Zen is not mental replacement therapy for your self image.
Tag Archives: Retreat
Temple Life – Part Two
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 Life
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
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 […]
The Luminosity of Mahayana Mind
Coming off an all-day meditation workshop…
Retreat In Nature, 11/18/2023 – Photo Gallery
Thank you, wonderful retreat participants! You all made our retreat and precepts ceremony an auspicious and meaningful experience.
News and updates – 10/1/23
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 […]
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 – Myakka River State Park
Saturday, March 1, 2025, 10:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. The park setting, surrounded by nature’s beauty, will help us relax, reflect, and renew. We will start promptly at 10:00 a.m. (arrival time 9:30 a.m.). During the day, there will be several sitting and walking meditations, Dharma talks, and a vegetarian/vegan potluck lunch. Water and tea will be provided. The retreat will be over by 5:30 p.m. Update: 02/16/25 – We are no longer accepting reservations. The Retreat is full! […]
Hui-neng leads us to water, but we must drink it.
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 […]