Library
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Daily Menu - A Cook's Retreat
Sunday Courgette, coconut and Lemon soup.Bread rollsCitrus and poppy seed cake.Mushroom and Lovage stewCreamy polentaGreen allotment salad. The beginning of a Hua-Tou retreat, my first retreat of...[more]
Clarity and Confusion
I’m not quite sure why it has taken me until now to write this report, nor why I have decided this moment to do it. Maybe it will become clear as I write it. The retreat was a Silent Illumination...[more]
For Non-beginners and Beginners Alike
We had been curious about the Western Zen Retreat after hearing about it - it was a process that had been developed by Dr. John Crook, Master Sheng Yen's (Shifu's) first Western Dharma heir. At...[more]
Abide in the Unborn
Two experiences come to mind from the retreat: One morning as I walked outside the Chan hall, I observed 15 to 20 birds darting in and out of trees in unison as they flew up the hill. I felt a...[more]
The Buddhas Do Not Understand!
A monk said to the Master "The Buddhas of past present and future don't understand. Cats and oxen do. Why don't the Buddhas understand?" Master Nanquan replied, "Before they entered the Deer Park...[more]
Keep Practicing!
The retreat was a scientific experiment and the constants were meditation, eating, working, sleeping, waking, meditating. The repetition of the same actions over time showed the illusions of the mind...[more]
Everything In Its Place
I approached the retreat with some trepidation owing to my being workmaster, my first time on a retreat of any size. Previously I had carried out this role, but only on smaller retreats and very...[more]
Seeing the Wonder
The context for attending this retreat feels important. It was the first retreat I had sat as a participant for 2 years - I had acted as Guestmaster on a couple of retreats since then, the last...[more]
Fixing the Separator
Before setting off on my journey to the retreat I was looking forward to the train journey and to a few hours walking before arriving at the Maenllwydd and I was excited at the prospect of coming on...[more]
Finding the Fullness of Myself
I arrived at Maenllwyd with a willingness to open to the fullness of my experience, and to be present with that which I regarded as difficult or challenging. I had already been deeply touched by my...[more]
What's This?
Since attending the WZR at Pinebush (2004) I have been listening to tapes of John's talks frequently while driving. Earlier today, driving along and listening, John's question: "Are you that...[more]
Not So Silly After All
A few miles from the Maenllwyd I telephone home. I squirm like a little girl as I sign off with my partner who reassures me that I'll be OK. Going up the track I pass a departing taxi driver who...[more]
Seven Years Later!
It was the first time in seven years that I had been back to Maenllwyd. I had not seen the new Chan hall and was very impressed with the conversion. Sleeping arrangements had improved vastly though...[more]
On Trying to Say "I'm Me"!
In the yard, after the rain, every step makes mud. Why do I hate the squelching? Mixed-up youth, far-out experiences. I first read about Zen, as a 15-year-old in 1966, in Alan Watts' "The Way...[more]
So Much More Fun
Twenty-four of us talked about ourselves, why we had come and our hopes for the coming week. 'Coming home' was a theme for many. My struggles on three previous Shifu-led retreats made it feel more...[more]
Why are you Here?
I felt an immense sense of fear and trepidation when I sent my cheque in for my first WZR. Previous to this my record at sitting was about 12 minutes, during which I would usually get terribly...[more]
Pine Tree in the Sky
I arrived at Maenllwyd, in the deepest despair I have ever known - the 'dark night of my soul'. Having been to an Introductory Chan Retreat a few months previously, I had some dim awareness that this...[more]
Immeasurable Sweetness
Pale light after dawn Low clouds scudding over green fields Weathervane - SSW Nine cars In the yard Tathagatas Welsh hills in June Misty rain Wet tents Sunbeams at dusk Reaching round the corner...[more]