Reflection of Two-Day Chan Retreat by Venerable Guo Xing

Thank you Wilton, really grateful and appreciative for the Two-Day Chan Retreat along with 40+ participants with the highly respected Chan Meditation Venerable Guo Xing (果醒法師).

Thankful to the beautiful Brahma Kumaris community who hosted and welcomed us with such incredible warmth, friendliness, hospitality and graciousness and prepared such delicious meals all freshly grown and produced in the surrounding and neighbouring sustainability gardens and farms.
 
Throughout these three days, really had the privilege in observing "Noble Silence" (the act of non-verbal communication, no phones, no outside technology, no internet, no talking, no writing, no reading) in really tapping into our minds and understanding the mechanics of our mind without any external distractions or stimulus.
 
The initial discomfort of not having anything to distract me from observing my own mind, the incessant internal chatter, ruminations really allowed one to lean into the present moment, the "here and now", the only moment that exists.
 
The pain is real, the suffering is real, all this is inevtiable in life but how do I re-direct and channel that focus, energy to the immediate here and now? The present moment? The only moment that exists with the past already gone and the future not yet arrived?
How do I learn to detach from the feeling and emotion but instead seeing it as it arises, abides and eventually ceases to exists?
After all, therein the law of impermanence with everything having a beginning, middle and end.
 

Thankful to learn the "counting breath" method, "head-to-toe scan" and "walking meditation" in really learning to release, reset and relax all the underying tension  that is accumulated in the mind, muscles and body. The awareness of thoughts as it arises, abides and ceases to exists and the mental clarity, focus and concentration after all the external distractions was removed and following the 72-hours was unparalleled.
 
Really keen and pumped to do a 7-day Silent Illumination Meditation Retreat in the future too if the opportunity comes up, really recommend it, if anyone is willing to really tap into how their own mind thinks, feels and functions.


Written by Nina Lee
Photos by DDM Sydney