Intensive 7-Day Chan Retreat Led by Gilbert Gutierrez, a Dharma Heir of Venerable Chan Master Sheng Yen
05/04/2025 @ 18:00 - 12/04/2025 @ 11:00 CEST
In this 7-day retreat we follow the traditional Chan monastery schedule, starting early in the morning and making the most efficient use of time in concentrated group practice. The retreat will begin on April 5 with an evening meal at 6 pm, followed by a Dharma talk by Gilbert Gutierrez and will end before lunch on April 12. The retreat is held in silence. The day begins at 5:00 am, and ends at 10:00 pm consisting of a number of 30- or 40-minutes meditation periods, including walking meditation and Yoga exercises. Dharma lectures will be given daily and participants will have the opportunity for personal interviews with the teacher. The retreat will be conducted in English.
The prerequisite for acceptance to the retreat is at least 6 months of experience in Buddhist meditation practice. Meditation cushions and mats are on site. Please wear comfortable and decent clothes.
Venue: Haus Tao, CH-9427 Wolfhalden (see here) The meditation center Haus Tao is located in the most northeastern corner of the Appenzellerland, at only 500 m above sea level. 20 minutes by car or 30 minutes by train from St. Gallen, between Rorschach and St. Margrethen, near the Austrian border.
Retreat-Teacher
Gilbert Gutierrez is one of five lay Dharma heirs of Venerable Chan Master Sheng Yen and the only one to teach in North America. Gilbert teaches in a very casual and accessible yet deep manner, drawing on every-day life situations as well as on the works of great masters.
Gilbert Gutierrez is an attorney practicing in Riverside, California. Gilbert’s meditative practice began more than twenty-five (25) years ago. He studied various forms of meditation, martial arts and Chi Gong yet states that nothing that he has studied comes close to matching the simplicity and the beauty of the practice of Chan.
He lectures regularly at the Los Angeles DDMBA chapter and with his own Riverside Chan Meditation Group (www.riversidechan.org). He also leads retreats in the US, Canada, Europe and Taiwan.
Retreat assistants are practitioners of Chan Bern.
Meister Sheng Yen (1930-2009) was one of the greatest contemporary Buddhist Chan Masters. He established the Dharma Drum lineage in the tradition of Chinese Humanistic Buddhism. The training of monks and nuns was one of his major concerns, as well as practicing socially engaged Buddhism and inter-religious dialogue. The lineage of Master Sheng Yen unites Caodong (Jap. Soto) and Linji (Jap. Rinzai).
Haus Tao
The Meditation Centre Haus Tao is a Buddhist practice and study centre of the Sati-Zen Community, whose main interest lies in the combination of Vipassana und Zen.
The calm and the natural beauty of the house and the environment are ideal for the practice of the meditative way. Centre Haus Tao is under the direction of Zen-Master Marcel Geisser, who bought the house in 1986. Today it belongs to the Foundation for Mindful Living. Haus Tao has the capacity to accommodate up to 19 participants during retreats. For more information, visit www.haustao.ch.
Retreat Fee Retreat fee
7 Days CHF 690, Sponsor: CHF 790 including vegetarian meals, lodging in with one, two or three beds and Dana. Participants with limited financial resources may apply for a discount on the participation fee. The retreat fee is to be transferred by March 24, 2025 to:
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Verein Chan Bern.
IBAN CH97 0900 0000 6059 2636 0
BIC POFICHBEXXX
PostFinance AG
Mingerstr. 20
CH 3030 Bern
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With the bank transfer your participation is automatically accepted (if there are still places available).
Application
The application form and the retreat fee should be sent by March 24, 2025 to: info@chan-bern.ch
Or register directly here online: