Description:

5 days Beginners’ Chan Retreat introducing to beginners the basic principles of Chan practices and methods, as well as preparatory exercises, such as 8-form moving meditation; It offers opportunities for comprehensive Chan meditation practice.

They follow the traditional Chan monastery schedule, starting early in the morning and using concentrated group practice. There are numerous thirty-minute sitting periods throughout the day. In addition to sitting meditation, the retreat also includes mindful work practice, walking meditation, chanting, and gentle yoga exercises.

Interviews with the teacher are available for direct guidance regarding the method of practice, and daily Dharma talks elucidate the details of investigating one’s mind. It is an opportunity to strengthen your practice by sitting together with other experienced practitioners. It is also excellent preparation for our longer intensive retreats.

Chan is lively wisdom and it should be experienced in one’s everyday life. Understanding the Buddhist concepts helps set a clear and correct direction for practitioners to focus on. Chan meditation practices develop a foundation of calmness and awareness for practitioners to deepen their understanding of Buddhist concepts, cultivate compassion and wisdom, and to realize Chan. The practice of Chan meditation also benefits people physically, psychologically and spiritually.

Level of experience: suitable for beginners; more experience practitioners also welcome

Retreat Etiquette: https://dharmadrumretreat.org/retreats/retreats-etiquette/

Additional guidelines for this retreat:

• We will be collecting phones at the beginning of the retreat and returning at the end. If you use your phone as a timepiece or alarm please bring an alternative watch or alarm clock. Everyone is asked to hand in their phone unless there are extenuating circumstances. In case of any emergencies, friends or family members can contact the retreat manager Jason at and he will pass any messages to you.

• Please note that two meals a day will be served: breakfast and a substantial main meal for lunch. There will be a small snack in the evening, in keeping with Buddhist principles. If for dietary reasons (such as diabetes, low blood pressure or other conditions) you can not adhere to this please indicate so in your form and we can accommodate you. All meals will be vegetarian. We also will not be cooking or serving any onions, garlic or leek. We can cater to lactose and gluten intolerance. We can not guarantee catering for other allergies but please indicate in the form any other allergies and we will try our best to help you.

• There is limited indoor accommodation available for this retreat. All rooms are shared (segregated by female and male). If you are physically capable please consider one of the camping options so that those who are older and less physically able can avail of indoor bedding. We can support you with finding tents if you don’t have one. Indoor accommodation will be allocated based on age and physical ability first and afterwards rooms are allocated based on a first come first-served basis (age 50+ are guaranteed indoor bedding). 

Important, please note: After registering you will be sent a retreat form by email which you must fill out and return to us. Your place on the retreat can not be confirmed until we have received this form. Thank you.

Cost/Donation:

In line with Buddhist principles of Dana (generosity), this retreat is offered freely on a fully-donation basis. Donations are made voluntarily to support the costs involved in running this kind of retreat.

There are, of course, costs involved in running a retreat like this. People often ask for guidance on how much they can offer to help to meet the running costs for this kind of retreat. A suggestion for this retreat in order to cover food, accommodation, airfare for teachers, petrol costs for lifts and shopping, and other costs would be €350 for the five days. However, this is a guideline only and it is by no means mandatory to offer this amount. People are invited to offer based on their individual circumstances and on how much they wish to support this kind of work. Therefore, if you can offer more and are inspired to do so please do, and likewise, if you can not offer this amount any offering is appreciated. 

All donations, big or small, are appreciated and will help ensure that we can cover the costs of this retreat and continue offer more like this in the future. 

Location, Directions and travel : Moyhastin, Co. Mayo

• EIRCODE - F28 DR31 (leaves you 20 meters short. Go forward to post boxes then turn left)

• Sat Nav Coordinates N 53*46.722' W 009*30.642’

• Google Map Coordinates 53.7787,-9.5107 (see below) 

• There will be a collection from Westport town train station to the retreat centre on Wednesday the 31st at 2pm.  Please indicate on your registration form if you wish to be collected and please ensure that you have provided a mobile number you can be contacted on. The collection will happen outside Westport train station at that time. We will similarly offer a lift back to Westport town on departure day after the retreat ends.

• It is very important that you let us know if you wish to be collected.You can indicate in the registration from if you wish to do so. If you arrive after collection time or miss collection please let us know as soon as possible - you may need to avail of a local taxi service (Westport Taxis: 086-850-6129; 087-980-2345)

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All contact and queries can be addressed to Emer at emerdhamma@gmail.com

Please register by clicking the 'register' button on this page. We will send you a retreat form within 1-2 days, after you return this form to us we can confirm your attendance. 

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Retreat teachers' biographies: 

About Guo Xing Fashi:

Guo Xing Fashi embarked on learning Chan meditation while researching the Church-State Relationship in Mexico during her Master's degree studies in Latin American Studies. Since then, she has actively engaged in retreats led by Master Sheng Yen. She was tonsured under Master Sheng Yen in 1999. Following the completion of Dharma Drum Mountain, the DDM monastic community recommended her to pursue a doctoral degree to further DDM’s dedication to the higher education of Buddhism. She obtained a second Master's degree in Religious Studies from Columbia University in 2010, followed by a Ph.D. from UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) in 2018. Her research centers on themes associated with Chan Master Hongzhi Zhengue, as encouraged by Master Sheng Yen, who urged her to explore the teachings of both Chan Master Hongzhi and his own Silent Illumination Chan. Currently, she serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Buddhist Studies at Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts.

About Chang Chun Fashi (Sr. Jinho):

Chang Chun Fashi (previously known as Sr. Jinho) has been an ordained nun in the Chan (Chinese Zen) Buddhist tradition for over 20 years. She was ordained by Chan Master Sheng-Yen in Dharma Drum Mountain monastery, Taiwan. For the last 10 years she has mostly lived in Europe. She has the role of Buddhist Chaplain in Bristol University in the UK where, for many years, she has led meditation groups and offered spiritual guidance to students and others in the surrounding area. During this time she has taught in many places across Europe, including Ireland, Germany, U.K., and Russia. She has a long-standing association with the Irish Buddhist community and has come to Ireland annually for more than 10 years to teach various retreats and events here. She is known for her creative and compassionate approach to teaching and always has energy for new projects to bring people together in the Dharma.