Indonesian Chan Medan Invites DDM Monastics to Lead Chan Practice

Dharma Drum Retreat Center Abbot Ven. Guo Yuan sowed the seeds of Chan practice on a visit to Indonesia 9 years ago, thereby facilitating the establishment of the Chan Medan.  Since the end of the pandemic, Indonesian Chan Medan has been facing a tremendous challenge. Prior to the pandemic, an average of 120 people participated in the weekly group practices. However, recently, only 2 volunteers remained. Kurniady, the person in charge of Chan Medan, could not bear to see Chan teachings of Chinese Buddhism being gradually forgotten. As a result, he decided to invite DDM monastics Ven. Yan Yang, Ven. Yan Jiu and Ven. Yan Gong to give two Dharma talks, as well as lead volunteers' training, a 2-day Urban Chan Retreat, and other activities from September 27 to October 1.


The two Dharma talks were held at the Vihara Dharma Wijaya and Vihara Mitra Buddhist Centre respectively, each with approximately 45 participants. On the evening of September 27, Ven. Yan Jiu spoke on the topic of "Evolution of Chan: from India to China". During Ven. Yan Jiu's introduction, a series of photographs of DDM founder Master Sheng Yen and Ven. Guo Yuan spreading the Dharma was projected, coupled with a detailed account of how DDM's Chan teachings have been propagated from Taiwan to Medan, Indonesia.



On the morning of September 27, Ven. Yan Gong gave a Dharma talk on "Integration of Chan & Chan Practice". William, a participant who attended both Dharma talks, expressed that, with the flourishing development of the Theravada, Chinese, and Tibetan Buddhism in Indonesia in recent years, the younger generation has become increasingly interested in topics related to life and Chan meditation. After an in-depth exploration of the history of Buddhism and the origin and development of Chinese Chan teachings, the listeners finally comprehended the most important function of Chan meditation: namely, to help practitioners achieve mind-body balance and mental stability, as well as develop their innate wisdom and compassion.

The 2-day Urban Chan Retreat held at the Vihara Dharma Wijaya from September 27 to October 1 was led by Ven. Yan Yang, with a total of 48 practitioners. Over one-third of the participants possessed prior experience in DDM's Chan practice activities in the past. Among them were participants who had especially taken time off to fly in from Sumatra Aceh to join the Chan retreat. At the conclusion of the 2-day Chan retreat, an 18-year-old participant, Darwin Kurniawan, rejoiced in his good fortune of being able to get in contact with Chan practice at this early age. He stated that the meditation instructions given by Ven. Yan Yang were pretty clear. He expressed how experiencing and perceiving the body and mind relaxation, utilizing practice methods such as walking meditation and mindful eating Chan, and so on, will actually be of great benefit in maintaining the modern person's healthy body and mind. Although he still feels soreness in his legs while sitting in meditation, he noticed that his attitude toward facing discomfort during Chan practice is different than before.

During the DDM monastics' return trip to the Chan Medan to guide their Chan practice, all the participants renewed their experience in the profundity and power of the Chan teachings. Through the training of the Chan Medan volunteers and the 2-day Urban Chan Retreat, everyone also acquired a new understanding of the core values of Chan meditation.





Text: Ven. Yan Jiu (演究法師)
Translation: Cheng-yu Chang (張振郁)
Editing: Keith Brown, YKL