This has been a noteworthy year at Dharma Drum Retreat Center. Since we lost our Shifu in February, one might expect an atmosphere of desolation and loss. Instead, we are enjoying one of the most vibrant periods in the history of the place. More than one person has remarked on it. It is as if, having left the body, Shifu's Dharma spirit is manifesting itself in the heirs and students he left behind. Even the greenery up at Shawangunk was spectacularly lush, and the weather especially sweet, this year. But that of course may only be the vagaries of global warming.
I overheard a conversation between a visitor to DDRC and a long-time Dharma Drum practitioner. The visitor was commenting on the air of stability and equanimity she observed at the center, which she found surprising in view of our recent loss. The old-timer responded, "Well, you know, our Shifu didn't raise no fools!" This is true. He prepared us very well for his passing. Although we all love him dearly and wished never to lose him, he grounded us in the understanding that the heart and wellspring of our community is the Dharma itself, which he embodied so perfectly.
With Shifu's passing, each of his Dharma Heirs has had to reflect on their responsibility to carry his legacy forward. Judging from what we've heard at the retreats this year, the Dharma Heirs are equal to the challenge. One suspects that, in reflecting on their new responsibility, they have re-examined for themselves the fundamental principles. The Dharma Talks this year have been exceptionally clear and precise in presenting the core of the teachings. More than one participant has commented that these talks are good enough to publish as books.
The retreat center itself seems to be ripening into its full potential. From the time it was purchased a little over a decade ago, the retreats were always well-attended, with often more than a hundred people filling the Chan Hall. However, only a small percentage of those attendees were Westerners, and this was a source of concern for Shifu. He had come to America, after all, to bring the Dharma to Westerners, and he had many conversations with his senior students about how the percentage of western attendance might be increased.
In 2005, for the first time, Shifu's health condition would not allow him to fly to New York to lead the winter retreat, as he had done every year since the center had been purchased. When this announcement was made, nearly half the people who had registered for the retreat cancelled. There followed a sort of dwindling time for the center. Although major retreats continued to be offered with very qualified leaders, the numbers in attendance were nothing like they had been. With Shifu confined to Taiwan, there was no permanent monastic presence at the center. At times the entire place was deserted except for the caretaker. It could seem quite desolate. One wondered whether the place would continue after Shifu was gone.
One needn't have worried, however. Even before Shifu's passing the center had begun to regain its vitality. A new set of monastics were sent from Taiwan to take up year-round residence, supported by a full-time staff. This constant presence has nurtured the Thursday Night Sitting Group and Sunday Service into a healthy community of regular local practitioners, some of whom have gone on to attend retreats. New types of retreats have been developed to supplement the traditional intensive retreats. Jimmy Yu (Guogu) designed the Beginner's Mind retreat for people with no meditation experience. John Crook and Simon Child introduced the Western Zen retreats, designed for the individualistic and over-analytical western mind. There are "Introductory" retreats of varying lengths, providing basic instruction and preparing practitioners for the more advanced intensive retreats.
On the recent Koan Retreat, John Crook had this to say:
'Here at Pine Bush you are extraordinarily fortunate, because actually, there are at least four kinds of retreats going on here which you can select from. There are of course the fundamental retreats, presumably virtually the same as Shifu taught them. Then you could work also with Chi Chern Fashi, whose emphasis is very, very much upon calming the mind; very, very calm until you reach a kind of clear one-pointed state and only then do you allow the hua-t'ou to drop in, if I've understood his approach correctly. Then you have Guo Ru Fashi who is picking up a quite ancient way, rather a "rough" way, of doing retreats. Rather like old Matsu actually used to do. This is a pretty rough retreat and obviously only for those for whom that is suitable. It may not be for everybody. I'm not sure how far Westerners will take to it, but there it is. It's certainly an entirely valid approach. Then of course you have the retreat, which Simon and I from the Western Chan Fellowship, offer here in its two forms, the Western Zen Retreat and this one which you're on now [the Koan Retreat]. So you are very fortunate in Pine Bush. I don't think there are many places that offer such a variety of intensive retreats. Looking at the programs of a number of other centers, what Simon and I have noticed was that there are one or two other obviously very good intensive retreats offered, but most of the programs had bits and pieces of yoga and other elements added so that they were more of a workshop than a retreat.. Good stuff but not really intensive Dharma at all.'
In addition to the teachers already named, retreats are also being led by Guo Xing Fashi, Zarko Andricevic, and Gilbert Gutierrez. Some of these teachers are leading both Huatou and Silent Illumination retreats. Each offers his own unique set of personal experiences and manner of teaching. So there is a wide range of "flavours" for practitioners to sample and discover which one resonates for them.
The different styles of retreat allow for a coherent progression from beginner to advanced practice. We're seeing people come for the Beginner's Mind retreat, and return for the Western Zen retreat, and then go on to attend the intensive retreats. The variety of styles can enrich the training of long-time practitioners as well. In my personal experience, after years of training in the traditional style retreats, I derived great benefit from the Western Zen and Koan retreats. The Western-style communication exercises and personal koan investigation led to insights that resolved long-standing personal issues. This cleared my mind of a tremendous amount of clutter, which in turn allowed me to benefit more fully from the traditional style retreats.
Another comment from John Crook: "Of course our great loss in the last few months has been the loss of our Shifu. This has been a great tragedy for us. But tragedy is not quite the right word, because it also has to be an inspiration. All of us, whether we are beginners or whether we are advanced practitioners, need to take up where Shifu left off and press forward with the extraordinarily clear perception and understanding of the Dharma which Shifu gave us. [...] We have our work to do, and we have to press forward."
Retreat attendance is steadily increasing. There are many newcomers, the majority of them Westerners, who have been attracted by Shifu's TV program or ads in the major Buddhist magazines or by our website. Many of these people have never met Shifu, but are energized by their retreat experience and come back for more. I see them all as they arrive for their retreats. I watch them settle as the days pass. They move ever more gently and their faces begin to shine. I hear their Sharing Talks at the end of the retreats. Each one goes away changed for the better. The Dharma is flourishing here. What Shifu set in motion is healthy and strong, and continues to grow.
