Faith Gardner
What's Love Got To Do With It?
June 21-24
3 Nights $180 ($90 deposit) Dana
The Buddhists talk of compassion, the Christians of love, and the Greeks had it broken down into all sorts of distinctions. What is this thing/experience/emotion that we aspire to so fervently and seek after so desperately yet have so little control over? We talk of opening our hearts, living from our hearts, speaking from our hearts. In our hearts we want to BE love - free, wide open, light, nothing held back. And yet we are, with almost no exception, held back, tight, and suffering in some way, in some area, on some level. What holds us there?
This retreat offers us the opportunity to discover ourselves through the powerful tool of awareness.
The silence of our retreat environment supports these explorations. But that doesn’t mean our scheduled discussions can’t be lively and forthright. So, come prepared not only to get some good meditation time in (sitting and walking), but also to participate in discussions and exercises designed for you to focus inward and explore whatever is available to you on your spiritual adventure.
This retreat is suited for those new to meditation and first-time retreat goers as well as seasoned practitioners.
Faith Gardner has practiced Buddhist meditation in the Zen tradition for over twenty years, six of them in monastic training. In her uniquely American Zen style, she has led retreats and workshops at Southern Dharma and elsewhere around the country. She now lives in Durham, NC where she is a meditation guide, workshop facilitator, and carpenter.
Here is the daily schedule of the Faith Gardner 2006 Southern Dharma retreat. The 2007 schedule may be different.
7:00 Wake up
7:30 Sitting Meditation
8:00 Eating Meditation
9:00 Siting Meditation
9:30 Awareness Exercise
10:30 Sitting Meditation
12:30 Eating Meditation
3:00 Sitting Meditation
3:30 Working Meditation
5:00 Walking Meditation
5:30 Sitting Meditation
6:00 Eating Meditation
7:30 Group