Upon its reopening after the pandemic, Buddha’s Light Center Waterloo has resumed the community spiritual care group, scheduled classes in the healing arts, Tea and Chan culture, as well as pottery workshops. On March 18th, 2023, a one-day meditation retreat was organized, and Venerable Man Long from Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto was invited to give guidance.

The retreat started at 9:30 am. Venerable Man Long led 12 practitioners in outdoor walking meditation. During the first session, Venerable Man Long shared the story of the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng's pursuit of learning and enlightenment, and instructed the method of counting breaths, which is considered the safest practice of Buddhist meditation to cultivate concentration.

After lunch, Venerable Man Long demonstrated the practice of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Meditation, guiding the students in walking meditation, and encouraging them to slow down and be mindful of each movement. By focusing on the movement of the feet, the mind is actually in a state of no notion of self, paying attention only to what solely to what has to be done without arising thoughts on trivialities.

Finally, there was a tea break during the last session. Members from the University of Waterloo Buddha's Light Community Club (UWBLCC) helped serve everyone with steamed buns and hot tea. Each movement was graceful and fluid. Performed without making any extra sounds and left the students in amazement. Venerable Man Long instructed to inhale the aroma of the tea through the nose before letting it flow from the throat into the stomach. Rather than discriminating the sensory experiences at that moment, we would develop a sense of gratitude; similarly, we would be grateful for all the causes and conditions that led to this one-day meditation retreat.

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