za-zoom chat: May 23, 2025 summary of discussion: This za-zoom session, led by Hamid, delved into the relationship between Zen practice,...

scattered notes lifted from silence from the unspeakable in words what seemed like silence never stays ...

" Everyday is a journey and the journey itself is home." - Matsudo Basho To those of you who are joining or contemplating joining us on...

no matter in what state the old buddha’s mind i’ve always been here sitting in the palm of his hand heart flooding with grieving and love a poem i wrote many years ago and posted here on this blog before. i can’t find any other words to add to these at the moment. are you grieving this world of ours as well right now? is the grieving deepening the love that you feel, the love that you are, that we all are? how can we know how to love if we have not grieved? how can we grieve

wonderful! marvelous! the teachings of the insentient are inconceivable. ( chan master dongshan, 9th c.) " the ceremony of innocence is...

starting a silent retreat here in bali. ‘just this’, what is it? we practice to find out what is here, what has always been here even if it's looking for what is there that brings us here to practice. here, what is closest while we are far, lost in thought. lost in thought is also just this. whatever we may think this is, wherever we think it may be or not be, it is always ‘just this.’ ______________________________________ early morning lush greenery look outside bejewelled

in the world of zazen, when we sit, we are sitting with all beings even though we may think we are just sitting on our own. the just...

What a truly magical experience. This retreat was a holiday for my brain and my soul. I had no idea that there was so much healing in...

The first dhamma talk Hamid gives invites us ‘to become intimate with our own mind’. This invitation shapes this retreat for me. The word...

Coming out of the world of doing, it felt quite intense to go into being. It's strange to see how something I really want - going to the...

All reflections have a beginning, yet I am unsure where to start. How far back in time should I go for you to understand my current...

We are at Karuna Center, in Monchique, Portugal, starting our Autumn 8-day silent retreat. When we sit together in silence, what...