October 7 - 9, 2022

Friday 5P - 7P PT Saturday 9A - 12P & 2P -5P PT Sunday 10A - 12P PT

We are living into the sixth major extinction event on this planet. With climate instability it is hard to know what the future will bring. It can be difficult to know what to do, when the future seems so uncertain. 

From a contemplative training perspective, if we are willing to directly face  and work with this uncertainty, the conditions of our life and world are the ideal conditions for our awakening.

Contemplative training is commonly misconstrued and sometimes practiced as an inward turning means to cope with life’s hardships through an indifferent disconnection from the world.  

When properly understood and practiced contemplative training widens our comfort zone, deepens our love for existence and extends our contact with the sacred into domains normally considered bereft of anything but misfortune. 

In this retreat we celebrate the path in this light and view whatever is on the horizon for humanity as pregnant with potential to bring out the true and beautiful within us.

This retreat will combine teachings, practices and group process touching on themes including:

• Equanimity, personal and transpersonal comfort zone

• Breaking self imposed limitations

• How a broken heart is a window into Compassion

• The dream-like nature of reality

• Karma, intention and Vow

• Crisis as a catalyst for creativity

• Necessity of spiritual community and practices for post-conventional Sangha

This retreat will include direct dharma teachings, guided practice sessions, group Q/A’s, and group practice. We look forward to sharing the teachings of awakening together as we directly engage with the uncertainty and mystery of our current collective situation.

This event takes place through the Zen Community of Oregon.