​Living Life to the Fullest – Seminar for the Third "Spiritual Environmental Protection Meditation Retreat" Organized by Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Centre Malaysia

In order to integrate Buddhism into modern life, Dharma Drum Mountain's founder, Master Sheng Yen, proposed the notion of "Spiritual Environmental Protection" in 1992. Since 2016, Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) Buddhist Centre Malaysia has been organizing the "Spiritual Environmental Protection Meditation Retreat," aiming to introduce Chan meditation and Buddhism both to the society as a whole as well as business leaders specifically.

As a warm-up event for the third "Spiritual Environmental Protection Meditation Retreat," DDM Buddhist Centre Malaysia held a seminar on the noon of February 25^th, hosted by Mr. Wong Kah Cane (黃家建), the Coach for CEO's Private Advisory Board at Vistage Malaysia. The seminar featured the dialogue between Ven. Chang Zao (常藻法師), Director of DDM Buddhist Centre Malaysia, and Mr. Cheng Ping Keat (鄭秉吉), the CEO of Khind Holdings Berhad. Joined by nearly fifty participants, they explored how to settle our body and mind by applying the method of Chan meditation, as well as how to further extend its application to our families, workplace, and society.

Master Sheng Yen once said, "The practice of Chan is the practice of Buddhadharma; it is the concept and method for purifying people's mind and society." Ven. Chang Zao, Director of DDM Buddhist Centre Malaysia, further clarified that meditation is not exclusive to Buddhism, but has been practiced by practitioners of various beliefs and schools since ancient India. Unlike other meditation practices, the Venerable explained, "Through settling our body and mind and clearly observing their operation, Buddhist Chan meditation guides us to understand ourselves and further realize the true aspect of all phenomena, and ultimately attain the wisdom that frees us from vexations."

"If you want to see significant changes in the body, going to the gym for a short period of time is unlikely to yield results. The same applies for Chan meditation!" Mr. Cheng added that the practice of Chan meditation is the workout for our mind. Despite the unceasing illusory thoughts during Chan practice, by using methods such as observing the breath, we can continuously cultivate mindfulness and return to the method to keep working on our practice. He likened the practice of Chan meditation to the car navigation system: "If we realize early that we are on the wrong track, we can make early adjustments to fix it." 

Mr. Cheng Ping Keat recalled his early experience of meditation retreats. He shared that ideas that are usually difficult to conceive would continuously arise during retreats. However, because he could not take notes during meditation, he learned to let go of trivial things that were not relevant to the present moment. He found the practice of mindfulness to be precisely not being distracted by thoughts concerning the past and future, and training our own mind to return to the present moment at any time. . According to Ven. Chang Zao, when our mind is able to enjoy the present moment, we develop the mental muscles that are the key to helping us make clear judgments in both our family and workplace throughout our lives. As we keep practicing letting go of things that are irrelevant to the present moment, we can transform into a better version of ourselves and thus live a better life.
 


Original text written in Chinese by Luo Zhi Hao(羅志豪)
Photos provided by Huang Jun Jie (黃俊傑)
Translated by Siang-ling Li
Edited by Keith Brown, 可馨