Photo Credit: “Getting Ready ” by Jiaoyuan Qian Yue 2015
The holy Way for the Spiritual Refugee
A Single Thread is pleased to offer an online retreat, “The holy Way for Spiritual Refugees.” It begins on
February 10th and ends on March 27th. This retreat is a contemplative Zen practice. It is open to anyone who seeks to trust the Way by purifying all the tendencies to fabricate.
In order to taste the benefits of the Dharma we need to commit time and effort to be silent, solitary and still. The basic work is to study the self delusion in good measure with the teachings of Dharma.
“… the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
There is a cost! When we trust our fortune, when we persevere, we climb to higher ground where everything is clear.
Through effort, vigilance, restraint, and self-control, the wise person can become an island no flood will overwhelm. The Dhammapada2:25
The commitment is much like starting a fire by rubbing sticks together. We rub our mind against the Dharma in order for a spark to form and light to illuminate. We must be vigilant and restrain our sensual desires to run off after anything else; we must use our self-control to persevere in the work. We don’t waste time. We practice continuously.
The teachings of the Dharma all have the same sound. It is the sound of the high bird that waits for us to hear and practice the Way to cease from suffering.
The Dharma is not packaged, processed or possessed. It is as great as the blue sky and as flowing as the vast ocean. It flows across barriers and leaves no trace. It is all one cloth. www.asinglethread.net/all-one-cloth/
If you are interested in the retreat, please use the link on the HOME page to send us an e-mail. Thank you.