Light Up the Lantern CNY 2026
Peace, Happiness and Abundance
Appreciate blessings and live a fulfilling life; be grateful and repay kindness, and happiness will fill the world.
Registration is Open from now till 2/2
Daily Practice of the Month
Appreciate blessings and live a fulfilling life
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.
Special Events of 2026
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Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan Buddhism
Our Lineage
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.
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.
DDM Toronto Centre welcomes you to join us in activities outlined under Program.
The Centre is supported by donors and volunteers. Unless otherwise specified,
all activities are offered free of charge with voluntary donation.
We look forward to seeing you soon!