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It is with sadness that we announce the death of Ken Jones at his home in Aberystwyth on Sunday August 2nd 2015

Ken was a superb teacher and a good friend to many of us. He was a founder member of the WCF and supported Chan Master John Crook in establishing the WCF in its early years. Ken led many retreats at the Maenllwyd. His main focus for teaching was to bring the practice of Zen into…

Simon Child and Fiona Nuttall attended the International Western Dharma Teachers Gathering at Omega Institute, Rhinebeck NY, USA, June 1-5 2015. This was a 4-year follow-up to a similar meeting at Garrison NY in 2011.

Nearly 200 teachers attended, with many traditions represented. The majority of those attending were American, but there were 33 teachers from 9 European countries and also some…

Simon Child, Teacher of the Western Fellowship, attended the 3rd Dharma Drum Mountain Monastic and Followers conference in Taipei, Taiwan, June 27-28.

There were about 400 people attending, including most of the DDM sangha and students. There were presentations and discussion panels involving several of Chan Master Sheng Yen's Dharma heirs such as Chi Chern Fashi, Simon Child, Žarko Andricevic,…

Join us in a commitment for a period of connected and enhanced practice. We will undertake this in our daily lives, whether at home or in the workplace, with the silent support of knowing that we are not practising alone. We intend to raise the tempo of our practice for this period, increasing our capacity to be aware in our daily lives. A Mindfulness Bell will be rung at noon every day, when all…

Sat 15th March, by Ven Guo Yuan Fashi of DDM

Venerable Guo Yuan Fashi, Dharma Heir of Master Sheng Yen, the Director of the Chan Hall at Dharma Drum Mountain, will be visiting London and will give a talk at the London Buddhist Society on Saturday March 15th.

  • Place: Buddhist Society, 58 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1PH
  • Date: Saturday March 15th
  • Time: 1-5pm
  • Admission: donation at your discretion

He…

Join in our Connected Practice for Wesak 18-29 May 2013. Anyone who wishes to participate is invited join us in a commitment for a period of connected and enhanced practice. We will undertake this in our daily lives, whether at home or in the workplace, with the silent support of knowing that we are not practising alone. We intend to raise the tempo of our practice for the period around Wesak,…

Nine WCF members met up on Saturday 18th August to look at and discuss the Diamond Sutra at Jane and Martin Spray’s house in the Forest of Dean. We also looked at some of the commentaries on it that have been translated into English. The discussion was led by Jake Lyne, and continued outside in the garden after a break for lunch.

Later in the afternoon a short ceremony was held at the Pludds…

Three local spiritual groups met up on Sunday 1 July for a stroll in the countryside collecting litter. Eleven adults, one child and a puppy from two local Buddhist groups – Newbury Chan Group and the Fifth Precept Group and Newbury Quakers met up for an afternoon walk around Speen Moor with litter pickers and sacks.

Walk organiser and leader of Newbury Chan Group Susan Millington said: "As part…

Marian Partington spent 18 years writing her book, If You Sit Very Still. Drawing heavily on Buddhist practice, and particularly on her experiences during retreats at the Maenllwyd, Marian engages with the traumatic loss of her sister, Lucy, at the hands of Fred and Rosemary West. In the pages of the book, Marian charts her narrative of healing, and finds an authentic and compassionate response.…

On 28th January, Dr Simon Child Chuan-fa Jing-hong, Chan Master Sheng Yen's third Dharma Heir, was confirmed as the new Teacher of the Western Chan Fellowship. His appointment was unanimously approved by members of the Western Chan Fellowship at an Annual General Meeting. It was a poignant occasion since this was also the Western Chan Fellowship's third annual Memorial Day for Chan Master Sheng…

The recordings of the conference Western Buddhism: Engaged Buddhism? are now online for you to download if you wish.

Visit the audio page.

The photographs of the ashes ceremony for Chan Master John Crook are now available for viewing.

I am writing to you and all the other members of the Western Chan Fellowship following a joint meeting of the Executive Committee and WCF retreat leaders on the weekend of October 1st and 2nd.

As you probably know, for the first 49 days after John's death we observed a 'Bardo' period, borrowing from the Tibetan Tradition. Subsequently, we discovered that a 49 day period is also observed in the…

There are two events and the family very generously extended invitations to anyone who wishes to attend either or both events.

  • A Buddhist funeral service was held on Friday 29th July 2011 at Weston-super-Mare Crematorium, Ebdon Rd, BS22 9NY and afterwards at his home near Shipham in Somerset.
  • A memorial service will be held at Maenllwyd, Pant-y-dwr in Wales on Saturday 10th September 2011 at 12.00…

Two messages have been received from Abbot President of Dharma Drum Mountain, Ven Guo Dong Fashi, an obituary and an in memoriam

Visit the Obituaries and Condolences page for John Crook