Activities - NSW

Dates and Location

Please see the home page for upcoming events.

All regular activities are held at the Hornsby Meditation Centre

Longer retreats are held at various locations in and around Sydney.

Introduction to Chan Practice

For over 1500 years Chan Buddhism has emphasised practice over theory.  The purpose of this 60 minute introduction is to give beginners a firm foundation on which to build.  Having attended the introduction, practitioners are welcome to attend the group meditation sessions.

The program is as follows:

1. What is the purpose of practice? This is the only "theory" and will take no more than 5 minutes.
2. 8-form moving meditation.  Not all meditation involves sitting on a cushion!  Moving meditation is a gentle way to begin.
3. Introduction to sitting meditation. Correct posture and relaxation are the basis for all sitting practices. These important topics will be covered in some detail.
4. Questions and answers.
   

If you would like to attend this activity, please phone Anders to register your interest.

Group Meditation

Group meditation is held on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month from February until November.  The purpose of group meditation is to provide a supportive environment for practitioners to cultivate mindfulness and to share their experiences with other members.

The activity starts at 9 a.m. and runs until approximately 12:30.

The program is typically as follows:

1. 8-form moving meditation. 30 minutes.
2. Short break
3. Sitting meditation. 40 minutes.
4. Short break
5. Short video by Venerable Master Sheng Yen
6. Dharma discussion

One-day Retreats

One-day retreats are held every second month at the Hornsby Meditation Centre on the 4th Sunday of every 2nd month.

The purpose of a one-day retreat is to help practitioners deepen their practice.  They also serve as stepping stones to the 3-day and 7-day retreats.

Each retreat starts at 9 a.m. and continues until approximately 4 p.m.   There is no set formula but each retreat will have some combination of the following practices:

1. 8-form moving meditation
2. Sitting meditation
3. Walking meditation
4. Chanting
5. Tea mediation
6. Eating meditation

Noble Silence (no talking) is observed during the retreat.

A sharing session will follow the conclusion of the formal program.

Please see the list of upcoming activities for the next one-day retreat.

3-day and 7-day Retreats

Longer retreats are held once or twice a year.  These retreats are led by monastic teachers (monks or nuns) from DDM Taiwan, the spiritual home of DDM Australia.

These retreats, particularly those of 7-days duration, offer practitioners the opportunity to experience the most profound depth of Chan meditation.  All serious practioners should aim to attend at least one longer retreat per year.

If you are interested in attending, please talk to the more experienced members of the group.  They will help you prepare for and understand the purpose of these retreats.  Master Sheng-yen has written many excellent books on this subject.

Notification of Activities

Please see the contact page if you would like to be notified, either by email or facebook, of upcoming events.

Upcoming Activities

Please see the home page for the schedule of upcoming activities.