Dharma (and Lamas) in Charlottesville

In this post: an update about my life, a description of an ordinary day with Tibetan Lamas and info about Dharma teachings in Charlottesville.

So the past two weeks have been a whirlwind!  I can barely remember what I did two days ago, let alone last week, as the days have been so full and I have been carrying loads of responsibility.  Two weeks ago, I returned from the Tibetan Meditation Spring Retreat with the mission to get the ball rolling for Khenchen Rinpoche, Konchog Gyaltsen’s teachings to occur in Charlottesville.  This was on top of preparing to take courses in the immersion-filled, Tibetan Summer Language programs.

Thankfully, as I now have quality support around me and as I rest in that, I can glance back and observe how much we as a Sangha (and I) have accomplished.  I do not mean to sound arrogant or self-aggrandizing – but seriously I got a lot done, stretched myself and sat in the discomfort of growing pains (not so bad once you get used to them).  We have probably reached a thousand people to let them know about the teachings – via posters, email, advertising, etc.

Three Tibetan Lamas went down to Virginia Beach with Rinpoche and then they all came up to C’ville on Monday.  After running numerous errands on a hot day, I greeted the Lamas upon their return.  Then I was asked shortly thereafter, “Hey, you are no longer in the Summer Program and you are not working…  Wanna drive two of them back to Maryland?”  And because I wanted a break, and the chance to practice Tibetan, I jumped at the opportunity!  So I got to spend a day with Lama Gyaltsen and Khenpo (Umze) Chophel.

We had some great laughs on the way up to the Lama House.  They asked to stop a couple times, which I was happy to support, purposely not rushing and taking our time.  They had been given bus money in case someone like me did not step forward, so they used a little of that money to pay for my gas and to buy me a little food – it is always curious seeing people who are authentically hyper-generous – they competed to see who could pay first on several stops.

Once we arrived back at their home, I was instructed to rest and relax.  Just drink some tea and “hlueh hlueh chai” (relax!).  I was amazed at the Lamas productivity – they made momo’s (Tibetan dumplings) from scratch, stuffed them with meat and veggies and had them cooked within 45 minutes.  Yummy!  I love momos!  We continued to speak Tibetan – or actually I got to practice my comprehension as Khenpo Chophel speaks very clear Central Dialect (U-Tsang).  My speaking is out of practice and rusty but I am very happy with my listening and comprehension skills.

I helped them out a little with some English questions and then we went to bed.  I got to stay in the guest room, which for me was a first.  I also explored a little – Khenpo Chophel is staying in Khenchen’s room, and there is a room upstairs for His Holiness, the Drikung Kyabgon (who will be coming in August).  This is in addition to the Drupon’s room and Lamas Gyaltsen’s room (five bedrooms in the house).  It is a large house, with a semi finished basement, where the large shrine room is for PDL retreats.  In this house, I think I counted six or seven shrines – depending on your definition.

I awoke at 4 am.  I don’t know why – perhaps it was the Lama House energy (many shrines), or the fact that I was in a new bed, or none of the above, but I could not go back to sleep.  Instead I chanted mantras – a cloudy, afflicted mind attempting to have faith and devotion.  I did a few prostrations (bows) until my elbow started aching and then I went back to mantras – refuge, Achi, and the Four Thoughts.  It was very nice having completed a fair amount of practice before 6 am!  <grin grin>  Then I ate breakfast at 7.  Lama Gyaltsen was up by 5 or 6, I know because he went for an early morning walk plus I heard the dishes being put away before I came downstairs.

He completed some more chores and then was out the door to meet a friend for some errands around town by 8 am.  Khenpo Chophel was up soon thereafter (or he emerged after his personal practice).  He is so kind – he showed me some Dharma (literary) Tibetan words, like Samten – concentration / meditation / clear, focused mind; Shinay – similar to calm abiding or clear insight; Tharchin – perfection; Tsultrim – ethics / moral conduct; etc etc.  It was great!  He saw that I knew how to write in Tibetan block print and cursive (U-chen and Kyook) and he gave me some much needed pointers.

I asked Khenpo why they had to come back early, as we had been ready to put them up in Charlottesville.  He said that he had many consecrations to do – people had been bringing statues by off and on for the past few weeks.  It probably did not help that I also asked him to fill and consecrate a statue of mine.  He taught me the word for consecrate – it means to bless permanently.  I love how Tibetan is full of compound words – if you know say a thousand root Tibetan words, I bet you can make ten thousand “new” words.

Then I rested, had lunch with Khenpo and then was on my way home.  A 24 hour blip to Maryland and back.  Lovely indeed.

Khenchen Rinpoche, Konchog Gyaltsen will be teaching this weekend (June 26th and 27th) at the Charlottesville Unity Church – both afternoons from 2 to 5 pm.  He is teaching on his text entitled, “Prescriptions and Proscriptions” – formerly known as Permissions and Prohibitions.  It should be a fantastic weekend.

Sleepless in Gemini

This material is copyrighted by Kirby Moore.  Reproduction without permission is prohibited.  To support my business and blogging efforts, please visit my website. More recently, I have begun teaching Astrology classes on Trauma-Informed Astrology, see http://www.traumainformedastrology.com for more! Thank you for visiting!

to you who live and breathe loving-kindness and compassion, I pay homage

may this eclipse of my light and the eclipse of all beings come to an end

joy comes from the most mysterious places – knocking on stranger’s doors?

and then having them open other doors for you, not knowing your name

who are you?  who are you who makes me giggle so?  who am I?

breathing deep, I speak my truth, breathing deep, I am temporarily free

breathing in, I am liberated, breathing out, I let go

burning my candle at multiple ends, eventually may I say:

“what candle?”  for now, though, just rest in wonder and curiosity

the best of Gemini, the best of energy manifesting in time and space

the best of union – form and appearance – one

the best of false perceptions…

the best of emptiness…

may we all be in alignment with the sound of suchness

Khenchen Rinpoche, Konchog Gyaltsen is coming to Charlottesville

Hello Dear Readers and beyond,

I am very excited (and the Charlottesville Ratnashri Sangha, of which I am a humble member, is as well) to be assisting in the sponsoring of Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen in C’ville.  If you live anywhere nearby, these are rare teachings by an authentic, realized Lama.  Plus he requested a large public audience – would not want to disappoint an enlightened being would we?

So, he is teaching from a text he composed entitled “Permissions and Prohibitions.”  He will be at the Unity Church in Charlottesville (off Hydraulic Road) on June 26th and 27th, teachings go from 2 to 5 pm both days – just afternoon teachings.  The text is a beautiful yet pith instruction on the entire Buddhist path from the three trainings up to Mahamudra and Buddhahood.  Registration is requested, and there is a suggested donation of $35 per day.

If you want more info, submit a comment here and I will email you back.

Thanks for reading.

Spring Retreat 2010 – Bodhicitta

5/30/10 – One of my housemates said, “Khenchen is the real McCoy.”  I wholeheartedly agree.

In my previous post I mention how Khenchen answered one of the audience’s questions by saying, “Yes, you should compete with your co-workers….  You should compete to see if you can have more Bodhicitta than they.”  Perfect answer.

I did a little practice before retreat, so it is very difficult to suppress my true feelings.  Therefore, this is another main theme of this retreat – my true feelings.  Developing clarity, articulating boundaries, breathing through irritation and then letting go just a little more.

5/31/10 – Drove the owner of the house to the airport as he was heading off to Tibet.  Yes!  Sweet!  I am so happy to support that.  I just hope he is taking lots of pictures as we speak.

I cooked the first couple of meals for the four of us – a delicious vegetarian soup and then scrambled eggs for breakfast.  Today however, the favor was returned as one of the guys baked omelets (he could not find a large frying pan).  They turned out well in spite of our pan-less-ness.

Today I am feeling a strange energy.  A charge, a buzzing, an angst.  I interpret it as a desire to practice – maybe I am accurately discerning it and maybe I am just stuck in an inner story.  I don’t know.  But it is present nonetheless.

When we arrived and throughout the first ten days, the Mountain Laurels were just resplendent – blooming everywhere.  We were in a garden on top of the mountain, attending precious teachings.

The words, “Paying Attention” came up over and over again in our all-male retreat house.  In fact I bet they were mentioned several times a day.  Slowing down and paying attention – it can save you from tragedy and carelessness.  Yep yep.

I did some practice and, on top of the buzzing energy I was feeling previously, afterward it was tough to come down off my natural high.  Ugh.

Spring Retreat 2010 – “chewing on” Dharma

This is (hopefully) the first post in a series.  I attended the Spring Retreat from the “opening ceremony” until Wednesday June 9th – 12 days total.  Now I am full…  I could stop there, but I wrote so much in my journal, I will continue 🙂    What follows is a daily journal and stream-of-consciousness thoughts on the retreat.  If you want specific details on who taught what, etc etc, go to http://www.drikungtmc.org

Here I am with Khenchen (Konchog Gyaltsen), an enlightened being.  I do not feel worthy, but on a tea break I grabbed the opportunity for a photo op – in the past I always let them slide, so I figured, “I need to have a picture with a Buddha!”  I mean why not?  Khenchen is the lama whom I first took refuge with in 2006, along with taking the Bodhisattva vows with at the same time.  Needless to say I feel a strong connection with him, even though he is quick to point out that he is not my root lama – rather he pointed me in the right direction.

5/28/10 – I decided to get up to Frederick, in spite of the flash flood warnings.  Well, at least I knew what I was getting myself into.  Thank you wisdom beings for helping through several walls of water, not to mention the lightening striking alongside the road – oh and for helping us avoid the section of highway that was underwater…  Good Grief!  Am I crazy?!  Well, it is the precious Dharma and I did not want to be late!

I arrive and get greeted by a flock of men – Dharma practitioners (the best kind of guy).  What a pleasant surprise – coming out of Charlottesville through the watery hell realms and into a beautiful sunset over Frederick, with Dharma friends.  One of the main themes of this retreat (out of several) was that I stayed at a house with three other males.  Considering I normally in the Dharma Duplex with three other women, that was a pleasant change of pace.  Although Drupon would say otherwise – yes, let me digress for a moment.

Later in the retreat, I had the good fortune to offer a bodywork session at the Lama House after teachings.  Therefore, I was talked into staying for dinner.  At which time I mentioned I am noticing differences in male energy vs. female energy (nothing new here!), but Drupon said jokingly, “I think it is better to stay with women.”  I did not know how to answer him, but it is always good to laugh!  See the “Secret Teachings” post later on for more on this night.

The three of us guests sat down with the owner of the house and fleshed out what needed fixing and doing and we made a list.  Good to be clear.  Also good to be in the presence of builders and carpenters.

5/29/10 – Khenchen is teaching!  Man I was excited!  However, over the past few years, since first meeting Rinpoche, he has never opened up to me.  What I mean is that I do not have a reason to be in close contact with him, and frankly it is a little intimidating – what do you say to an enlightened being?  🙂

Anyway, I was not expecting anything different from the past, meaning I was not expecting Khenchen to remember me, but when he walked in, I was the first person to greet him.  And then he made my day – he wrapped me up in a big hug and said, “You made it!  I’m glad you are here.”  MY HEART SMILED LONG AND BROAD.

It seemed to me that Khenchen’s teachings, as the week progressed became more and more potent.  He said some things which went directly to my heart, and on several occasions, I’m pretty sure he was tapping into my stream of consciousness and speaking words I needed to hear (specifically).  He has done this in the past, although it might have been a coincidence.

On the first day, he stressed how only we can make ourselves happy, or we choose suffering.  The Buddha, Bodhisattvas and others cannot help us without our putting in some effort.  I loved his line about, “You have to put in effort to achieve effortlessness!”  He also mentioned that the afflictions will not roll over, they do not age, they do not get sick and that if we put in a little effort and defeat them one day, they will regroup and come at us from a different angle.  We have to stick with Dharma practice!  Awesome!  And it got better each day.  Khenchen taught from his text, “Samsara and Nirvana: Two sides of the same hand.”  This is available on the TMC website.

Khenpo Chophel taught in the afternoons, and I just love how intricately he can dissect one line from Lord Jigten Sumgon’s Gong Chik.  Of course he is teaching from a commentary, but his eyes are closed the entire time he is talking – so I’m positive he has a crisp, precise memory and a heart full of wisdom.  Yay!

Khenpo mentioned that the Buddha is not like a Christ or a God.  Rather he is just awake to primordial awareness.  The Buddha was not some great, incredible conqueror.  He did not want to be worshipped, he has no agenda, he does not act out if people do not follow him.  He does not mess with causality – only we can bring about the causes of our happiness and suffering.

silly laughter

Back from retreat,

a little girl tells me her version of the Big Bang Theory:

“there was a giant before it all began, and the universe was in the shape of a flea, on the giant’s chest.

the giant flicked it off which caused the Big Bang.  Oh!  And there was a skunk who did not like the giant very much, so he sprayed the sky thinking he could get the giant.  But no, all he did was create the stars.

There were little balls of earth that kept expanding and expanding and that is how we have the Earth and the planets.”

a client gets of the table, spontaneity is in the air, along with potent essential oils:

“Hey!  Look at that!  My handwriting is so much better!  Maybe not entirely grounded… but better!  All right.”  She is in the still point zone.  Please, rest, remain in that space and continue to bring laughter.

Words from Spring Retreat

Not to leave you with a morbid tone there…   I am keeping a detailed journal about my experiences here at the 2010 TMC Spring Retreat which I plan to write down upon my return.  For the moment, things are going very well – I do a little bit of sitting in the morning, then I head up the mountain to the center by 9 am.  Khenchen has been teaching and will continue to do so throughout this week (we are very fortunate!) and Khenpo Chophel has been teaching on the Gong Chik in the afternoons.  It is my intention to attend most of the teachings and to be of as much service as possible – while to also listen to my body / mind and practice self care when appropriate. 

Khenchen gave an answer yesterday, to a question that was not exactly on topic.  But it was still incredible nonetheless!  Someone asked him, “at work, my colleagues are very competitive and it is difficult not to get caught up in this energy.  What would you recommend me do?”  Khenchen answered, “you must compete…  <wait for it!>  You must be in a competition to see if you can have more Bodhicitta than anyone else.”  Wow – talk about an unexpected answer  🙂

There will be more such stories when I return next week.  Thank you for reading.

Tibetan and Buddhism filled summer, small poem

Hello and thank you very much for reading.

Recently, I have been feeling a strong urge to rest down – I have been enjoying bicycling, reading and spending time with a new arrival – “Uma,” a feline friend.  I am still kind of active in the local Buddhist Sangha but I’m feeling a deep need to discover quiet spaces.  This could be because of what I have coming up – twelve days of Buddhist teachings at the Tibetan Meditation Center, then home for a few days before the Tibetan Summer Language Intensive starts.  I’m excited about that – two years worth of Tibetan language in two months.  Whoa!  Thank goodness I already have a little Tibetan (Bod Skad) under my belt.  As a result however, I suspect I might have a quiet couple of months – June and July – where it will be challenging for me to post much.  I am working on some drafts at present, but if you don’t hear from me soon, I wish you a happy, fruitful and inner coolness filled summer!

On a recent bike adventure, I sat and took a break across from a little country cemetery.  This macabre poem arose:

I stand, a sentinel, against

sky vast and open, azure

gazing out across lonely graves

voluptuous muscle cars vroom by

a steady stream of bikers buzz across my view

one sees me, stops

another day; here I am

guarding worms and maggots

I, refuge for flesh eater and corpse alike

Biodynamic Craniosacral – Our Innate Healing Plan

This material is copyrighted by Kirby Moore.  Reproduction without permission is prohibited.  To support my business and blogging efforts, please visit my website. More recently, I have begun teaching Astrology classes on Trauma-Informed Astrology, see http://www.traumainformedastrology.com for more! Thank you for visiting!

I had a new thought recently as I was working with a client.  I realized that everything I have learned regarding Craniosacral Therapy – protocols, techniques, etc – is fluid and should not be thought as being etched in stone.  What I mean is that my teachers taught in the best way they could and in a manner in which I could conceptually understand, and I am very grateful for them, holding them with deep respect.  However, it is only when we begin to practice and filter all of what we learned through our own experiences and perception, that we begin to realize those protocols are simply a road map.  They are not “THE” answer, rather they are one possible solution to get results.

I say this because individuals are so unique.  Sometimes I will have a client who wants more traction (when I drop in techniques from Zero Balancing for instance), so much traction that I am not able to provide enough – very rare but it has happened.  Then I will have another client for whom, say (arbitrarily), 10 lbs – not much when it comes to the legs – is too much.  And occasionally, to really throw a wrench in the works, the same client who wanted more space in their last session will now want much more contact and containment.  Therefore, as practitioners we must always be alert and listening, ready to change gears when it is requested of us – whether clients verbally articulate it or whether we feel something change under our hands.

We cannot rely on a checklist, rather we must listen and provide spacious presence to the client’s system in such a way that they feel safe, comfortable and relax with ease.  Then when we are ready and when their system is ready we can listen for their body’s unique healing plan and we can connect with that level of their being.  We can at this point, and possibly even should, ask “what is needed right now?”  “Now that you have dropped some of your typical patterns of holding and compensating, what would be of most benefit to you right now?”  “Please show me what you need.”  These questions are good starting points – and the last request is a great intention to set – because a powerful intention, when grounded in knowledgeable skillfulness and the wisdom of experience, often produces powerful results.  We must realize that everyone has an innate healing awareness, their own personal healing plan, and the ability to unwind and re-organize on their own.  This personal healing plan or innate healing wisdom which we all have is a vital piece.

We must let go of the (arrogant) thoughts that say, “Oh – look at what I have learned.  Look at my degree!  Look at how many years I was in school.  I am certified with hundreds of hours under my belt!  I know the ANSWER!”  Dear Lord!  This is erroneous and I believe this is one of the primary reasons people do not receive lasting results (when that unfortunate scenario occurs).  It is because someone else is trying to push the client / patient’s system to heal ahead of time.  Or the practitioner is so focused on relying on their own knowledge that they do not have the space (or compassion or wisdom) to listen to the client’s system or body.  And unfortunately, when this last scenario occurs, the client’s body has just shied away from the practitioner’s cold, judgmental gaze – and how can any lasting healing occur when at some level, the client does not feel safe with the practitioner – no matter what letters are after their name?

We must learn to drop the part of ourselves that diagnose, that judge, that says, “Oh look at you!  There is something wrong with you and I know what that is!  In fact, I can heal you.”  Bullshit.  Nothing is further from the truth.  Get off your high horse before you hurt somebody!  Get with the program and drop that old, derogatory story.  It is then, and only then that you will start to notice people getting up off the table saying, “Wow!  I don’t know what you did, but I feel so much better…”  When in actuality, it was their system that told me where to put the fulcrum, and besides that, all I did was hold space and awareness as they re-organized around a fulcrum.  So it is imperative(!) – we must listen for the client’s innate healing plan.  (See footnote at the bottom.)

It is at this point that we become a part of the solution, a fulcrum around which their system re-organizes and re-orients.  And it is only at this point that true, lasting healing occurs.  When I have the thought “I know what they need,” which of course is now a major red flag, when this monstrous thought wanders across my serene mental landscape I pause and check in, remembering I don’t actually do anything without their body’s permission and direction.  Because I could unwind someone’s jaw all day long – but if they are not ready to process the consciousness that is stored in that particular pattern, whatever is manifesting will never shift, repair or heal.  However, if they are ready, and if, after listening, I am drawn to work with their jaw, in a gentle, patient manner, then it might feel like butter melting under my hands and the issue could potentially dissolve in a few seconds.  Where on the other hand, if I “know” that they need something unwound, and I do not wait for their body to relax and drop its conditioned patterns of holding and compensation, it could take many minutes to TRY to unwind it, and it still might be fraught with tension (which is a lot of effort for no result – a disappointing proposition indeed).

There is a gift in waiting and listening – allowing the organic process to take effect.  This organic process can happen faster and faster if you maintain a [“hands off, I just listen, I just work with your system, I am not a healer, I do not actually fix anything that is not ready to go ahead of time”] attitude and continuously hold this kindhearted space.  Then client’s bodies feel your compassionate presence and move into a healing-receptive state with ease and grace.  It is at this point that you start to become a healing fulcrum just by being present. This takes time – do not go into a workshop saying, “You know, I’m ready to heal others right now.  I’m going to come out of my first (or second… or fifteenth) class and just heal the world.”  Baby steps.  Go slow, do a little and rest.  Learn a little more and rest and integrate.  Be gentle.  Then it sticks.  And it might not be until way down the road that you feel confident and wise with experience.  There is a saying among my bodywork teachers: “When you touch 1,000 bodies, then you will have your answers.”  That is a lot of bodies to get your hands on.  But I think what this means is to trust that the process will take a long, long time to evolve and integrate.  But it will happen if you apply a gentle yet persistent work ethic.

Remember, less is better than more.  “We can never go too deep – only too fast” a timely quote by Hugh Milne.  And for goodness sake, relax your awareness, identify your stories and then let them go.

Becoming a gifted healing facilitator is an incredible journey.  And we cannot arrive at that destination without doing profound work on ourselves.  Providing expert healing facilitation for others and doing great work on ourselves goes hand-in-hand.  And please keep in mind that the journey is the most delicious part.

Footnote: There are times when we are in such a state of crisis or trauma that taking the time to listen is absurd.  That is the beauty of Western medicine – when there is a bone sticking out of someone’s arm, there is no time to waste.  I feel Western medicine does a fabulous job with acute issues, injury and disease.  However, it is the non-life-threatening material that could use more of a compassionate touch.

This was hastily written by M. Kirby Moore, an ordinary human being, on May 14th, 2010.

retreat gourmet, hung bazra phai

This material is copyrighted by Kirby Moore.  Reproduction without permission is prohibited.  To support my business and blogging efforts, please visit my website. More recently, I have begun teaching Astrology classes on Trauma-Informed Astrology, see http://www.traumainformedastrology.com for more! Thank you for visiting!

I just returned from a little weekend retreat at the Lama House of the Tibetan Meditation Center of Frederick Maryland (TMC).  To provide a little background info, briefly, I am presently experiencing bodily resistance when it comes to deepening my meditation practice (to say the least), so…  I was very happy to be a retreat cook.  What this means – bodily resistance – is that I notice discomfort and tension in my neck when I do any kind of Vajrayana practice (deity yoga) and I am taking it easy for the time being, or to be more specific, I am practicing patience as these obstacles dissolve.

These events are called PDL retreats because the retreat center is the Phuntsok Darjye Ling, which is associated with the TMC.  This weekend there was a Vajrapani retreat happening, and when the email went out that they needed a cook, I jumped for it.  Drupon Thinley Ningpo led the weekend retreat.

I have never done Vajrapani practice before, which means I have not received that blessing ceremony (initiation).  But it was okay, due to Drupon giving us a lung or transmission to start things off Saturday morning.  Vajrapani is purportedly a very potent practice, and I have heard Lamas warn people to wait until they are ready to practice Vajrapani – that they should start with a gentler practice like Green Tara or Chenrezig for instance.  But I do not want to put words in their mouths.  Vajrapani is one of the three Lords of the Dharma (I think I am saying that correctly), along with Chenrezig and Manjushri.  While Manjushri is associated with wisdom and the head, and Chenrezig with compassion and the heart, Vajrapani is associated with potency or energy and the pelvis – the three main centers of the body – head heart pelvis equate to wisdom and mind, compassion and loving-kindness, and creativity and potency.

The woman who I was to assist said that she was under a bit of stress in her life, plus she had an hour drive to get to Frederick each day.  So I told her to come in a little later in the mornings – leaving me to start things off.  Oh – and she also did all the planning and grocery shopping.

While the fifteen or so retreatants were downstairs in the shrine room doing the practice, and gaining merit for all sentient beings (including the cooks), we were upstairs chopping and boiling and stewing.  Saturday morning I made blueberry pancakes for the first time.  Yum!  They turned out pretty well, however, I think it is important to spread out the blueberries – when they bunch up, the pancakes tend to fall apart.  But they were very tasty.

Then, for Saturday lunch, we made curried chick peas.  This is definitely an Indian-type of dish, as cumin, turmeric, coriander and other spices went in, along with onions and tomatoes.  It was a big hit.  One of the retreatants is a Spanish professor, and she mentioned that a Spanish poet wrote an essay about chick peas – talking about “golden nuggest of bliss and delight.”  For dinner we stir fried veggies and then we had to come up with a peanut sauce on the fly.  It is amazing what manifests when peanut butter, hot sauce, rice wine vinegar, tamari and coconut milk come together!  Oh – and I fried tofu.  Fun with bean curd.

Sunday breakfast was pretty normal, but then we spent the entire morning prepping for lunch – which was Thai food that neither of us had cooked before.  And believe it or not, this was actually not a recipe for disaster!  Hehe.  We made a Thai mushroom / lemongrass soup which had many ingredients – the only issue there was that we tried to convert the ingredients from a recipe for two people to sixteen people and we ended up with three times too much food – needless to say we had leftovers.  We also made Thai spring rolls and a salad.  All in all I think the retreat went remarkably well and in this case, I’d say the retreatants had something to look forward to on their breaks.  In fact, they may have been reluctant to leave the kitchen / dining room to go back down and practice – oops! Middle way? (have good food, but not so good that they are developing new attachment and huge desire for it? not sure what the right “recipe” is here…)

I dedicate any merit we may have accumulated to all sentient beings.  May all beings know the potent purity of spiritual practice and realize their natural state!