The 'Five-Day Meditation Camp for the Youth', organized by the CUHK Office of the Arts Administrator in collaboration with the Dharma Drum Mountain Hong Kong Centre, was successfully held on July 11th-15th. The camp emphasized both theories and practices equally. The monastics from the Dharma Drum Sangha led the participants in practicing Chan including sitting meditation, walking meditation, lying down meditation, eating meditation and yoga, etc. The purpose of all this training was to help participants in attaining relaxation and concentration, and to encourage them to practice it in their daily lives. In addition, there were also spiritual games especially designed for young people, such as Coloring Mandala and Poker Life, allowing participants to pause their hectic lives for a moment and to reflect on themselves. The camp also made use of the tranquil and beautiful campus environment of CUHK to organize various meditation activities for the practice of concentration, such as practicing sitting meditation on the lawn at the United College, walking meditation with a bowl of water in the Learning Garden of the University Library.
Although most of the participants and monastics have never been to the Learning Garden before, they relaxed naturally at once when they entered the Learning Garden. The pure white space and the natural light projected by the glass ceiling which is under the pool at the Forum delivered a different kind of coolness to the visitors. All the participants lined up in a row holding a bowl filled with water in their hands and began walking, bypassing the S-shaped long table and surmounting the hurdles along the way with concentration and relaxation. With the surroundings, a picture with beauty and tranquility was naturally portrayed.
Tea Zen, which was the highlight of the Camp, with the live performance of drum, guitar and large standard bell in a meditation mode and the soft light, created a strong sense of zen which quietly filled the air. The tea masters was performed by the trained young people. Each of them carried a tea pot and slowly moved forward by following the live music rhythm, offering tea to each participant with great concentration. It was designed to arouse the participants to find their inner stability through the senses of sight, hearing, smell and taste, and ultimately, enjoy the present moment.
One special requirement of the meditation camp held by Dharma Drum Mountain is that participants are required to stay "disconnected" with the internet and mobile phones. The 'Five-Day Meditation Camp for the Youth' was no exception that all the participants were required to pass their mobile phones to the organizer during their stay in the Camp so as to have a spiritual date with themselves wholeheartedly. It was hoped that the participants could concentrate on themselves and listen to their inner voice in an undisturbed environment during these five days, and also infuse the surrounding environment with calmness and serenity in this hot summer.
