In Daily Life

Experience Buddha's

WISDOM

COMPASSION

A spiritual practice for all

Daily Practice of the Month

Our needs are few; our wants many.

The Visiting Teacher of May
Venerable Yan Fa
May 15 - May 25

“Relax for 15 Minutes” is a series of guided talks by Venerable Yan Fa

focused on meditation and mind–body relaxation. Its main goal is to

help modern people, even in the midst of busy lives, achieve relaxation, calmness, and improved focus through short, practical exercises. Combines Buddhist wisdom with practical relaxation techniques.

This series is typically structured in 15-minute sessions, guiding listeners into a relaxed state through simple methods.

Venerable Yan Fa emphasizes that true relaxation is not just physical rest, but inner mental calm. With short but consistent practice, one can:

Relieve stress and anxiety
Improve sleep quality
Enhance concentration and emotional stability
Develop inner peace and wisdom

Overall, “Relax for 15 Minutes” presents a way of bringing Buddhist practice into everyday life. It allows people to pause anytime, even during a busy schedule, and return to a balanced and calm state of body and mind.

Special Events of 2026

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Our Lineage

Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan Buddhism

In order to address the needs of people from both East and West in modern times, Master Sheng Yen established the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan Buddhism. Our lineage follows two traditions - Linji which uses the Huatou method, and Caodong which uses the practice of Silent Illumination. We also integrate the features of different schools in Chinese and Indian Buddhism. While committed to tradition, we further incorporate a variety of other activities to accommodate the needs of contemporary society. For more details, please refer to The Legacy of Chan.

About Us

DDM Toronto Centre is a community that practices Chan Buddhism in the Dharma Drum Lineage. Our practices include regular meditation, chanting, study groups and teachings under the guidance of monastic sangha and lay teachers. We are a Canadian registered charity located in Toronto, Ontario. Started in 1998 , the Centre has since become the spiritual home for people from all walks of life.

Our aim is to help everyone discover the wisdom within themselves, as well as promote a peaceful and healthy society through cultivation of the mind.

Our Founder

Master Sheng Yen

Born in 1931, Master Sheng Yen lived through floods, droughts, and years of war while growing up in China. At the early age of twelve, he left home and became a monk. In order to flee from a chaotic China in 1949, he joined the army and left for Taiwan, later re-entering monastic life under Master Dongchu in 1960.

Master Sheng Yen was the 57th generational dharma heir of Master Linji Yixuan (d. 866) in the Linji school (Japanese: Rinzai) and a third-generation dharma heir of Master Xuyun (1840-1959). In the Caodong (Japanese: Sōtō) lineage, Master Sheng Yen was a 52nd-generation Dharma heir of Dongshan Liangjie (807-869), and a direct Dharma heir of Master Dongchu (1908–1977).

Throughout his life, Master Sheng Yen vowed to teach Buddhism in common language so that people can understand and apply in daily life. As Master Sheng Yen has noted, “The Dharma is so good, yet so few people know about it, and so many people misunderstand it.”

Our Teacher

Guo Yuan Fashi

Venerable Guo Yuan is the Abbott of Dharma Drum Mountain(DDM) Toronto Centre and Dharma Drum Retreat Centre (DDRC).

In 1985, our abbot, GuoYuan Fashi, encountered Master Sheng Yen’s teachings while attending a seven-day retreat in New York. He became a disciple before finally leaving his job in Toronto, Canada, to become a monk in the Chan tradition.

He was ordained in 1987 in Taiwan. Then, for over twenty years, he accompanied and worked as translator to Master Sheng Yen in various Chan meditation retreats around the world. In 1991, he studied Theravada Buddhism for a year in Thailand. Upon his return, Guo Yuan Fashi was elected abbot of both the Chan Meditation Center (CMC) in Queens and the Dharma Drum Retreat Center (DDRC) in Pine Bush, New York. His responsibilities include attending interfaith services, teaching meditation, and giving lectures on Buddhism. In 2006, he became the director of the International Chan Retreat Center in Dharma Drum Mountain, Taiwan.

In 2016, he returned to Pine Bush to become once again the abbot of DDRC. Fluent in Mandarin, Vietnamese, and English, he leads Chan retreat in many countries around the world.