On a brisk autumn morning on the 12th of November, at Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto attendees were gathering to take part in a one-day meditation retreat. After registration and ensuring Covid protocols were followed, attendees and facilitators gathered in the conference room where they were greeted by Venerable RuAn who would lead the retreat.

After an introduction and a briefing of the day's meditation schedule, the participants arranged themselves into two single-file lines and were led to the meditation hall to find their own meditation cushion. The Venerable led the attendees in stretching and warming up, in order to ensure people were comfortable and ready to focus on the first seated guided meditation. 

“My objective was to experience and learn different meditation techniques and how to bring awareness to my present moment.” Lina Ross. 

For the next practice, tea was then served to the attendees as Venerable RuAn guided the participants in mindful tea drinking. This engaged the meditation practitioner's mind and would ensure the participants were focused and ready for the first walking meditation session of the day. This proved to be an innovative form of mindful practice for many of the day's guests and was met with curiosity and joy.

What was your favorite part of the retreat today? “The first tea drinking activity, where we took the time to smell, feel and taste the cup of tea.” Ben Fung.

At midday, all assembled in the dining hall to partake in a silent meal. Vegetarian food was served and thoroughly enjoyed by all. At the start of the meal, the five contemplations were introduced. This was a new form of practice for many in attendance and was a great success, with many of the attendees highlighting this as a moment of deep learning.

After the silent meal had ended, a session of walking meditation began in the main shrine. This was followed by more guided meditation in the meditation hall. Tea was then made available and during a period of ‘Living Chan’, the participants could take a moment to contemplate or continue any of the new forms of meditation they had been introduced to. This was the precursor to the longest seated meditation session, unguided and steeled by the instruction of the Venerable during the retreat. The guests of the retreat put into action all that they had learned, and this was the biggest challenge of the day for many first-time retreat attendees. All met the challenge head-on and succeeded in finding peace.

“I learned to appreciate every aspect of the day - whatever activity I'm doing I can practice mindfulness and be grateful for each second of the day. Every day is a blessing” Haianh

At the end of the retreat, all were invited to join a Q&A with the Venerable Ru An. The conclusion of this Q&A saw a discussion of Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s powerful words. This had been introduced during the briefing of the retreat events, and what followed was a profound discussion that proved to many to be the highlight of the day.

“I feel at peace with myself and motivated to dream big and live simply” Heather Lee

By Tyrie Norris

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