' You have to say something!' This is the title of a book of talks given by Dainin Katagiri, one of the pioneering figures of Zen in the...

mount bromo, java timur, january twenty-four _________________________________________ carnet javanais awakening to emergence of light /...

december retreat 2023 bali it rained heavily the morning of our last day of retreat in december. i was in a contemplative mood, not surprising given the stillness and silence and the many hours of sitting during the week. the downpours were compelling. i wrote the lines below when it struck me that the common expression; it is raining outside, was no longer the experienced reality of that moment as i could no longer say something is happening outside for it no longer felt th

The aim of these talks is to offer, as there will be no other instructions besides the one given during the opening ceremony, some...

candi dasa, bali, november twenty-three " as one side is illumined, the other is darkened. - master dogen" sunday you are vast and without limit your midnights unstoppable you are of time true yet released by time sound of waves breaking on the reefs out of the ocean's breath to just be this succession of what arises and falls this bottomless blue where shadows play with the breeze supreme messenger our sole remembrance of earth blowing us to the far and near

What you see on this image is a view over the valley and the rolling hills on the last day of our silent at Karuna Center in Monchique a...

silent retreat october twenty twenty-three monchique * no entry no exit point to silence enter or leave it you cannot * in the midst of noise it never leaves you it is what carries you wherever you go * it is what carries along everything unnoticed unheard in a silent way * in the midst of silence we are forgetful of it lest we listen to raindrops pattering on the roof to a crow’s cawing as it flies over treetops on hillside slopes * forgetful of it though it indwells the dee

This silent retreat was GORGEOUS. And I mean gorgeous, luxurious, and delightful to the senses. Hosted in an incredible location, there...

curtains drawn from the paddies sunlight pouring in cicadas screeching pouring in inside no one outside no one the dweller left his: nowhere a dwelling will you find in praise in waves golden to no end pouring in

In Mysteries, Yes, a poem by Mary Oliver from her book Evidence we read: ' Let me keep my distance, always, from those who think they...

It's something to look forward to whenever I get the chance to sit with others an intensive silent meditation retreat as this allows me...

Our one week silent Zen retreat at Karuna Center in Monchique, Portugal, is four weeks away. Is a silent retreat an event? The word event...

Awareness has more to do with the quality of attention we bring to something rather than what we give our attention to. It’s not so much...

orange moon sailed-off before i came to the river to watch the boats light begins to turn time to prepare for fall love of summer your glitters down to the sea you go Jisei, or death poem, is a genre of poetry established since the early days of Zen where the author, usually a monk or practitioner, would offer their reflection on death when the encounter with it seemed imminent but more broadly would express an understanding or worldview informed by Buddhist teachings; a sent

a report from a week of silent sitting ____________________________________ the deeper silence reaches within, the lesser your...

I rainy season sheets of water freely traveling illusion of you are going anywhere accompanying you wherever you go adds embellishment to...

The 8-day silent retreat in July 2023 was my second through Maitri Retreats – I also attended in July 2022 with Hamid. This time, I had...

There is a Zen expression: shoshaku jushaku that is rendered in English as; to succeed wrong with wrong or, one continuous mistake. In...

I have attended Hamid's retreats twice : last year for an 8d retreat in Portugal and this year for a 4d retreat in Bali. Trying to...

What arises from silence is GRATITUDE. I feel blessed and privileged to have experienced such an expansive feeling throughout the...