Showing posts with label Zen Master Guo Ru (果如法师). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zen Master Guo Ru (果如法师). Show all posts

 


I recommend this monastery's retreats in Taipei (outskirts of Taipei in a forested area, close to the foot of Yangmingshan volcano) for those who can understand Chinese. I visited and attended in Taipei earlier this year. It's rare to have realized teachers able to guide you one on one (usually they have too many students and are very busy) and without needing to pay a huge sum of money.
You can check their schedule from their website: http://www.changrove.org/
Ven Guo Ru is one of Ch'an Master Sheng Yen's twelve successors.
[22/3/24, 9:20:04 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Btw he is the first among sheng yen list of 12 successors:
[21/3/24, 2:08:02 PM] Soh Wei Yu: https://youtu.be/f8y0QKXZGHs?si=o26rUnamdVvBwCgC
[21/3/24, 2:08:20 PM] Soh Wei Yu: First thirty minutes talk about anatta, emptiness, hinayana vs mahayana vs brahman
[22/3/24, 8:04:55 AM] John Tan: 👍
[22/3/24, 8:09:47 AM] John Tan: 👍
[22/3/24, 8:30:46 AM] John Tan: Yes quite good.
[24/3/24, 12:02:51 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Ven guo ru retreat quite good.. for him zen is revealing the marvellous true mind and practice with that in everyday life not just meditation. The teachings emphasize emptiness of all phenomena but also about revealing marvellous mind. The method is meditation is sort of methodless method of actualizing the true mind every moment but he says it’s important we do 早晚课 (like daily meditation and chanting), he say the methodless method is most difficult
He also teach can hua tou like “what is this?” The meditation is sitting insterspersed with standing meditation and they have walking and even running meditation.. they have many other movements and stretching and exercises also
He got one disciple i think a nun who is like his successor and probably had some realisation also thats guiding there.. she would like shout self enquiry questions from time to time. Like someone sleepy she would shout “在昏沉的是谁?” (Who is being sleepy?) what is the self nature 自性 of sleepiness? 能走路的是谁? (Who is it that was able to walk?) and something like 能觉察 (that which is able to be aware of) movement of legs 的清明心是什么 (what is that Clear Mind)? etc. she shouts with some fierceness lol ‎<This message was edited>
[24/3/24, 12:02:56 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Reminds me of my self enquiry days lol
[24/3/24, 12:03:58 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Ven guo ru did initial talk and concluding talk and q n a. Everything is very methodical even their eating and lunch.. got a lot of things and behaviour to follow and must be mindful every moment. And silence is observed ‎<This message was edited>
[24/3/24, 12:04:12 AM] Soh Wei Yu: And we all spent an hour sweeping floor and trimming weeds lol
[24/3/24, 12:05:44 AM] Soh Wei Yu: I think they have a lot of movement and exercises unlike those skewed to sitting like goenka.. i feel healthier and less prone to energy imbalance
He say next week he will give a talk on zen sickness
[24/3/24, 12:07:59 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Theres more than 30+, some of his students went china now to visit hui neng temple so usually might have more. Also got one white guy there.. i heard he attained kensho. His chinese was not so good, interesting he was able to benefit that way
[24/3/24, 12:26:05 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Marvellous mind he calls 妙净明心
[24/3/24, 12:33:00 AM] John Tan: Very good👍
[24/3/24, 12:34:24 AM] John Tan: Yes very good.
[24/3/24, 9:03:44 AM] John Tan: 明心还需见空性,明空性也需证妙心。(Soh: [after] apprehending Mind, one must still realise Emptiness, after understanding Empty nature, one still needs to realize marvellous Mind)    
[24/3/24, 9:56:46 AM] John Tan: Also natural state can also be approached from mature knowledge of effortlessness and non-doership nature of luminous clarity side or from thorough knowledge of the conventional which is freedom from all extremes and elaborations (emptiness).
[24/3/24, 6:25:31 PM] John Tan: How much u pay?
[24/3/24, 6:25:55 PM] John Tan: And u don't go everywhere talking about ur blog🤦
[24/3/24, 6:26:32 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Lol
[24/3/24, 6:27:22 PM] Soh Wei Yu: I think the recommended donation is like 500twd a day and its like up to you. I just gave 2000twd a day to support them more
[24/3/24, 6:27:46 PM] Soh Wei Yu: 500twd is like 21sgd
[24/3/24, 6:29:17 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Theres a lot of monks and nuns at the temple.. maybe like 10 ‎<This message was edited>
[24/3/24, 6:29:25 PM] Soh Wei Yu: And not so many students as far as i can tell
[24/3/24, 6:32:10 PM] John Tan: 10 is not a lot but 10 with clarity of insights is good.

Recently I visited Zen Master Guo Ru Fa Shi 果如法师's monastery (祖師禪林Chan Grove) in Tai Pei, he is the dharma successor of Ven Sheng Yen, and he learned from both Ven Sheng Yen and Ven Dong Chu. 

I looked through his books his shelves (many seem to not be available on bookstores, but this one is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/%E7%A6%AA%E7%9A%84%E7%9F%A5%E8%A6%8B-%E7%82%BA%E5%8F%83%E8%A9%B1%E9%A0%AD%E5%81%9A%E6%BA%96%E5%82%99-%E7%B2%BE%E8%8F%AF%E7%89%88-Traditional-Chinese-ebook/dp/B09158YFMJ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2U80U6SHUPQP9&keywords=%E6%9E%9C%E5%A6%82&qid=1699162147&sprefix=%E6%9E%9C%E5%A6%82%E6%B3%95%E5%B8%88%2Caps%2C277&sr=8-3 , but there are really fabulous excerpts in his other books available only in his monastery, you will have to visit the monastery and get the books from there (by donation basis and amount is up to you))



His realisation is deep into anatman, dependent origination and emptiness. I would say his depth of realization is similar to Hui Lu Fa Shi and Hong Wen Liang.


Taiwan is blessed with deeply realised masters throughout the island.

Guo Ru Fa Shi 果如法师 in Taipei, Hong Wen Liang 洪文亮 in Taichung, and Hui Lu Fa Shi 慧律法师 in Kaohsiung.


Chinese speakers should try to learn from them and attend some of their retreats if possible. Another one is Zen Master Chi Chern 繼程法師  who lives in Malaysia, who also has deep realisation.


最近我参观了位于台北的果如法师的寺院(祖師禪林Chan Grove),他是圣严法师的法脉继承者,曾经跟圣严法师和东初法师学习。

在他的书架上,我发现了许多书籍,有些在外面的书店似乎难以找到。果如法师目前只有一本可以在亚马逊找到 (https://www.amazon.com/%E7%A6%AA%E7%9A%84%E7%9F%A5%E8%A6%8B-%E7%82%BA%E5%8F%83%E8%A9%B1%E9%A0%AD%E5%81%9A%E6%BA%96%E5%82%99-%E7%B2%BE%E8%8F%AF%E7%89%88-Traditional-Chinese-ebook/dp/B09158YFMJ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2U80U6SHUPQP9&keywords=%E6%9E%9C%E5%A6%82&qid=1699162147&sprefix=%E6%9E%9C%E5%A6%82%E6%B3%95%E5%B8%88%2Caps%2C277&sr=8-3 ),但是在他的寺院里,我还发现了其他书籍中的一些精彩内容,这些只能在那里才能找到。

他对无我、缘起和空性的证悟极为深邃。我认为他的悟性深度与慧律法师和洪文亮相似。

台湾人很有幸:全岛遍布了诸多如此深刻悟性的大师。

在台北的果如法师、台中的洪文亮,以及高雄的慧律法师,都是值得尊敬的师资。

如果有机会,讲中文的朋友们应该向他们学习,并尽可能参加他们主办的静修。马来西亚的继程法师同样是位具有深刻悟性的禅师。