DDMMBA “Fun” Chan Retreat
At Pu Xian Jiang Tang on January 22, there was a full day “Fun” Chan Retreat. I went along with my ‘mom. Over 36 people attended this retreat. This was my first full-day meditation. The mood was very peaceful and quiet. I felt very relaxed there and didn’t feel stressed. In the morning, we did sitting meditation. In the afternoon, though, we did many different moving meditations. That was my favorite part of the day. I had a lot of fun doing the many different “exercises”. The “exercises” consisted of “natural” walking, 10:10 walking, and “Jinjiduli” walking.
During the “natural” walking phase, we walked in any style we wanted to. People could walk backwards, sideways, or bow-legged. We were even encouraged to walk upside-down, if possible! To do 10:10 walking, we had to imagine our arms were the hands of a clock. We held up our arms in the relative position the hour and minute hand would be if the time was 10:10. Jinjiduli walking was probably the most interesting of the exercises I have done. To walk Jinjiduli-style, one must lift his or her leg and the arm opposite to the leg. One will also have to twist his or her head so that he/she is looking over the shoulder of the raised arm. This stance is called Jinjiduli. To walk, one must bring down the raised leg and repeat the stance on the other leg. This was undoubtedly the most interesting exercise of them all.
Also, there is a separated place—the library close by where people can ask Fashi’s help about the sitting posture, stretching, or individual question etc.. After the walking meditation, we went back to sitting meditation, evening service and experiences sharing.
All in all, Fashi’s teaching helps a lot. It was an amazing experience and I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested. It not only relaxed your body and mind, but also brought fun! No matter you are experienced or new!
Written by Alex Yin