This particular retreat was a bit of an experiment for Vancouver Chan Meditation Centre. Instead of being entirely online as with recent retreats, it was a sort of hybrid. In addition to the usual at-home Zoom participants there were a handful of practitioners visiting the centre in person each day. The technology was adjusted to provide the “Zoomers” with a view of the Chan hall in use. For me, it brought back fond memories of past residential retreats and the more personal sense of camaraderie.
Venerable Chang Wu ably led the various meditation sessions (sitting、walking、8-form moving、standing yoga) and also provided guidance for when we were left to perform various other activities on our own (food preparation、eating、cleaning etc.) We were reminded of the full continuity of the retreat — that the retreat practice continued unabated after signing off each evening. Without these pointed reminders, the retreat might otherwise have degraded into a weakened intermittent effort.
Žarko provided three excellent dharma talks in the mornings of Friday to Sunday. Reasonably, he was spared giving a second talk each day due to the large time zone difference. The first two were largely comprised of introductory subject material, building a base of understanding about the most common methods and how to best approach them. Although I say they were “introductory”, I am reminded how very useful the talks are for all people who have heard such subject material covered previously. One always hears something new each time around and these talks were no different. They were engrossing and thoughtful, and invited me to reconsider the nature of my practice anew. In similar fashion, the Q&A session was invaluable. The distinctive questions from individuals resulted in answers from Žarko that were thoughtful and very relevant to practice. He never condescended, preached or retreated into intellectualism. It also made me appreciative for the questioners who “stuck their necks out” to ask for advice or clarity.
The third talk zeroed in on impermanence as one of the three Dharma Seals involved with Right View. At first blush, the topic might seem “philosophical” in a theoretical way but Žarko quickly brought it into the realm of experience and familiarity. We quickly saw how impermanence and our compulsion to deny it infiltrated so many aspects of our routine lives as well as our practice.
Altogether it was an inspirational retreat that gave me hope and confidence. Thank you to all who made this happen.
Written by Mark Simmons 2022.05.31
Photo：Vancouver Chan Meditation Centre