Donghua zen temple announces winter 2024 bhikkhu chan retreat

Donghua Zen Temple, a venerable Chan (Zen) ancestral temple with a history spanning over 1,600 years, flourished during the Tang and Song dynasties but was destroyed in the Ming and Qing eras.

Since Abbot Wanxing re-established the temple, the fourfold assembly of Donghua Zen Temple has been inheriting the Chan lineage, carrying forward the Buddha's spirit of "attaining enlightenment within a set period," following the ancestral rule of "equal emphasis on farming and meditation, no work no food," and practicing the temple's motto of "faith in the Dharma and love for the nation" established by Abbot Wanxing. They engage in seated meditation in the hall and apply Chan in daily life.

To continue the thousand-year-old Chan lineage，Donghua Zen Temple will hold a closed Chan retreat from November 19 to December 24, 2024.Consisting of five weeks, lasting 35 days to realize one's true nature and attain enlightenment.

This Chan retreat will be personally led by Abbot Wanxing of Donghua Zen Temple, with Dharma Master Huishan serving as the Weinuo (Rector) and Dharma Master Dunhan as the Shouzuo (Head Seat).

With the unbroken mind of Chan and Donghua's millennium-long legacy, we continue the Buddha's wisdom-life and the supreme conditions for bodhi. We welcome monastics from home and abroad to participate in the Donghua Chan Retreat!

Application Requirements:

Open only to male monastic Dharma masters between the ages of 18 and 60;
Physically and mentally healthy, patriotic and devoted to the Dharma, law-abiding, with pure motivation and firm faith;
Possessing right knowledge and right views about Buddhism, having faith in Chan and some foundation in meditation;
Respecting the Triple Gem, observing the rules of the sangha, adapting to the temple's daily routines, and obeying the arrangements and instructions of the monastery;
In good health, with no major illness history, no history of mental illness, no history of infectious diseases, no bad habits, and no previous participation in any cult organizations;
Applications are now open until all places are filled;
Open only to male monastic Dharma masters. Please call the reception office at: 0751-2867488.