Dharma talk

Although lots of Dharma Drum Mountain monasteries are closed and people are asked to stay at home due to the pandemic, the urge to practice never cools down. Here we sincerely provide resources for Chan meditation and learning Buddhism as well as the information of online practice groups. We hope these could help you create an environment to practice at home, with peace in mind. Latest Dharma Talks Development of Chan from the Beginning: [1],[2], [3], [4], [5], [6] The Heart of Chan: Exploring Mind via the Mahaprajna Paramita: [1], [2], [3], [4] Chan 101: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8] Lotus Sutra: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5] Causes and Conditions Five Skandhas Twelve Links of Dependent Origination Enlightenment and Buddhahood: Can a dog get enlightened?   How to Meditate at Home Sitting Meditation alone 1. Watch Complete Guide to Meditation Videos 2. See the instruction here 3. You may need a meditation timer (see Useful App below)   Sitting Meditation with Others  Check out online regular events, Dharma talks, and courses here!    Moving Meditation  DDM's Eight-Form Moving Meditation incorporates the essence of Chan into exercise. It helps keep our body fit and healthy, harmonize our mind, and is an easy way for us to access the wonderfulness of Chan teachings, in developing peace of body and mind. - Eight Form Moving Meditation-Standing Posture  - Eight Form Moving Meditation- Sitting Posture     Useful App Chan Timer  A user-friendly and simple app for Meditation, Prostration practice, and Buddhist Chant. In the Meditation section, there are options for time setting and guidance. Venerable Guo Yuan will lead you to relax your body and mind and guide you to use meditation methods. In the Prostration practice and Buddhist Chant, you can count the time you prostrate or chant.  English, Ch

During normal, pre-pandemic times, the Buddha's Birthday (also known as Vesak) is a joyous and festive occasion at the Chan Meditation Center (CMC). Perhaps comparable to Christmas in the West, the Buddha's Birthday is one of the most important, if not, the most important holiday in Buddhist cultures, a community event that is celebrated with food, entertainment, presents and ceremony. At CMC, ordinarily, there would be lots of people, a vegetarian feast, dance and musical performances, a magic show, gifts. But not this year.  Needless to say, due to the pandemic, this year, there was none of that. I was in front of my computer, chanting the liturgy in Pinyin along with the monastics and watching the monastics and some volunteers bathe the baby Buddha on behalf of those of us at home. Yet somehow, that, along with the backdrop of a hopeful and still uncertain pandemic future, made the occasion all the more poignant and special. It seemed that the absence of the decorations, food, sounds, movements, laughter and people, brought the words and meaning of this occasion into sharp focus.    When I first got interested in Buddhist practice and started attending CMC, as a non-Chinese speaker, I focused on meditation. I avoided the Chinese chanting services but was curious. What were they chanting? Does chanting work? I was encouraged to attend and try it out. A monastic advised me to focus on the experience of the chanting. Don't focus on the meaning of the words but the sounds of the words. How do you feel after the service? Now, this I was able to do. If there is one thing that meditation has taught me, it is to observe my thoughts and emotions and how my body feels. I decided to treat the experience of chanting service as a kind of human experiment. Indeed, after participating in the chanting services, I noticed that my body and mind felt lighter, freer, less vexed, serene, happy.    My skepticism extended to the Bathing