A note from Sarah Bender:
Dear Friends and Companions,
I hope this finds you all well and rolling….with the punches? In the autumn leaves? Both? In Colorado Springs we’ve had a hot, dry, smoky and yet gloriously golden week. Each day the colors are deeper and the light more slanty, the whisper of wind in leaves subtly rougher, like the voice of an older person. Something seems to be waiting to see what happens next.
I’ve just been part of PZI’s fall retreat, Gathering in the Valley, and find myself full of inspiration for our own coming retreat! It’s just two weeks away, and an opportunity to settle deep into this very time and life we are in, let it carry us for a few days as we put down other pursuits and meet this vast moment, with its deep stillness inseparable from its momentum. To touch the heart mind, each of us singly and together.
In the meantime, though, I want to let you know of one insight and change. It’s this: I realized in the retreat that the temple that we create online and with our own homes and our own practice lives are real, and deep, intimate and strong, generous and encouraging. Nothing is lacking; though retreat this way has new challenges, it has new potentials, as well. It’s tiring, but nourishing, like any retreat.
I’ve realized that, to offer the most depth of practice and of connection, we need to make the change to an all-online format. That way, we are all in the same retreat space, and there’s no jumping back and forth either physically or mentally. No one has to spend their pre-retreat weeks dealing with the tricky logistics of being partly outdoors at end of October during covid times, and that’s a plus, but more significantly, I think we’ll have more cohesion and centered presence this way.
This change will let the most people be included in the retreat and the refuge ceremony, will spread the joy and will greatly increase ease of hearing vows. We’ll talk about the logistics soon.
For those of you who have been wondering how you could manage a retreat on Zoom, I have ideas to share with you on that.
And here’s a plea, if you can register very soon, that will greatly facilitate the planning process!
With huge thanks for your big-hearted participation until now and onward,
Sarah
Springs Mountain Sangha Fall Retreat
Wednesday, October 21 through Sunday, October 25
Refuge Ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 24
We have designed the retreat schedule to create a spacious field for your retreat. Minimizing long uninterrupted periods in front of zoom while maintaining elements from our traditional retreat schedule.
For any questions about registration, please contact Brandy Lancaster at BDL0824@gmail.com and for other retreat related questions, please contact Kelly McFarland at S.Kelly.HLS@gmail.com
Retreat Schedule
All times are Mountain Daylight Time
First Evening
7:00 Meditation
Orientation by leaders
Evening Talk
8:50 Four Vows
Middle Days
5:25 Tea in meditation hall
5:30 Early morning meditation
Morning greeting
Work In the Room
7:00 Breakfast Break
9:00 Meditation
9:30 Dharma Talk, Meditation
10:45 Yoga/Movement
11:30 Meditation
12:00 pm Lunch Break
2:00 pm Tea in meditation hall
2:05 Sutra Service (Thursday and Friday)
2:30 Meditation
Work In the room
3:30 Outside walk
4:30 Afternoon Reading
5:00 Supper Break
6:30 Meditation
7:00 Dharma Talk (Except Saturday)
8:30 Retire
Hall will be open all night for anyone who might want to sit later (or earlier)
Saturday Afternoon
Tea in meditation hall
Refuge Ceremony
Long Walk outside
Meditation
Final Morning
5:25 Tea in meditation hall
Meditation
Morning Greeting
6:00 Work In the Room
7:00 Breakfast Break
9:00 Meditation
Work In the Room
~11:00 Closing Ceremony