Inhale – I know there is * in my body.

Exhale – The feeling of * in my body is still there.

Inhale – I turn toward my * and take care of it.

Exhale – My * calms down.

* for Restlessness / Anger / Confusion / Anxiety / Desire / Remorse / .. use your own words.

Ground your body, feel breathing and then connect to what’s underneath. 

Gatha inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh.

from last year‘s silent retreat in ticino.

what expects you: slowing down, space to reflect, feeling this body, being together, sharing clean and deliscious meals, walking in nature, savouring the quiet.

silence allows you to connect much more deeply to the inner and outer landscape. this is a rare opportunity to turn towards what has not been seen and felt and listened to, maybe for a long time.

I save a spot for someone to help me set up the space daily in exchange of reduced tuition. please reach out if this is of interest for you.

may retreat is fully booked – WAITINGLIST!
please consider joining sept 20-24 2023.

Your practice is yours and yours alone. It’s a deeply personal, private experience. Your motivations don’t need to be justified or rationalized. You don’t need to impress your students, your teachers, your peers, or the community. Just follow your own motivation to practice and enjoy yourself. It’s yours.

Jason Crandell

‚When I was in China in the Zen monastery, one time I was reading the sayings of an ancient master. A monk from Szechuan asked me: What’s the use of that? What’s the use of reading?

I said: When I go home, I want to be able to guide people.

The monk asked: What’s the use of that?

I said: For benefiting all sentient beings.

The monk said: In the end, what’s the use of that?

Later I thought about this conversation and realized that studying the sayings and stories of ancient masters and expounding them for deluded people is of no use in awakening ourselves and guiding others.

If you sit and clarify the great matter and understand the essence, the power of this is boundless and awakening others, even without reading one word.

I think that is why the monk said: In the end, what’s the use of that?

So afterward I stopped reading the recorded sayings of old masters and just sat still.‘

– Dogen

From a talk of Michael Stone

towards a mode of being that is less reactive and less dependent on outer conditions. towards a more creative and more caring responsiveness to THIS world in THIS time.

„the knowing through experience is much more profound than the intellectual unterstanding.

allow the understanding to come from experience, it’s the experience that touches us in deep places, it’s that being touched that brings about transformation.

being touched very deeply allows the letting go.“

from a talk of norman feldman.