、坐、臥中練習覺察當下，繫念在前，從最初的散亂與不安，逐漸體會到身心安定與清明。學員分享，透過此次禪修，更清楚地看見內心運作的模式，也對緣起觀，生起更深的信心。
由於參與人數眾多，且地處偏遠，本次禪修期，面臨用水資源有限之挑戰。然而，在大眾相互體諒、節約珍惜之中，更深刻體會「飲水思源」的意義。
外在資源雖有其限，內心福德與智慧的泉源卻在修行中不斷湧現。在果廣法師細膩的默照禪指導中，學員們回歸當下，安住一心，既知珍惜因緣，也啟發自心清淨無盡之源，為此次禪修畫下圓滿而深刻的句點。
圖/文：東初禪寺
