Editor’s Note

The following is a practitioner’s report by Elise Yu on a half-day morning meditation led by Venerable Guo Goang at the Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association New Jersey Center in Edison, New Jersey, on July 26, 2026. On this occasion, Venerable Guo Goang offered a summary of her Dharma teachings as she prepared to return to Taiwan after over five years of teaching in the United States. This report was translated by the author and lightly edited by Edward Lin.

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On July 26, 2026, Venerable Guo Goang led a half-day meditation at the Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association New Jersey Chapter and gave what would be her final Dharma talk in New Jersey after many years of teaching the Dharma here. She was scheduled to leave the United States and return to Taiwan at the end of July, concluding five years and three months of teaching the Dharma in the United States. The number of participants that day was the highest of any half-day meditation session, a testament to the community’s gratitude to the Venerable and their deep appreciation for this precious Dharma connection.

In previous half-day meditation sessions, Ven. Guo Goang often used Master Sheng Yen's Zen Wisdom as the teaching material, selecting inquiries and answers from the book to address participants’ questions and resolve their doubts. On this special occasion, she instead offered a comprehensive summary: a concise, systematic overview of the Dharma she had taught at the New Jersey Chapter over the years, leaving the community with precious guidance for their practice.

The Core of the Dharma: Dependent Origination

Ven. Guo Goang taught that throughout the Buddha’s teachings, no matter how extensively they are explained, they always come down to two aspects: understanding and practice. “Understanding” means comprehending the principles of the Dharma, while “practice” means applying methods of meditation in actual practice. From the time of the Buddha to the present, from early Buddhism to Mahayana Buddhism, the fundamental principles of meditation practice have remained the same. Understanding and practice cannot be neglected in favor of one another. If one only studies Buddhist teachings without practicing, what one has learned cannot be put into action. If one only practices without learning the principles of the Dharma, one’s practice lacks the guidance of right view. Understanding and practice enrich each other; neither can be omitted.

The Venerable went on to point out that the core of the Dharma is dependent origination. All Buddhist theories and methods of cultivating the mind unfold from dependent origination, which is precisely what distinguishes Buddhism from non-Buddhist teachings. In early Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha explained all phenomena through dependent origination: all phenomena arise in dependence upon causes and conditions, and because they arise through causes and conditions, they are empty of inherent existence and without self. Dependent origination and non-self cannot be separated from one another; all dharmas depend upon one another. To speak of dependent origination necessarily involves non-self, just as speaking of non-self cannot be separated from dependent origination. The two are mutually interdependent. The Venerable particularly pointed out that even during the Buddha’s time, some non-Buddhist teachings also spoke of “non-self”; however, because they did not teach dependent origination, they were not Buddhist teachings.

Photo by pexels-eberhardgross

All phenomena in the world—the three realms, the worlds of the ten directions, and even outer space—arise through the coming together of causes and conditions. If we investigate beyond the “appearance” of phenomena and inquire into their “nature,” we can see that all phenomena arising through causes and conditions are empty of inherent existence. Nothing exists independently, nor is there a “first cause” from which all phenomena arise. This includes our own lives; all phenomena exist through the coming together of causes and conditions. Dependent origination is spoken of from the perspective of appearance; non-self is spoken of from the perspective of nature. Thus, anything that arises in dependence upon causes and conditions must change as those causes and conditions change; nothing remains permanently unchanged. All phenomena inevitably pass through the processes of arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing. This is an inevitable law. No phenomenon is accidental: when causes and conditions ripen, the corresponding result appears. Seen with this right view, everything we encounter in life accords with causes, conditions, and their karmic results; this is simply the natural and reasonable order of things.

Free of Delusion and Confusion: Illuminating Cause and Effect

Ven. Guo Goang explained that the purpose of the Buddha’s teachings is to lead sentient beings toward liberation and freedom, awaken them to dependent origination, and transcend birth and death. The Buddha taught the Dharma to help sentient beings face phenomena without becoming deluded. To be deluded means to be unable to see the true nature of phenomena. If we become deluded and lost in causes, conditions, and karmic effects, we will continue to follow our karma and remain trapped in the cycle of birth and death. If we understand that nothing in our lives is separate from causes, conditions, and their karmic effects, we will not lose our direction in life. Conversely, when facing external circumstances, if our mind is turned by those circumstances, becomes attached to them, and acts according to habitual tendencies through body, speech, and mind, we will continue endlessly to cycle through birth and death.

The Venerable cited a passage from the scriptures. Venerable Ananda once said to the Buddha, “Dependent origination does not seem difficult. I can understand it clearly.” The Buddha corrected him, saying, “Ananda, do not say that! Dependent origination is extremely profound, difficult to know and difficult to understand.” The Venerable used this teaching to remind everyone that understanding dependent origination intellectually may not seem difficult. Yet when we actually encounter circumstances, it is far from easy to respond and conduct ourselves in accordance with dependent origination. Therefore, after hearing and understanding the teachings on dependent origination, we must put them into practice.

The Core of Practice: Calming and Contemplation

Ven. Guo Goang further taught that while the core of the Dharma is dependent origination, the core of Buddhist practice is calming and contemplation (samatha and vipasyana). The Buddha taught eighty-four thousand Dharma methods, and all of them take calming and contemplation as their foundation, enabling us to realize dependent origination and non-self through practice. “Calming” means settling the mind on the method and staying with it continuously, allowing the mind to become stable and settled. Yet although calming can settle the mind, calming alone is incomplete. It must also give rise to awareness and observation. Once the mind settles upon a single object, “contemplation” arises: we become aware of causes, conditions, and karmic results; we see that no phenomenon exists independently; and we thereby realize non-self and emptiness. In this way, Buddhist teachings and practice gradually come into alignment, and understanding and practice mutually enrich one another.

The purpose of calming and contemplation is to see things as they truly are: all phenomena arise through dependent origination and are empty of inherent existence. Through training in calming and contemplation, the untamed and scattered mind gradually settles, and the power of awareness and illumination grows accordingly. We can then see the true nature of all phenomena within and outside the body and mind. Only through seeing things as they truly are can afflictions be cut off.

Examining Practice Through Right View

Ven. Guo Goang offered a particular caution: all sorts of experiences and states may arise in the course of meditation, and the key to determining whether these experiences represent genuine progress is to examine one’s own understanding—whether one’s understanding of dependent origination and non-self has deepened. If we can develop a deeper understanding of the emptiness of nature and the emptiness of self, and see clearly how attachment to the “self” arises through causes and conditions, we can gradually loosen our attachment to the self and transcend the suffering of samsara. What is realized in awakening is the principle itself—a profound realization of the truth of dependent origination and non-self. Through practice, as our understanding deepens again and again, wisdom grows, eventually culminating in prajna wisdom.

The Venerable also noted that some practitioners become satisfied with the tranquility and stability of mind that meditation brings, and meditation certainly has this function. However, worldly pleasure is not ultimate happiness. Even as body and mind gradually become more at ease through practice, we must still let wisdom guide our practice, continually deepening our understanding and realization of causes, conditions, and karmic effects.

Practice in Daily Life

Ven. Guo Goang emphasized that practice does not take place only on the meditation cushion or inside the Chan hall. We must also bring our realizations into everyday life. The principle of dependent origination should not merely guide our sitting meditation; it should be applied to every aspect of daily life. This is genuine practice. The Venerable encouraged everyone to persevere. Even if one can practice for only five, ten, or thirty minutes each day, one should continue practicing consistently. With sustained practice over time, progress will naturally follow. As the power of calming and contemplation gradually grows, our outlook on life will also change, and our afflictions will gradually diminish. Even if the afflictions themselves have not yet lessened, the amount of time needed to recover from them will become shorter.

Meeting Through the Dharma

Toward the end of her talk, Ven. Guo Goang offered these words to the community: “If we have the opportunity to meet again in the future, I hope you will be able to tell me, ‘Venerable, I've made progress in such and such a way’—not ‘I look older, but my practice is still the same.’ I hope you will experience the benefits of the Dharma and make real progress in your practice.”

She added: “If you practice diligently, you will naturally love to talk about the Dharma. If you do not enjoy talking about the Dharma, that means you have not yet truly put effort into your practice.”

Photo by Wilson Wang

Finally, the Venerable concluded with the principle of dependent origination: “Where there is gathering, there will be parting. Where there is coming, there will be going. I hope that in the future, we will meet again through Dharma.”

For many years, Ven. Guo Goang resided in the United States to teach the Dharma. At the Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association New Jersey Chapter, she regularly led half-day meditations, Chan retreats, Buddha-name recitation, Dharma assemblies, and other activities, guiding the community in Buddhist practice. This teaching was a culmination of her years of teaching in the United States, as well as her earnest advice and heartfelt blessing for the practitioners of New Jersey.