Buddhist Venerable Guo Xing of Dharma Drum Mountain to Visit Chicagoland
Venerable Guo Xing, Dharma heir of Buddhist Chan (Zen) Master Sheng Yen and the current head of the Chan Department headquarters of Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) in Taiwan will be in Chicagoland December 5th to December 9th. His schedule includes lectures at the University of Chicago, a one-day meditation retreat, and a Chinese program of chanting, both in Wheeling, Illinois.
Friday, December 7th, the Venerable will provide a lecture titled "An Introduction to Chan (Zen) Buddhism" at University of Chicago from 6-8 P.M. in Swift Hall at 1025 E. 58th St.
Saturday, December 8th, Venerable Guo Xing will be conducting a one-day meditation retreat from 9:00-5:00, and on Sunday, December 9th, a half-day Chinese program of Amitabh Chanting (in Chinese). Both events will take place at the DDM Chicago Chapter Chan Hall located at 241 Holbrook Ave., Wheeling, Illinois. Cost for the one-day meditation retreat is $30, and includes a vegan lunch.
Ordained under Chan Master Shen Yen in 1986, Venerable Guo Xing assisted the Master between 1987 and 2007, during which time he led numerous meditation retreats throughout the United States, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan. He served as counselor for DDM's Chan Meditation Group at Nong Chan Monastery for eight years, he was the guiding instructor for DDM Sangha University Chan practice curriculum for six years, the director of DDM's Chan Practice Center, the director of Chan Hall, and the supervisor of the Department of Transmitting the Lamp for two years. Most recently, Venerable Guo Xing served as abbot of Chan Meditation Center and Dharma Drum Retreat Center in New York from 2008 to 2016.
A Friday afternoon lecture at the University of Chicago on the Surangama Sutra is in development. Venerable Guo Xing explains, "The Surangama Sutra says '... disregard objects as self.' In other words, 'your mother in your mind is not your mother.' Is the photo or the image in the mirror you? If the figure in the photo is you, why don't you hit the photo if you want to hit someone? You don't because the photo does not feel hurt. The photo is some material that does not think or cognize. The real person perceives and knows.
The same goes with images in our memory-they are not the real person. We feel hatred toward the image in our memory, yet we think we hate the person. Why is that? Come and listen, and you'll understand."
For more information on the Friday lectures, contact Michael Schnabel, at mickykaya@gmail.com. To register for the one-day meditation retreat in Wheeling, email Elizabeth.ddm.retreat@gmail.com. For more information about the Chinese program on Sunday, email Iris Wang @ iwang123@yahoo.com or call (847) 951-3602.