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Courses on Chan Buddhism

Welcome! Here you can find a repository of teachings by Guo Gu and the Tallahassee Chan Center. Through live and on-demand courses, learn fundamental teachings of Chan Buddhism such as meditation, the mind and emotions, and kōans.

Visit tallahasseechan.orgVisit guogulaoshi.com

Online Courses

Explore on-demand audio and video courses on meditation, the mind and emotions, kōans, and more.

All courses are 10% off with code TENPERCENT

Access “The Three Gates of Chan" for free with code HAPPIERINTRO

Chan Practice

Learn how to practice Chan in daily life through the following courses:

  • The 3 Gates of Chan

  • Silent Illumination 

  • Kōans

Buddhism must be practiced and realized, not theorized based on concepts. - Essence of Chan (2012)

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Chan Teachings

Learn foundational material and essential teachings of Chan through courses such as:

  • Foundations of Chan in the Nikayas/Agamas

  • Five Voices, One Path: A Collection of Zen Teachings

  • The Art of Living and Dying in Buddhism 

  • Mind, Mental Factors, and Emotions

  • The Platform Scripture

  • The Vimalakīrti Sūtra

  • From Indian Buddhism to Chinese Chan

Chan teaches that we are already free. We are buddhas. - Silent Illumination (2021)

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Weekly Live Courses

All sessions are recorded and available on-demand.

Lotus Sutra Discussion Group by Fran Berry

Every Thursday (unless otherwise noted), 7:00-8:30pm, via Zoom

The Lotus Sutra is a central Mahayana Buddhist scripture that teaches the universality of Buddhahood and the compassionate skillful means of the Buddha. It emphasizes that all beings possess the potential to attain enlightenment, revealing that earlier teachings were provisional steps toward this ultimate truth. The sutra encourages faith, devotion, and compassionate action, presenting enlightenment as accessible to everyone.

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What is Chan?

Chan is freedom, expressed through wisdom and compassion. It is a school within East Asian Buddhism, with a history dating back to 7th century CE in China. Later this form of Buddhism was transmitted to Japan as “Zen” in the 13th century.

Awakening in Chan means the direct experience of being freed from self-referentiality and vexations. Buddhism articulates this freedom as the wisdom of emptiness (śūnyatā), which means everything is interdependent, connected, and viewed with compassion. This gives rise to selfless activity, the ability to connect with everyone and everything.

Chan as practice means grounding and engaging. Grounding means facing, embracing, working through, and letting go of the self. Engaging means offering oneself to the benefit of others. Through this practice, all the ups and downs of life become part of the path.


Image: "No Barriers", Guo Gu

Student Testimonials

Rose W

Thank you. This course has been life changing for me for relaxing, being grounded and engaging and so much more for being present and staying in the present. The learning has been terrific. Today’s class was phenomenal!

Anonymous

Guo Gu is an outstanding teacher. His depth of knowledge of the subject matter, gained from years in monastic life and academic study, gives him the credibility to speak with unquestioned authority. But just as important is his ability to convey the course material in a manner that is easily absorbed both by practicing Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.

Lynn R

Thanks for this wonderful class, my first regarding Buddhism.  I’ve read Guo Gu's The Essence of Chan and have another book on the list on the way.  I look forward to learning much more, taking advantage of your website and meeting in person some day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Tallahassee Chan Center?

The Tallahassee Chan Center is a non-profit, spiritual home for residents of the Tallahassee, Florida area, an important Chan community in the Southeastern United States, and in the West in general. It is the fruition of the teacher of the Center, Guo Gu's relationship with his teacher Master Sheng Yen, and the beginning of new expressions of Chan Buddhism in the West so that the transmission of Chan may continue into the future. 

This page serves to list courses offered by the Tallahassee Chan Center as a means of donation revenue to support programming activity.

Who is Guo Gu?

Guo Gu means the result of being a valley. It comes from the Chinese proverb, “To be humble as a valley.” A valley is humble because it is empty, resting at the lowest part of earth. Yet it is able to support and nourish all life forms.

Guo Gu is the founder of the  Tallahassee Chan Center, the founder of the socially engaged intra-denominational Buddhist organization, Dharma Relief. He has been a close disciple of the late Master Sheng Yen (1931-2009) for more than 30 years; nine of which as a monastic.

He is the author of  The Essence of Chan (2012),  Passing Through the Gateless Barrier (2016), and Silent Illumination (2021). He is also an Associate Professor of Chinese Buddhism and Religions in the Department of Religion, Florida State University, USA. 

What do I receive upon purchasing a course?

For recorded courses, upon purchase, you will receive unlimited access to the course material, video/audio file for each lecture, and access to the Tallahassee Chan Center online community to ask questions on practice. 

For live courses, you will be given unlimited access to the teachings via a live Zoom link and a platform to access recordings and course files.

How long do I have access to the courses?

Once purchased, you have lifetime access to these teachings, and can re-visit them as many times as you need.

Do you offer discounts? Are these courses free?

Please email tallahassee.chan@gmail.com with the email subject "Course Discount" and include the course(s) you're interested in. 

We offer discounts up anywhere from free to 75% off.  Let us know what monetary donation you can afford, and we will provide you with a coupon code to apply to the course.

For those who have the means, payment is a means of engaging in the practice of generosity (dāna). Donation revenue will support the Center's teachings, helping more people to improve their lives and ease suffering.

What if I need more help?

We are always available to help answer any questions about this website or our courses. Please use the green chat button in the lower right of every page to reach us. We will respond as soon as we can.