Heart is Heart: A Weekend Retreat

We gathered on Friday evening, carrying our overnight belongings—sleeping bags, pillows, and overnight toiletries. Recollecting now, to me, it always seems to carry a kind of familiar excitement, the same feeling I remember from childhood sleepovers at a friend’s house. Hmmm ...

One after another, we filled the zendo, elated. Shinzan oriented us, advising us to once more meet our own selves. The bell rang ...and zazen carried us into its rhythm of returning again and again and again, right here and now. 

At dawn, we returned to practice. By 5:30 AM, coffee was brewing, and buddhas and bodhisattvas quietly prepared for the day ahead. Morning stretches and chants rose into the soft blue light.

In samu, we cared for our space with love. At lunch, we ate oryoki-style—each gesture infused with gratitude for the food and for all who brought it into existence. The day unfolded in practice and closed with the evening chant:

Let me respectfully remind you
Life and death are of supreme importance
Time swiftly passes and opportunity is lost.  

Let us awaken, awaken
Take heed ...
Do not squander your life

...thank you for reminding us ...

Sunday closed with council: each voice offering reflections on the challenges, the rewards, and the deep mutual support of the weekend. Always, I feel the strength of our practice and the closeness they create in these councils. I love my Sangha deeply.

In Noble Silence, we moved, sat, and rested together. The retreat left its traces—fresh and gentle, calm and deep. Its imprint always quiet, profound, and enduring. I've written a haiku for it:

We meet us inside,
silence realizes heart is heart—
incense drifts, breaths witness.

- Anzan

*Note: some participated part time and are not in the photo above.