Western Chan Fellowship
Chan is the Chinese ancestor of Zen Buddhism. The Western Chan Fellowship is an association of lay Chan practitioners, a lay Sangha, based in the UK. We are registered as a charity in England and Wales, but we also have contacts in Europe, principally in Norway, Poland, Germany, Croatia and Switzerland, and also in USA. Our Zen retreats and other activities are open equally to both Buddhists and non-Buddhists.
We lead intensive meditation retreats at our main retreat centre in Wales, and also at other meditation centres in England and Scotland. We also have facilities for solitary retreats. We have a range of different types of Buddhist retreats.
Some of our Zen meditation retreats follow closely the traditional methods of teaching and practice, and others such as our 'Western Zen Retreat' include adaptations to match the needs of Westerners. We also use some Tibetan Buddhist
meditation practices such as Mahamudra. Most of our Zen retreats are silent retreats - read the retreat descriptions for details.
There are Chan meditation groups meeting at various locations across the UK. Attending a local zen sangha may be an easy way to make a first contact with meditation and the WCF, or it may be that you are an experienced practitioner
looking for a Zen community to support your own practice and the cultivation of mindfulness in daily life.
CENTRE:
Maenllwyd Retreat Centre
Maenllwyd is an old farm-building, several hundred years old in parts, in a remote valley in mid-Wales. Modernisation extends to mains water only. There is no electricity, and no telephone, and no reception for mobile phones. Heat and light come from candles, lamps, fires, and gas or paraffin stoves. No one passes by except occasional local sheep-farmers with their flocks. It provides an ideal environment for intensive meditation practice, which is the main emphasis of our retreats. The centre is not open to casual visitors, only for pre-booked residential retreats.
GROUPS:
Cardiff Chan Group
Cardiff Chan Group is a small group practicing Chan, which is Chinese Zen. The group is affiliated to the Western Chan Fellowship,
www.westernchanfellowship.org. The WCF's teacher is Simon Child, Dharma heir of the late Chinese Master, Master Sheng Yen.
Newcomers are welcome to come along and try us out. Our aim is to offer a mutually supportive environment for individuals who wish to develop their own practice. We are not a 'club', and there is no requirement to be Buddhist. The group is led by Eddy Street, who has over 30 years experience behind him. Rob Stratton, who supports Eddy in the general running of the group, is usually the first contact. Between us we offer practice support at all levels.
We meet at 72A Severn Grove in Canton on the first, third and (when there is one) the fifth Wednesday of the month. Directions are on the website. Newcomers are invited to let us now of their intention to join us for a first visit, so we can arrange to meet at the earlier time of 7pm. Our evenings consist of some liturgy, followed by two usually half hour periods of meditation with 'kin hin' slow walking meditation in between. This is usually followed by a talk of some kind. After some final liturgy, we have tea. We finish around 9.30. We also hold regular additional activities, such as Practice Days, which are advertised on
http://www.westernchanfellowship.org/cardiff-chan-group.html
We ask for £3 'dana' if you are waged. We supply mats and cushions, but do BYO. It's fine to use a chair. Warm clothes and even a blanket are recommended, as the room is not tropical!
If you are interested and might like to join us for an evening, you can contact Rob Stratton at cardiffchan(@)westernchanfellowship.org or 07885 49 44 71, / 029 20 229 665.
Mid-Wales Chan Group
Meets monthly on a Saturday, at Pant-y-Dwr (7 miles north of Rhayader, on the Llanidloes road).
Contact: John Senior: midwaleschan(at)westernchanfellowship.org
Tel: 01597 870 277
WEBSITE: http://www.westernchanfellowship.org/
We lead intensive meditation retreats at our main retreat centre in Wales, and also at other meditation centres in England and Scotland. We also have facilities for solitary retreats. We have a range of different types of Buddhist retreats.
Some of our Zen meditation retreats follow closely the traditional methods of teaching and practice, and others such as our 'Western Zen Retreat' include adaptations to match the needs of Westerners. We also use some Tibetan Buddhist
meditation practices such as Mahamudra. Most of our Zen retreats are silent retreats - read the retreat descriptions for details.
There are Chan meditation groups meeting at various locations across the UK. Attending a local zen sangha may be an easy way to make a first contact with meditation and the WCF, or it may be that you are an experienced practitioner
looking for a Zen community to support your own practice and the cultivation of mindfulness in daily life.
CENTRE:
Maenllwyd Retreat Centre
Maenllwyd is an old farm-building, several hundred years old in parts, in a remote valley in mid-Wales. Modernisation extends to mains water only. There is no electricity, and no telephone, and no reception for mobile phones. Heat and light come from candles, lamps, fires, and gas or paraffin stoves. No one passes by except occasional local sheep-farmers with their flocks. It provides an ideal environment for intensive meditation practice, which is the main emphasis of our retreats. The centre is not open to casual visitors, only for pre-booked residential retreats.
GROUPS:
Cardiff Chan Group
Cardiff Chan Group is a small group practicing Chan, which is Chinese Zen. The group is affiliated to the Western Chan Fellowship,
www.westernchanfellowship.org. The WCF's teacher is Simon Child, Dharma heir of the late Chinese Master, Master Sheng Yen.
Newcomers are welcome to come along and try us out. Our aim is to offer a mutually supportive environment for individuals who wish to develop their own practice. We are not a 'club', and there is no requirement to be Buddhist. The group is led by Eddy Street, who has over 30 years experience behind him. Rob Stratton, who supports Eddy in the general running of the group, is usually the first contact. Between us we offer practice support at all levels.
We meet at 72A Severn Grove in Canton on the first, third and (when there is one) the fifth Wednesday of the month. Directions are on the website. Newcomers are invited to let us now of their intention to join us for a first visit, so we can arrange to meet at the earlier time of 7pm. Our evenings consist of some liturgy, followed by two usually half hour periods of meditation with 'kin hin' slow walking meditation in between. This is usually followed by a talk of some kind. After some final liturgy, we have tea. We finish around 9.30. We also hold regular additional activities, such as Practice Days, which are advertised on
http://www.westernchanfellowship.org/cardiff-chan-group.html
We ask for £3 'dana' if you are waged. We supply mats and cushions, but do BYO. It's fine to use a chair. Warm clothes and even a blanket are recommended, as the room is not tropical!
If you are interested and might like to join us for an evening, you can contact Rob Stratton at cardiffchan(@)westernchanfellowship.org or 07885 49 44 71, / 029 20 229 665.
Mid-Wales Chan Group
Meets monthly on a Saturday, at Pant-y-Dwr (7 miles north of Rhayader, on the Llanidloes road).
Contact: John Senior: midwaleschan(at)westernchanfellowship.org
Tel: 01597 870 277
WEBSITE: http://www.westernchanfellowship.org/
