Art of Mindfulness Foundation
(AMFF)
We invite you to embark on a unique Zen meditation journey with us in China, and to explore China's century-old cultural and natural heritage behind Zen philosophy and practice.
You can choose to join a 10-day Zen retreat, with Dunhuang and Luhu Zen Temple as the main destinations. Alternatively, you can opt for a two-week retreat, journeying through Dunhuang, Nanhua Temple, and Shangri-La, allowing you to immerse yourself in the diverse Zen traditions and environments of northwest, southeast, and southwest China.
Finally, there is the Youth Exchange Student(YES) Program, initiated by the Chinese Embassy in the U.S., which provides a 15-day cultural exchange experience including visit to a Chinese University.
We look forward to helping you choose the most suitable summer retreat.
2025年暑假期间，我们邀请你一起进入中国千年人文和自然所积淀而成的独一无二的禅修体验。你可以加入以敦煌和鹿湖禅寺为主要目的地的10日禅修营。你也可以加入两周禅修营，从敦煌、南华寺到香格里拉，丰富地感受中国西北、东南和西南不同地区的禅修文化与环境。同时，我们也为需要签证支持的外国友人提供了中国驻美大使馆发起的外国青年来华交流YES项目，为期15日。期待根据你的喜好，能够选出最合适自己的暑期体验！
「Traces and Tangibles」Zen Retreat
History | Art | Architecture | Hiking
AMFF + HGSE Mindfulness Association
Summer Retreat 2025
Location: Dunhuang, Nanhua and Luhu Temple, Shangrila
Dates: July 2025, August 2025
Length: Two week
Optional cultural tour: one week (after the Retreat)
Visa and Fees: The retreat is self-funded, according to our fee scale described below. The fee includes retreat-related domestic travel (within China), food, accommodation and retreat participation, excludes visa and international travel. Participants will be supported in their visa application process.
Application Deadline: April 27, 2025
Number of Participants: 20
Retreat Overview
The 「Traces and Tangibles」Zen Retreat offers a unique opportunity for Harvard and neighboring university community members to explore the rich history, hidden art, unique architecture of Zen at various important Zen locations in China. Dunhuang Grottos, one of two only World Heritage Sites that met all the heritage value checklist, holds immense depths in Zen mythology, history, art and architecture. Nanhua Temple, where Master Huineng, Sixth Patriarch of Chan spent his time, offers an amazing environment for monastry Zen practice. Shangrila, named “the last drop of Heavenly Horizon”, is where we experience simplicity and harmony with nature and earth, and the snow mountains there hides the key to peace and mindfulness. The retreat is designed for participants who are interested in Chinese Zen, and its cultural, social, and environmental backdrop. The retreat immerse participants in historical, art, architecture and outdoor nature activities, and creates space for community and individual reflections, meditation and connections.
Key Program Elements
Guided Experience and Expert Dialogues: in Dunhuang Grotto and dialogues with Dunhuang Academy experts on art, architecture, history of Buddhism; in Nanhua Temple with practitioners and scholars of Zen; in Shangrila with local cultural heritage heir
Immersive Zen: Experience meditation within monastry community in various environments: temple, snow mountains, and local households. Daily short practice and whole day practice of various Zen meditation methods, including sitting, walking, hiking meditation and meditation in daily life activities such as tea drinking, food cooking.
Zen Understanding: Explore Calm and Observe Chan and other different schools and practices of Zen. Through practice and dilaogues with Zen masters, get deeper understanding about these schools and their historical and contemporary stories.
Nature and Diversity: at three different locations in North China, South China and West China, observe and touch the richness of nature, biodiversity, cultural and ethnic diversity, spiritual diversity, all of which become the supporting environment for the development and practice of Zen philosophies.
Community and Reflections: define and shape the community formed in this journey.
Two-Week Timeline
Week 1
Dunhuang Grotto, Nanhua and Luhu Zen Temple
The group convenes in Dunhuang.
We will spend the first three days in Dunhuang, and rest of the week in Nanhua Temple and Luhu Temple.
Week 2 Shangrila Snow Mountain, Holy Lake and local Monastries
The week in Shangrila will be weaving a tapestry of art, nature, architecture, culture, spirituality and community services.
For those who won’t join the optional cultural tour, we recommend flying out from Kunming, Guangzhou, or Hongkong, all of which are close cities to Shangrila.
Week 3
Optional cultural tour in Yunnan and Guizhou
This is an optional self-funded tour that continues to explore South West China.
You will be Experiencing...
Eligibility & Desire Skills
We welcome applicants from all ages and backgrounds, with a passion for history, art, architecture and socio-cultural roots of Zen philosophy and practice in China. We expect to gather a group that has common grounds on the following:
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Familiarity or openness with Zen meditation or mindfulness practice
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Experience in cross-cultural communications and appreciation for differences
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Respect for sustainable and eco-friendly traveling, e.g. Leave No Trace in nature
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Physical fitness for three hours of walking or hiking per day
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A positive attitude and willingness to engage in community engagement
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Ability to work in a team environment and support team partners
Prior experience in these areas is valued but not required. All levels of experience are encouraged to apply.
Sponsorship and Fees
We use sliding scales for the collection of fees for this retreat as we recognize that, under the current racial capitalism we are in, where individuals and organizations find themselves on the economic ladder is not based in justice. We are striving to be anti-capitalist in a capitalist system, to articulate the value of the labor we offer while working to make it accessible and just. We believe in a solidarity economy, one that centers racial and economic justice, and is based on care and compassion for all and not profit for some.
How do you place yourself in our sliding scale?
We encourage you to consider both your wealth, income and your relative racial/ethnic privilege and/or marginalization into account when choosing your rate. In addition, ask yourself the following questionnaire, inspired by Resource Generation’s “Class Privilege Quiz”.
Ask yourself...
Are you and your family homeowners or landowners?
Have you attended private education institutions or do you have an advanced degree?
Are your bills or credit cards on autopay?
Have you not had difficulty accessing and affording healthcare or health insurance for you or your family members?
Do you have zero to no debt and/or do you have disposable income?
Do you have a safety net composed of “financially stable” or wealthy family and friends?
Do you have U.S., Canadian, U.K., Australian Citizenship?
If you answer...
Mostly Yes
You should consider our
Redistribution Rate
Redistribution rate means ‘paying your fair share’ as individuals and organizations who have had structural advantage and access to wealth. We encourage and appraise the greater wisdom of mindfully spending the wealth you have access to.
6000 USD
for the 2 week Retreat
SOME YES, SOME NO
You should consider our
Full Rate
Full rate represents the ‘true cost’ at which we would break even. It is the cost that evens out the investment of resources we invest to provide this Retreat to you , and it is the cost that you pay to keep this retreat going in a sustainable way.
4500 USD
for the 2 week Retreat
MOSTLY NO
You should consider our
Solidarity Rate
Solidarity rate is for individuals and organizations who are surviving. We hope that with this rate, you could feel less stressed out in investing in your own journey and exploration of Zen and mindfulness.
3500 USD
for the 2 week Retreat
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The fee above covers all the domestic travels during the program, all (organic) food and (eco-friendly) accommodation, programming, and participation costs for the Retreat.
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Participants are responsible for any travel expenses to and from the program (i.e. flight, visa, vaccination, insurance etr.) as well as personal expenses during the Retreat.
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Confirmed participants will be fully refunded if they decided to leave the retreat before May 1, 2025, and will be able to get 50% of the submitted fees after May 1, 2025 when we have already prepaid for the trip expenses in China.
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The optional cultural tour after the Retreat is separate from the Retreat. Confirmed Retreat participants can reach out to know more about the tour.
Arrival and Departure
Considering the geographical scope that we will cover in the Retreat, we recommend participatns to arrive in Beijing (China’s Capital City with abundant international flights), or Lanzhou (the state capital city closest to Dunhuang) or directly in Dunhuang (a small airport that hosts international flights). For those we arrive in Beijing or Lanzhou, we will help arrange the flight to Dunhuang where the whole group convenes. For those who will join only the Retreat and not the cultural tour, the closest airport for departure is Shangrila. Other options include Kunming, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, HongKong which are all relative close to Shangrila.
Application and Admission
Rolling admissions are currently open. The application deadline is April 27, 2025. Early submission is encouraged to secure a spot in the program and leave sufficient time for visa application.
We look forward to welcoming you.