Events

Dear friends, The Tallahassee Chan Center is hosting the 2020 Vesak (Buddha's Birthday) celebration this Saturday, May 9, 11am EDT. There will be a dharma talk by Guo Gu, followed by chanting, storytelling, poetry sharing, and dharma social. We look forward to seeing you! Please RSVP with your email above to receive a Zoom link. Be well, Guo Gu

Schedule: 20 min. Dharma Talk by Guo Gu 20 min. Chanting (link to the Liturgy is here: 

https://tallahasseechan.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Vesak-Celebration.pdf

) 20 min. Bathing the Baby Buddha 20 min. Dharma Sharing 05 min. Merit Transfer 20 min. Zoom Social

Tallahassee Chan Center: Vesak (Buddha's Birthday) 2020

This Online Chan retreat aims to deepen your practice. This retreat includes 30-minute sitting meditation periods, and will end with a Dharma Talk by Guo Gu with an opportunity for Q&A. The one-day retreat is open to all.

A donation to the center of $35 is suggested. No one will be turned away due to inability to pay. Email tallahassee.chan@gmail.com to register and receive the link if the registration fee is prohibitive from attending.

If you find this retreat beneficial, please consider giving a thank you via a donation to our teacher to the teacher's personal PayPal at: 

For the schedule and other information, please see: 

https://tallahasseechan.org/1-day-online-chan-retreat/

1 Day Online Chan Retreat

This event is FREE - we ask for a sliding scale donation to cover some simple upfront costs. If you cannot make any donation, please email us at tallahassee.chan@gmail.com for the Zoom link.

Relax: Buddhist Based Stress Reduction for Young Adults

Chris Kunkle: Memorial Service

The Tallahassee Chan Center is an ally organization for the 

 event (A National Buddhist Memorial Ceremony for Asian American Ancestors) on May 04.

As such, the Tallahassee Chan Center will do viewing together on Zoom. The Zoom link will open at 6:50PM EST. Guo Gu will make opening remarks for our sangha, and we will share the screen to watch the MayWeGather event together.

We hope you can join. The Zoom link for our viewing is at the registration page below.

MayWeGather: Tallahassee Chan Center Viewing

Dear friends, The Tallahassee Chan Center is hosting the 2021 Vesak (Buddha's Birthday) celebration this Sunday, May 30, 2pm EDT. There will be a dharma talk by Guo Gu, followed by chanting, storytelling, poetry sharing, and dharma social. We look forward to seeing you! Please RSVP with your email above to receive a Zoom link. Be well, Guo Gu.

20 min. Chanting (link to the Liturgy is here: 

Tallahassee Chan Center: Vesak (Buddha's Birthday) 2021

https://tallahasseechan.org/educational-series/

Starting on September 15, 2020, the Tallahassee Chan Center and the Social Justice and Innovation Lab at the 

Askew School of Public Administration and Policy (Florida State University)

 will inaugurate an online series of educational programs, focusing on racism from multiple perspectives: racial trauma, history of slavery, criminal justice discrimination, gender inequalities, health and education systems, and also aremplifying the agency of black literature, arts, healing, and transformation. These lectures are followed the next week for an online discussion group to help process, absorb, and ask questions about the lecture. More topics and dates will become available as more speakers are invited. You do not have to join each week, and we will use the same Zoom link each week. 

Engaging Racism: Conversations for Change Now Concluded

We will hold a funeral for Christopher Todd Cruikshank at the Tallahassee Chan Center on Saturday, October 23rd from 2pm-3pm.

Memorial Service: Christopher Todd Cruikshank

Join us on Monday or Tuesday evening for a precious meeting of distinguished Zen teacher, Fred Eppsteiner of the Florida Community of Mindfulness. He will visit Guo Gu and the Tallahassee Chan Center for an engaging period of discussion for two nights, Monday January 31 and Tuesday February 01. The talks will go from 7:30pm – 9:00pm ET and will have opportunities for audience Q&A. This event will be live at the Tallahassee Chan Center and streamed online through Zoom.

(Please know that teachers Chozen Bays Roshi and Hogen Bays Roshi of the Great Vow Zen Monastery needed to postpone due to the Omicron situation and will not be joining.)

 is a dharma teacher in the lineage of Thich Nhat Hanh. He practices in the Zen and Tibetan traditions but bases his teachings on the full breadth of Buddhist philosophy, psychology, and meditation. He has been a student of Buddhism and a practitioner of meditation for over fifty years and has devoted himself to teaching the Dharma (teachings of the Buddha) since 1996. Although Fred has practiced primarily in the Zen and Tibetan Buddhist lineages, he bases his teachings on the full breadth of Buddhist philosophical, psychological and meditative traditions. He is the founder of the 

 (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 was a monk for nine years and one of the late Master Sheng Yen’s senior and closest disciples. He is the author of 

On Tuesday, we will have a Chinese Lunar New Year Potluck at the center from 6:30pm - 7:30pm before the talk. All are welcome to join; if you would like to contribute a dish, please 

. Children are welcome! Fred and Guo Gu will give out gifts of lucky money in red envelopes to the children. This symbolizes the teachers bestowing happiness and blessings to them. After the potluck, Guo Gu will lead a brief Chan Chanting ceremony before the dharma talk.

Zen Marrow: Conversations Amongst Teachers. Fred Eppsteiner and Guo Gu.  01/31 + 02/01

Dharma Talk with Chozen Bays Roshi and Hogen Bays Roshi of the Great Vow Zen Monastery

Join us on Monday or Tuesday evening for a precious meeting of distinguished Zen and Chan teachers, online or in-person at the Tallahassee Chan Center. Chozen Bays Roshi and Hogen Bays Roshi of the Great Vow Zen Monastery will visit Guo Gu and the Tallahassee Chan Center for an engaging period of discussion for two nights, Monday April 18 and Tuesday April 19. The talks will go from 7:30pm – 9:00pm ET and will have opportunities for audience Q&A. In addition to joining in-person, this streams live on Zoom.

https://donorbox.org/zen-marrow-donations

 has been the teacher for Zen Community of Oregon. In 2002 she helped to found Great Vow Zen Monastery and is co-abbot. In 2011 she also helped found Heart of Wisdom Zen Temple in Portland, Oregon. She has written books on

, and written articles published in Buddhadharma and Shambhala Sun.

 began practicing Zen in 1968 with Philip Kapleau, Roshi doing residential training at Zen Center of Rochester and eventually at Zen Center of Los Angeles with Taizan Maezumi Roshi. He continued his Zen studies with Shodo Harada Roshi in Japan and on Whidbey Island from 1990 – 2015.

He’s a psychologist and Naturopathic Doctor (ND). He is co-abbot of Great Vow Zen Monastery.

Zen Marrow: Conversations Amongst Teachers. Chozen Bays Roshi, Hogen Bays Roshi and Guo Gu.  04/18 + 04/19

Lecture on "Chan Master Mazu: Life, Teachings, and Legacy” by Mario Poceski

​Join us on Monday evening for a meditation and lecture led by invited teacher, Mario Poceski, at the Tallahassee Chan Center (either online or in-person) on Monday April 25. 

The meditation and talk will go from 7:30pm – 9:00pm ET and will have opportunities for audience Q&A.

To show your appreciation for the speaker, you may donate at the following link: 

is a professor of Buddhist studies and Chinese religions at the University of Florida. He received a PhD in East Asian Languages and Cultures (specialization in Buddhist studies) from the University of California, Los Angeles (2000), and has spent extended periods as a visiting professor or fellow at Komazawa University (Japan), Stanford University, National University of Singapore, University of Hamburg (Germany), Fudan University (China), and University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany). He is a recipient of several prestigious fellowships, including Alexander von Humboldt and Fulbright-Hays. His numerous publications include 

Communities of Memory and Interpretation: Reimagining and Reinventing the Past in East Asian Buddhism

The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature

Companion to East and Inner Asian Buddhism 

Ordinary Mind as the Way: The Hongzhou School and the Growth of Chan Buddhism

 (Oxford 2007). Before entering graduate school, Poceski left his native Macedonia and spent twelve years as a Buddhist monk in Asia, Europe, and America.

Mario Poceski at the Tallahassee Chan Center

On Sunday June 5th from 2:00pm - 3:30pm Eastern, we are celebrating Vesak, the day of the Buddha’s birth, awakening, and parinirvana, which is traditionally observed during the month of May. For those of you in Tallahassee, please come to the Center for food, celebration, music, and Dharma talk. For those of you from afar, please join us through Zoom. Vesak is perhaps the most important Buddhist holiday for Buddhists of all traditions, a day that signifies the Buddha’s gift of wisdom and compassion to humanity.

—the cause of one’s suffering. Compassion is not 

—the source of others’ distress. The Buddha has laid out a path to wisdom and compassion through his personal example in the way he lived his life and related to others. Vesak is a reminder for us to embrace this teaching to bring forth our own wisdom and compassion, to help ourselves and heal the world.

The foundation of wisdom and compassion is selfless giving. This is illustrated in the Jataka Tales about the many former lives, of the Buddha, in which he gave away material wealth, his labor, his body and life, and his wisdom to help the wise and the ignorant, humans and nonhumans, the privileged and the destitute. He helped all beings. One could say it was his selfless giving that led to his buddhahood.

In Chan, to let go of the self is to offer the self. Whatever we cannot offer is inextricably tied to our grasping onto self-referencing. Thus, giving in Buddhism has always been a powerful way to perfect wisdom and compassion. When we have something, we think of the have nots; if we are privileged, we reflect on the deprived; if we have benefited from Buddhadharma, we offer it to those who need it.

All of us can practice wise giving, and there are many ways to do it. One way is through 

, which aims to make a positive change in the racialized landscape of Buddhism in America by supporting Black Dharma teachers so they can offer Buddhadharma to the communities they serve. Please consider making a generous donation to DR2 during the month of Vesak. This will be your way of honoring the Buddha and fostering your own wisdom and compassion.

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2:00pm - 2:10pm: Welcome and introduction by Guo Gu, the founder of the Tallahassee Chan Center

2:10 - 2:55pm: Flower Ceremony with Bathing the Baby Buddha

3:10 - 3:30pm: Musical Performance of the Guzheng and Shakuhachi Flute

Stay after for gifts, refreshments, a silent auction of hand-drawn calligraphy of Bodhidharma by Guo Gu, and a social!

Buddha's Birthday and Open House

Starting in July 2022, the Tallahassee Chan Center will hold a series of talks by some of Guo Gu’s assistant teachers and timekeepers. The talks will begin with a 30-minute guided meditation, and will be in-person at the Tallahassee Chan Center and streamed on Zoom. Learn more about our line-up of talks and speakers, below.

 “Socially Engaged Buddhist Practice for Equity”

Fran took refuge as a Buddhist in 1980 in Lexington, KY at a meditation center affiliated with Tibetan Rinpoche Choyam Trungpa, founder of Shambala Meditation. She began studying with Guo Gu in January 2010, after attending English meditation instructions and retreats at Dharma Drum Mountain Monastery in Taiwan. Fran took Bodhisattva Precepts in 2010. Fran is currently the President of the Board of Directors of the Tallahassee Chan Center, and has been teaching Beginning Meditation Workshops and other meditation classes since 2015. She has also taught Taiqi (Tai Chi) for 25 years. Fran has been married for 43 years and is a professor of public administration and policy at Florida State University.

Janette began studying with Guo Gu in 2011 and took refuge in 2012 at DDM Taiwan. In 2013 she took refuge in the Bodhisattva Precepts. She was asked by Guo Gu to teach the Beginners Meditation Workshop in 2014 and has been teaching most of the Center’s beginner classes and retreats. She has a daughter and has been married for 28 years. She has also been a long time practitioner of Taiqi (Tai Ch’i). Janette is the Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Tallahassee Chan Center and volunteers for most of the Center’s activities. She is a retired physics professor in Venezuela, and now works for the Department of Health.

“Recognizing Self to Cultivate Selflessness”

Dewaine began studying Buddhism in 1992 and started training with Guo Gu in 2009. In 2010 he trained as a timekeeper at Dharma Drum Retreat Center, and has been teaching the Beginners Meditation Workshop and other programs at the Tallahassee Chan Center since 2014. Dewaine took Bodhisattva Precepts in 2010. He is also a 2nd Degree Black Belt in both Tae kwon do and Pangai Noon Kung Fu. He is a father of three and has been married for 31 years. In his day time job, Dewaine is a self-employed contractor.

Sara started her Buddhist practice in 2014 as a college student. Later, she became heavily involved in volunteering for the Emory University Buddhist Club and other Buddhist organizations in the Atlanta area. She attended her first retreat at the Tallahassee Chan Center in 2018, and feeling motivated to help the center, Sara left her career as a public health informatics consultant to support Guo Gu and the Tallahassee Chan Center in 2020. As Guo Gu’s assistant and full-time staff member for the Tallahassee Chan Center, she helps manage many of the center’s events, and volunteers for Guo Gu’s 

Learn more about the Tallahassee Chan Center at: 

Summer 2022 Chan Dharma Talks

Bring your own (vegetarian) potluck dish!

Welcome Back Dinner for Guo Gu

Learn more about the Tallahassee Chan Center for an open house and social for the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival! Visit the center, talk with others, and enjoy a moon cake with tea. Families are welcome. This event is in-person only.

​3:30pm - 3:45pm: General introduction to Chan Center by Guo Gu

​3:45pm - 4:15pm: Musical performance by Haiqiong Deng

The Tallahassee Chan Center is a sanctuary for the cultivation of wisdom and compassion. In 2009 Guo Gu (Dr. Jimmy Yu) started a meditation group as a way to repay his gratitude to his teacher, Master Sheng Yen (1931-2009). In 2017, he established this new center to further honor and fulfill his teacher’s original vow of spreading Chan Buddhism in the West. We have weekday morning meditations from Monday - Friday at 7:30am - 8:00am on Zoom. On Mondays and Tuesdays, there are two 30-minute periods of seated meditation, punctuated by a period of either walking meditation or mindful Yoga. On Tuesdays, we practice a special form of “loving-kindness” meditation that Guo Gu developed to cultivate inner peace, kindness, and healing. Select Thursdays are drop-in meditation instructions.

 is a master player of the 21-string Chinese guzheng and a veteran practitioner of the 7-string guqin. She is the recording artist selected by Innova Recordings through American Composer Forum,  the recipient of 2021-2022 Florida Specific Cultural Project Grant,  2018 Florida State University College of Music Research Fellow, 2017 Florida Cultural Heritage Award, 2017 The Ruby Chao Yeh Award from Association for Chinese Music Research, 2013 Florida Individual Artist Fellowship, 2012 the Master Artist of the Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Award, and the winner of the Outstanding Performance Prize at the 1995 Chinese National Zheng Competition in Shanghai.

Guo Gu, founder of the Tallahassee Chan Center

 (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 

Open House Social for the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

Haiku Workshop

For those of you in Tallahassee, on Saturday October 29th, the Tallahassee Chan Center will watch the livestream Florida Community of Mindfulness fundraising concert from 7:30pm – 9:00pm and collect checks and funds for this effort there, as well.  We will stream the concert on our projector and watch it together.

Starting Saturday, we will hold an online auction that opens on Saturday October 29th at 5:00pm ET and closes on Sunday October 30th at 5:00pm for three original pieces of GuoGu's calligraphy.

For those of you living outside of Tallahassee or not joining to watch the concert in-person at the center, please watch from the Zoom link for the Florida Community of Mindfulness link, here! The Tallahassee Chan Center will join as a participant in the Zoom room and hope to see you there.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3296243465?pwd=bUo1aFVQblhhbUFpZmZTci9EK0daZz09

https://www.floridamindfulness.org/resources/Documents/Concert%20Invitation.pdf

The concert will feature the Sonata in G Minor of Sergei Rachmaninoff for Cello and Piano, his most famous piece of chamber music. In four movements, the sonata is filled with the character so typical of Russia’s Romantic era. Few composers before Rachmaninoff could have so deeply explored the cello’s capacity for expressive tenderness and intensity. The mystical aspect to Rachmaninov’s art can be felt strongly throughout his cello sonata. The remainder of the program will be short pieces, including some gems of the cello repertoire such as Kol Nidre of Max Bruch, Bach’s Arioso, Saint-Saens' The Swan, Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise, and a medley of popular favorites from “The Piano Guys” including A Sky Full of Stars. Chris will perform uplifting songs such as What A Wonderful World, Song Inside You, Breathing In & Breathing Out, as well as original compositions. Chris will joining the concert live via zoom from Minneapolis.

Diana Fish spent twenty years as Assistant Principal cello, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, White House Chamber Orchestra. She played Principal Cello in The Alexandria Symphony, Concert Artists of Baltimore, and was a member of The Sunrise Quartet and The National Gallery of Art Chamber Players. She is now a chaplain at Tampa General Hospital.

Linda Jones has undergraduate and graduate degrees in piano performance from UCF and USF. She  as taught privately and has been a collaborative pianist for her career. She enjoys making mosaic art, gardening, and her pet parrots. Diana has collaborated with pianist Linda for the last six years, starting at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Clearwater where Linda was the pianist.

Chris Sidwell is an acoustic/piccolo bassist, composer, vocalist recording artist with over 40 years experience in the music industry. His recording label, Pacific Coast Music has generated a catalog of over 25 multi-genre albums, which have earned a prominent presence of all major streaming  platforms. Chris lived in Cape Coral, FL for 17 years and did over 1400 performances with his jazz vocalist wife, Jean, at the Hyatt Regency Resort in Bonita Springs 

Hurricane Ian Concert: Watch Party and Fundraising

On Friday, November 4th, we are watching a film titled "The Mountain Path". This film follows a young man journeying into the mountains of China in search of a Buddhist hermit master.  Through his journey, we intimately connect with how the ascetics live, eat, practice, meditate, view the world, and experience their humor and warmth on their journey to liberation.

The movie begins at 7:30pm. Please arrive a few minutes early to find a seat. All are welcome.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81797625299?pwd=WmNvdVpoVGlVZGxIN01jYUpKZklVZz09

Movie Night at the Tallahassee Chan Center

Held at Mayuri Indian Restaurant at 6:00pm-8:00pm Eastern

GuoGu and others will be doing an informal Thanksgiving dinner for the Chan center sangha. Please RSVP if you are able to come in-person below. We will announce the venue depending on how many people show up.

Chan Sangha Thanksgiving (Weds)

​On Sunday January 22, we will have a Chinese Lunar New Year Potluck at the center from 4:00pm-7:00pm. All are welcome to join; we will have main dishes available, but you are welcome to contribute a dish (please 

.) Our program will have multiple musical performances of musical instruments, and of singing and dancing.

Children are welcome! We will be giving out gifts of lucky money in red envelopes to the children. This symbolizes the teachers bestowing happiness and blessings to them. After the program, we will socialize and chat.

For those on Zoom, please use this link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81297693262?pwd=dVV1amc2QWdOdCtDS0tFalBZZjl4QT09

Chinese New Year, Sun Jan 22

You are welcome to join the Tallahassee Chan Center’s grand opening of the Chan Library on Sunday, March 26th from 9:30am-11:00am! This event will take place during the usually scheduled Sunday meditation. In lieu of a second sit, we will be given a demonstration of the library by Sandi Scanlon, the Tallahassee Chan Center librarian. Afterwards, we will celebrate with tea and snacks.

​The Chan Center Library serves to provide users with the tools and resources focusing on Buddhism’s meaning, history, and development. Its mission is to collect and provide sangha members and visitors with materials and information that reveal and demonstrate Buddhist values, history, and culture. Consider joining us for this event! A library is a work in progress; you are an essential part of its success.

Grand Opening of the Tallahassee Chan Center Library 

Join us this April 16th for a precious meeting between two distinguished Zen and Chan teachers, online or in-person at the Tallahassee Chan Center. Jok Um of the Kwan Um School of Zen will visit Guo Gu at the Tallahassee Chan Center for an engaging period of discussion. The talk will be held on a Sunday morning from 9:30 am – 11:00 am ET, beginning with a guided meditation. There will be opportunities for audience Q&A.

(Ken Kessel) received transmission in April 2017. He began studying with Zen Master Seung Sahn in 1975. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a psychotherapist, working with children and families as a preschool mental health consultant, in foster care, substance abuse, outpatient and inpatient mental health and therapeutic preschool settings, as well as in private practice. He specializes in infant and early childhood mental health. He is guiding teacher for New Haven Zen Center, Ten Directions Zen Community (Chicago), Hwa Um Sa-Orlando Zen Center, Gateless Gate Zen Center (Gainesville) and Cypress Tree Zen Group (Tallahassee). He also teaches at the Chogye International Zen Center of New York, as well as at other Zen Centers and affiliates.  

Dharma Dialogue Amongst Teachers: Jok Um and Guo Gu

On Wednesday, April 26th, during the meditation period from 6:30pm-8:00pm ET, Guo Gu will offer a brief explanation of the significance of the Three Refuges and Five Precepts Ceremony in Buddhism. There will be a Q&A session afterward.  As you may know, Venerable Guo Dong, former Abbot-President of the Dharma Drum Mountain organization, will transmit the Three Refuges and Five Precepts at the Tallahassee Chan Center on Sunday morning, April 30th.

If interested, you can still register for the in-person ceremony 

. Even if you have already formally taken any combination of the Three Refuges and Five Precepts, you are welcome to renew your commitment.

Guo Gu especially encourages those who have registered for the Sunday morning ceremony to consider joining him on Wednesday.

In-Person at the Tallahassee Chan Center (

Three Refuges and Five Precepts Explanation

​Join us for an enlightening weekend with Venerable Guo Dong, a renowned Buddhist leader and Dharma heir of Master Sheng Yen. This special event will take place on Friday, April 28th and Sunday, April 30th.

Born in Keelung, Taiwan, Ven. Guo Dong has had a rich and varied career in Buddhism, including serving as an attendant to Master Sheng Yen and directing various departments within the Dharma Drum Mountain organization. Most notably, he was four times elected as the Abbot-President of Dharma Drum Mountain from 2006-2015. With his open-mindedness and pleasant temperament, Ven. Guo Dong uses insightful adages and witty language to encourage people to cultivate a mind of purity.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn from one of the most influential Buddhist leaders in Chinese Buddhism today!

 We begin with a guided, short meditation, followed with an open question and answer session with Ven. Guo Dong. All are welcome. This event will be streamed live from the Tallahassee Chan Center to Zoom.

 We begin with a guided, short meditation followed by a ceremony transmitting the Three Jewels and Five Precepts. The Three Jewels are taking solace and refuge in the Buddha, in the teachings of the Buddha (the Dharma), and in the vast community of Buddhists (the Sangha). We will also offer taking the Five Precepts (and a modified four nature precept observance). This opportunity is available to those in-person at the Tallahassee Chan Center. During the ceremony you may also receive or renew the five precepts. If you have not taken refuge before and would like to participate, please register before Thursday, April 27th at 5:00pm. To participate, 

 and bring it to the center. We will also have blank forms available at the center. The event will be streamed live on Zoom for those interested in observing.

 Lunch. We will have a vegetarian, catered lunch for all to enjoy. 

Ven. Guo Dong Visits Tallahassee Chan Center

On Sunday May 21st from 3:30pm - 5:00pm Eastern, we are celebrating Vesak, the day of the Buddha’s birth, awakening, and parinirvana, which is traditionally observed during the month of May. For those of you in Tallahassee, please come to the Center for food, celebration, music, and Dharma talk. For those of you from afar, please join us through Zoom. Vesak is perhaps the most important Buddhist holiday for Buddhists of all traditions, a day that signifies the Buddha’s gift of wisdom and compassion to humanity.

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3:30pm - 3:40pm: Welcome and introduction by Guo Gu, the founder of the Tallahassee Chan Center

3:40 - 4:10pm: Flower Ceremony with Bathing the Baby Buddha

4:20 - 4:45pm: Musical Performance of the Guzheng

Stay after for gifts, catered dinner, and a social!

The Bodhisattva Precepts ceremony is a rare opportunity for individuals to receive the precepts and commit to their practice. As a Bodhisattva, one takes responsibility for their actions and engages in practices that enhance their own life and the lives of others. The ceremony will take place from October 14-17, 2023, at the Dharma Drum Retreat Center in Pine Bush, New York, and will be conducted by high-ranking monastics from Dharma Drum Mountain Taiwan.

The Tallahassee Chan Center is providing resources to assist its sangha, including a free, three-part class led by Guo Gu covering important topics such as understanding the Bodhisattva Precepts and appropriate conduct during the formal ceremony. Financial assistance and a vanpool to the retreat center are also available. Please see this link for further details: 

https://tallahasseechan.org/bodhisattva-precepts-2023/

ivy-presto

Three-Part Bodhisattva Precepts Class by Guo Gu

, we cordially invite you to explore a diverse range of items, including trinkets, dishes, special artwork, and useful objects, all of which have been generously donated by our community. From one-of-a-kind collectibles to practical household essentials, there is something waiting to be discovered by everyone. 

Your purchases will also directly contribute to the growth and development of the 

. All proceeds from the yard sale will be donated to the center, supporting its ongoing meditation programs, classes, and community based initiatives.

 is to introduce and embody the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha as expressed in the lineages of Linji and Caodong Chan. These two lineages are united under the Dharma Drum Chan Lineage as founded by Master Sheng Yen (1930-2009).

The Dharma Drum Chan Lineage is one of the largest and most influential Chan lineages in the West. The TCC is the most active center within this lineage and in the West in general for English speakers. It offers group meditation, workshops, retreats, outreach programs, and regular lectures.

TCC is a practice place for a diverse population of people, visitors, and students guided by Guo Gu who follows in Master Sheng Yen’s style of warm heart and clear mind. Our group consists of a community of helpful, resourceful, and gentle people. All are welcome!

Photo Credit: Julie Sprott of the Tallahassee Chan Center, 2018

Yard Sale at the Tallahassee Chan (Zen) Center

These half-day and one-day Chan retreats aim to deepen your meditation practice. These retreats includes 30-minute sitting meditation periods, and will end with an opportunity for Q&A.

Held In-Person at the Tallahassee Chan Center with Zoom option available

9:30AM – 12:00PM Alternate 30-minute sitting/walking meditations 

Half Day Retreat on Oct 1

We offer basic meditation instructions on the first Thursday of the month. 

Registration is required by that Thursday morning at 10 am.

 These instructions cover basic postures and methods of practice. The instructions are not a substitute for the thorough Beginner’s Meditation Workshop. Nevertheless, it is sufficient to get you started on meditation practice. In-person only.

On the day of the instruction, please be here 5-10 minutes prior to 6:30pm to get settled in, and bring a friend or family member to help you on your meditation journey together.

Thursday Night Beginner Instruction

To support Chan practitioners, Guo Gu hosts a platform for anyone interested in the various aspects of Chan practice. This Zoom call is held every two months. Please see our updated dates for 2023 sessions.

Please note that the Saturday June 17th Zoom call is cancelled. The next call is Saturday, September 2nd, 11:00am-12:30pm ET. 

Chan Zoom Social

The One Day Retreat is held In-Person and Online

9:30AM – 12:00PM Alternate 30-minute sitting/walking meditations

1:30PM – 5:00PM Alternate 30-minute sitting/walking meditations

One Day Retreat on Oct 22

Half Day Retreat on Nov 5

Public Dharma Talk Series on the “Heart Sutra” by Guo Gu

Starting on April 3, 2023, Guo Gu will offer a series of talks on the Heart Sutra, one of the shortest Mahayana scriptures that expound the core message of Buddhism. The Heart Sutra is also one of the most important scriptures in the Chan/Zen tradition. The series will continue every first Monday of each month and will last until 2024. Each talk will be independent, but we encourage you and your friends to attend all sessions. During these Monday sits, we will begin with a short period of meditation followed by the Dharma talk. There will be opportunity to ask questions and to socialize a bit after the talk. 