Upon the completion of our pilgrimage to Sri Lanka, the Seven-Day Chan Meditation Retreat for Chinese New Year 2024 was held in Singapore from February 25 to March 2, 2024. This is our first time holding the retreat in Singapore.
There were about 100 participants signed in. Following our tradition, the retreat consisted of daily 7-session sitting meditation and 5-session walking meditation, and 1-session of 2-hour long lecture on "Essential Dharma of Mind Transmission by Chan Master Huangbo" every two days given by our Dharma teacher. The retreat was a great success, and we dedicate the merit gained from it to a peaceful world and the flourishing of Buddhaharma.
Prior to the formal initiation ritual of the Retreat, our dharma teacher and meditation mentor was engaging in conversations with participants of the event.
The head of monitoring team was handing out monitoring bats. These monitor walked around in the meditation hall to check if someone was falling asleep or broke the rules.
In the center of the frame, a man holding a red board with the two Chinese characters "起七" signified the beginning of the retreat.
Our Dharma teacher and meditation mentor delivers a brief speech as an auspicious prayer to the Three Jewels, signifying the start of the retreat.
During the initiation ritual, a running meditation session comes right before the short meditation session.
