April 13th–16th, 2023
Thursday eve to Sunday noon
A single hand doesn’t call out in vain
In the center
There’s enough gold to fill the land.
Beneath a tree with no shadow,
people gather at the ferryboat;
In the emerald temple,
there’s no knowledge and no one who knows.
The sea is calm, the river clear. Blue Cliff Record 18
Leadership retreat is for people who are bodhisattvas in our community, in the sense that Mazu refers to when he says, "Make of yourself a raft or ferryboat for others." Why else are we here?
We can only be good at leading if we are open to our own inner work, to understanding ourselves, to what frightens us, what excites us, what we really love and want. The point is to reveal ourselves to ourselves, which means including the excluded bits, and what we are afraid of. It's what we do with awakening, not being afraid of your own mind is one of the delights of freedom.
Leadership retreat is a place to discover freedom, and the kindness and intimacy inside that.
We'll explore a curriculum which will help if you run a group or lead meditation.
Friendship is one of the great delights of life and practice. This retreat is a vehicle
for enjoying each other and deepening our links to each other.
Step by step in the dark we are moving along, feeling where we go from here,
and you’ll be a part of that.
Join us.
Thanks, I hope to see you there. —John Tarrant
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In case there is any confusion, here is how our leadership retreat is different from sesshin:
Sesshin is our deep dive with lots of zazen. It is devoted to deepening practice in a traditional way, through sitting meditation, koan work, individual meetings with teachers, and Dharma talks by our teachers. We also meet old friends, but the retreat is in essence a silent vessel for you to awaken or deepen your awakening.—John Tarrant
