Our Mission
Master Sheng Yen, founder of Dharma Drum Mountain, dedicated decades of his life to spreading the Buddhadharma globally and guiding Chan practice, sharing Buddhist compassion and wisdom with people around the world.
Global Meditation Center in Manhattan, New York (GMCNY), is part of Dharma Drum Retreat Center (DDRC, a not-for-profit organization), with Abbot Guo Yuan as the guiding teacher, whose mission is to continue our founder’s vision for both busy people in the greater Manhattan area and online across the world, benefiting their day-to-day lives and our society, supporting the development of compassion and wisdom for humanity through learning and practicing of Chan and Buddhadharma.
Our Guiding Teacher
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.