With Guo Gu
Dates: September 25 - 28
Registration Deadline: September 19
Suitability
This retreat is suitable for both new and experienced practitioners. Participation is open to all (both FCM members and non-members).
Description
“The Supreme Way is not difficult,
if only you do not pick and choose.”
So begins Faith in Mind 信心銘 (xinxin ming), a seminal poem in the Chan tradition traditionally attributed to the Third Patriarch, Sengcan. This succinct and evocative text presents a complete view of the Chan path—one that points beyond dualities, conceptual frameworks, and goal-oriented striving.
In this four-day retreat, Chan teacher Guo Gu will offer teachings grounded in both textual study and intensive sitting meditation. The retreat will provide a structured space to reflect on the key principles embedded in the poem and explore their relevance in one’s own embodied practice. Guo Gu’s commentary will not emphasize historical or philosophical interpretation but will highlight the poem’s pragmatic orientation toward the realization of non-discriminating mind.
The verses of Faith in Mind address the fundamental obstacles in practice: attachment to views, clinging to states of stillness, and the subtle operations of preference and aversion. Through periods of seated meditation, Dharma talks, and integrated reflection, participants will investigate what it means to rest in the immediacy of mind itself, free from grasping or rejection. Suitable for both new and experienced practitioners, this retreat offers an opportunity to encounter Faith in Mind not as doctrine, but as living instruction in the path of buddhadharma.
Retreat Leader
Guo Gu (Dr. Jimmy Yu) is the founder of the Tallahassee Chan Center, the founder of the socially engaged intra-denominational Buddhist organization, Dharma Relief, and a professor of Buddhism and East Asian religions at Florida State University. He studied under the late Master Sheng Yen for over 30 years, nine of which as his attendant monk and most senior and closest disciple. He is the author of The Essence of Chan (2012), Passing Through the Gateless Barrier (2016), and Silent Illumination(2021).
Fees
The fee for online participation is $105. Please make your full payment no later than September 19.
Retreat Scholarships are available; please click here to see FCM’s Retreat Scholarship Policy and for an Application, which needs to be submitted prior to the registration deadline for this retreat.
Retreat Logistics
The retreat will offer both in-person participation at FCM ’s Tampa Center and online participation. THIS REGISTRATION PAGE IS FOR ONLINE PARTICIPATION ONLY. Please visit the In-Person Retreat page if you wish to attend in person.
The retreat will begin with the opening session at 7:00 pm on Thursday, September 25. The retreat will end with at noon on Sunday, September 28. Participation is open to all (both FCM members and non-members).
Please note:
- The deadline for registration for this retreat is September 19.
- Please click here to read FCM's Retreat Cancellation Policy.
- The retreat registrar will be sending additional information to accepted registrants once registration is closed.
- New to retreating with FCM? Please visit our FAQs page. If you are not familiar with our campus, you may enjoy this short video tour.
The teachings are offered in the Buddhist tradition of Dana, wherein the teacher freely gives of themselves to the students out of gratitude for what they’ve received from their teachers and a desire to be of service. The student’s response is also based on Dana, i.e. generosity that naturally flows from a sense of appreciation of the value of Dharma and gratitude to the living lineage. All retreat dana will go towards supporting the retreat teacher.
Questions?
Please contact Rita at ritaanna727@gmail.com for any logistical questions.
