As always, here at Dharma Drum Vancouver Centre, this retreat lead by Venerable Guo Yi was smooth and well run. The food was, as usual, fantastic (it seems we always have to mention the food). It never ceases to amaze me how much effort and care is put into these retreats not only by the monastics, but all the volunteers as well.
This was a 7-day Silent Illumination Retreat. I practiced Silent Illumination for many years, but have been practicing Hua Tou for the last year and a half. I found it beneficial to revisit my old practice. It was like coming at it fresh from a new perspective. Life has been busy for me lately, and the more relaxed approach of Silent Illumination was a welcome holiday from the bustle of daily life.
Every teacher adds something of their own style and color to these retreats. This case was no different. Venerable Guo Yi used videotaped Dharma talks given by Master Sheng Yen in Dharma Drum Retreat Center in 2004. This was very interesting to me. Although I have heard and seen recordings of Master Sheng Yen speaking before, in this case he was actually leading a retreat. I got a sense of what the man was like as a teacher, as I never met him in person.
Venerable Guo Yi supplemented these recorded Dharma talks with her own commentaries on the talks, her life and the Dharma in general. Her style was light, pleasant and often humorous; yet learned, steady and wise; almost scientific. I appreciated her additions to Master Sheng Yen’s talks, as well as her calm, determined and focused attitude which permeated the entire retreat.
In the two days following the retreat, Venerable Guo Yi gave a series of lectures on the development of Chan from its introduction to China onward. The lectures were very informative. I got a clear sense of how and why Chinese Buddhism took on its distinct flavour and how it developed over the centuries. As a Westerner reflecting on this development, I wonder what Western Buddhism will look like as it settles in and adapts over the coming decades.
Again, another fantastic teacher and retreat leader from the Dharma Drum family. Master Sheng Yen truly left an incredible legacy. I see it in the organisation, his students that teach now and in the recordings I saw in this retreat. I look forward to another visit by Venerable Guo Yi soon.
Written by Tom Kaczmarski 2019.4.21
Photo by Dharma Drum Vancouver Centre