Tag Archives: Retreat

the source of the river Buna

Temple Life – Part Two

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After 8 days of traveling with Sunim and his family,  plus 8 days of Charlene and I traveling alone down Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, Charlene and I have returned to the Orginal Light Temple outside Budapest for the last few days of our visit. We will be ending our trip with an Ancestor Celebration on Sunday. Of course, there are stories to tell about our adventures. However, this post is not a travel log. There will be opportunities to share those […]

temple

Temple Life

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Dear Sangha, Charlene and I are at the end of our first week at Orginal Light  Zen Temple. Very welcoming and wonderful Sangha. We love it here! I would like to share a poem that Charlene wrote about daily temple life. A Gentle Awakening The 4 A.M. sunrise illuminates the crown of the yurt. Then, morning birdsong. A solo recital. The 5 A.M. Zen drum beckons. And so it begins. Shoes on shoes off, shoes on shoes off, shoes on […]

Taking June 2024 Off for a Personal Retreat

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Last year, I took a month off in August for a personal retreat. This year, I will take a month off in June. There will be no practice sessions in June 2024. I will be in Budapest, Hungary from Thursday, June 6th through Sunday, June 9th for an advanced meditation retreat at the Original Light Zen Temple that will be led by Zen Master Chong An Sunim. I will also be traveling with Chong An Sunim and his family after […]

News and updates – 10/1/23

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Good Friends, Our ‘Silent Retreat in Nature‘ is getting closer and if you haven’t registered yet, I encourage you to do so! I want to especially congratulate those who have signed up for the precepts ceremony. The ceremony will be at the end of the retreat and I will be interviewing each participant during the day. When your time comes, someone will let you know. Nothing scary about the interview, just want to have a moment with each of the […]

diamond-sutra-illustration

The Seeking Mind

Good to be back after a month off! Dharma Talk for 9-3-2023 All-day Silent Retreat At Myakka River State Park

All-day Silent Retreat At Myakka River State Park

Saturday, November 18, 2023 – Join us at Myakka River State Park for the Ordinary Zen Sangha all-day silent retreat! The natural setting surrounded by the beauty of nature will help us to relax, reflect, and renew ourselves. We will start promptly at 10:00 am (arrive early). There will be several sitting and walking meditations during the day, Dharma Talks, and a vegetarian/vegan potluck lunch. Tea will be served. The retreat will be over at 5:00 pm. There will also […]

Hui-neng leads us to water, but we must drink it.

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Our study of the platform sutra only leads us to our own minds, nowhere else, no other Buddha. ‘Each of us must practice ourselves. No one else can do it for us. Nor can any text take our place‘ It isn’t that the teaching is direct or not, sudden or gradual. ‘The teaching is simply so. When we finally understand it, it appears direct because it is right in front of us. When we don’t understand it, it appears indirect […]