Tallahassee Chan Group

Special Events

Guo Gu is leading a "Pure Land on Earth Pilgrimage" tour to Dharma Drum Mountain in Taiwan from May 17 to May 28, 2012.

The pilgrimage is both a unique practice opportunity and a vacation. It is a practice opportunity because we are in good company with other bodhisattvas from the US and Europe and together we will participate in a 5-day intensive Chan retreat (in English) under the guidance of Ven. Guo Yuan at the Chan Hall of DDM. It is a vacation because we temporarily remove ourselves from our daily concerns, worries, and entanglements. We remove ourselves from what we normally think of as samsara to return to the DDM Pure Land, our home.

We will stay at some of the local DDM monasteries in the Taipei area. We will also visit Taipei’s important cultural and scenic sites so that we can experience the beauty of Taiwan and its people.

Registration deadline was Sunday, January 29, 2012. For more infomation, please click here. For the registration form, please click here. Partial sholarship is available.

Special 2012 Florida Buddhism Summer Camp: From Fri., 6/15 to Sun., 6/17, Guo Gu will be in Orlando Giving several talks both in Chinese and English at an annual "Florida Buddhism Camp." Guo Gu will be among many teachers at this event. There are classes for both adults and kids, and in Chinese and English. Please click on the link for this flyer and this application form for more information. The contact person is Ms. Chih Ho in Orlando: chihho2004@yahoo.com. More information will be posted soon.

Past Events

On Sunday, March 18th, 2012, from 11am-4pm TCG held its first picnic. About a dozen people came on that relaxing day. We ate, played a couple outdoor games, and did a mile walk on a nature trail. Guo Gu also led a period of outdoor "direct contemplation" exercise, a meditation on nature, around 2pm. Everyone enjoyed the day and TCG plans to hold a picnic every year.
On Saturday, March 10th, 2012, from 9-12 noon the Tallahassee Buddhist Community practitioners came together for an annual "Cleaning Day" event. We would like to thank all those who came by and offered their time and energy in making the center the best it can be!
On Monday, March 5th, 2012, from 7:30-9:30pm, Guo Gu gave a special talk on the history, misconceptions, development, and practice of silent illumination. The talk clarified the uniqueness of this practice in the context of the Chan and Zen traditions. It also provided ways to enter into the practice. A link to the mp3 file of this talk is available here.
On Monday, February 20th, from 8-9pm, we held a book give-a-way social gathering event at TBC honoring the third year death memorial for Master Sheng Yen. We also view a short film clip of his teachings. Sitting will be from 7-8pm.
On Friday, February 3rd, from 4-6pm through Sunday, February 5th, 5pm, we held an intensive memorial Chan retreat at TBC honoring the late Master Sheng Yen.
On Saturday, January 14th, 2012, from 2-4pm, Guo Gu offered a meditation workshop on the Florida State University campus at the invitation of the FSU Buddhist Student Association and the Center for Global Engagement. Over twenty people came to the workshop. All of which enjoyed it and expressed interest to pursuing the practice of meditation.
On Saturday, December 10th, 2011, from 3-6pm, Ms. Junko Nishida (Haiku name: Umejo) of Gyokusen-en Tea Garden in Kanazawa, Japan hosted a "haiku party." A haiku is a short Japanese poem inspired by Zen practice and realization. Haiku began in the 17th century but its roots can be dated back to the 14th-16th centuries. Haiku is still practiced today in Japan and around the world. For more information, please click here.
On Sunday, December 4th, 2011, from 6-9pm, Ms. Junko Nishida (Tea Master Name: Sōjun) of Gyokusen-en Tea Garden in Kanazawa, Japan performed a Japanese Tea Ceremony. For more infomation, please click here.
On Friday, November 18th, 2011, from 7-9:30pm, Guo Gu gave a special workshop called "Learning Buddhadharma through Translation" at the DDMBA San Francisco Branch. In the evening of the 19th, Guo Gu gave a talk on "Chan Path to Freedom."
We have introduced chanting as a meditation practice to members of our group. The chanting liturgy includes the Heart Sutra, the Four Great Vows, the Three Refuges, and other short tracts both in English and Chinese. Guo Gu gave two classes on chanting, which cover the purpose and methods of chanting, as well as the use of instruments in chanting. MP3 files of these classes are on the Audio Files page. Chanting practice is now scheduled the second Monday of each month, from 6:50 to 7:25pm.
From Friday Oct. 14 to Sunday Oct. 16, 2011, Guo Gu went to Chicago to give a public talk and lead a one-day retreat on huatou or "critical phrase" contemplation method of Chan. For a flyer of these events, please go to the Events/Retreats page for more details.
For upcoming activities and Guo Gu's activities elsewhere, please check "Retreats" under the Events page.