WoodenFish Organization Student Spring Break II
C&C Meditation—The Theories and Practice of Calming and Contemplation Meditation
Retreat description: The Woodenfish Foundation is pleased to announce our first annual Intensive Spring Break Retreat. This is a great opportunity for you to deepen your meditation practice as well as learn more about the historical and theoretical foundation of your practice. Drawing on the Chinese Buddhist tradition of Tiantai, the retreat will have a dual focus on theory and practice with daily lectures and dharma talks.
Participants: 50 people (16 years old above).
Application: Required. First come first serve, rolling selection.
Curriculum: C&C Meditation
The instructions during the retreat will be based on the teachings of meditation by the great Chinese meditation master Tiantai Zhiyi (539-597). Zhiyi laid out the most comprehensive system of meditation in medieval China, focused on the term zhiguan (Calming and Contemplation, abbr. C&C). Predating the more famous Chan (Zen) school, Zhiyi wrote a number of great systematic treatises on meditation.
Number of participants: 30-50
COST
Room and board: $500; Price for shared room, meals and teaching all inclusive.
The discounted price of $250 is available for students and Woodenfish alumni.
Dāna (generosity): In accordance with traditional Buddhist practice, the dharma (teachings) are given free of charge. Participants are however encouraged to practice the bodhisattva virtue of generosity and make a donation to the Woodenfish Foundation.
Schedule
The schedule will be organized around meditation practice. In addition it will be academic-style lectures in the morning and dharma talk in the afternoon. The retreat will be in a semi-silent form. This means that we keep the noble silence during the period from after dinner until after breakfast the following day.
C&C Meditation—The Theories and Practice of Calming and Contemplation Meditation
| March 22th | 12 pm -5 pm Arrival & Registration
5:30-6:00pm Medicine meal 6:30-8:00pm Orientation 8:15-9:00pm Introduction to C&C meditation |
| March 23th – 26th | Daily schedule
5.45 wakeup call 6.15-6.40 moving meditation 6.40-6.50 meditation 7.00-7.30 breakfast 7.30-8.00 break 8.00-9.15 meditation and walking meditation 9.15-9.30 break 9.30-11.00 “C&C Meditation in theory and practice” with Guttorm 11.00-11.30 break 11.30-12.00 lunch 12.00-14.00 break, optional meditation, optional “office hour” discussion with Guttorm 14.00-17.00 Meditation, tea time and C&C Dharma talk with Yifa 17.00 Evening service 17.30 Dinner 17.30-18.30 Break 18.30-21.00 Meditation and walking. Optional prostration 21.30 Lights out |
| March 27th | 5.45 wakeup call
6.15-6.40 moving meditation 6.40-6.50 meditation 7.00-7.30 breakfast 7.30-8.00 break 8.00-9.15 meditation and walking meditation 9.15-9.30 break 9:30-11:00 Conclusion 11.30-12.00 lunch 12pm— Departure (Schedule subject to change depends on participants’ progress) |
TEACHERS
Venerable Dr. Yifa is the founder of the Woodenfish Foundation and has been engaged in teaching Chinese Buddhism in the US, China and Taiwan for over two decades. In Yifa started the Humanistic Buddhist Monastic Life Program (HBMLP) at Foguang Shan in 2002, and brought the program to other temples throughout China beginning in 2009. HBMLP has allowed over 1,000 students and young people to experience the spiritual life of a Buddhist monastery. Yifa became a nun at Foguang Shan Monastery in Taiwan in 1979. She received a law degree from National Taiwan University, a MA in comparative philosophy from University of Hawaii and a Ph.D. in religious studies from Yale University in 1996. She has been granted numerous awards including “the Ten Outstanding Young Persons” in Taiwan in 1997, “Outstanding Women in Buddhism Award” in 2003 bestowed by the UN in Bangkok, and “Juliet Hollister Award” in 2006, for her contribution to the Peace and Interfaith Education.
Guttorm Norberg Gundersen is a Ph.D. student in Chinese Buddhism at Harvard University and a long-time teacher with the Woodenfish Foundation. Born and raised in Norway to Buddhist parents he was a student in Woodenfish HBMLP in 2013. Since then he has worked closely with Venerable Yifa and the rest of the Woodenfish team on numerous projects in China and the US. Before coming to Harvard he wrote his MA thesis at the University of Oslo on Tiantai meditation.
Woodenfish foundation
Woodenfish Foundation is an international, non-sectarian, non-governmental organization, and a registered 501(c)(3) in the state of California. Woodenfish Foundation aims to establish a global network of ethical and compassionate professionals, scholars, and leaders. Woodenfish cultivates ongoing exploration of one’s inner life, and inspires meaningful engagement with the pressing global issues of modern times.