Often when we begin meditating, we have a good practice, but after a few years, we struggle not to be caught up in our habitual thinking and find that our meditation seems to become more superficial. In the Zen tradition, it is said that we should always keep a “beginner’s mind.” On this silent meditation retreat, we will be looking at ways to recapture our natural curiosity and openness, understanding that it is this state of beginner’s mind that is meditation—rather than simply a method of meditating.

Through periods of stillness, simple teachings, and spacious practice, we will explore how to let go of striving and reconnect with the heart of meditation itself: a direct, open awareness of each moment, just as it is. In this way, meditation becomes less about achieving something and more about resting in the natural clarity, warmth, and ease that are already here.