When: October 17-21, 2012, Wednesday dinner to Sunday lunch

Where: Southern Dharma Retreat Center, Hot Springs, North Carolina (one hour from Asheville).

Retreat Description:
True nature, our intrinsic goodness, is always here, always available, and is unchanged by anything that happens. However, direct experience of true nature is often obscured by the web of beliefs and opinions we hold about how life should be different from the way it is and about how we should be different from the way we are. The “structure” that works to keep true nature masked in this way we call “egocentric, karmic conditioning,” and much about it is known. It operates in patterns and by tactics that can be easily recognized. With sincere practice we can examine every aspect of this structure and free ourselves from it—leaving us with the peace, ease, and expansiveness that is our true nature. We call this the Practice of Conscious Compassionate Awareness.

Join us in an exploration of this practice. The retreat will include workshop sessions, sitting and walking meditation, opportunities for individual guidance, group discussions and, as always, time to enjoy the serenity and beauty of Southern Dharma’s mountain setting. Folks of all levels of meditation experience are welcome.

Please Note:
A digital voice recorder with earphones is required for this retreat. The recorder will be essential to your personal practice during the retreat.

About Southern Dharma Retreat Center
:
Southern Dharma is located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, about one hour northwest of Asheville by car. It is nestled in a secluded hollow on 15 acres within a 135-acre preserve of privately owned forest land adjacent to the Pisgah National Forest. The center provides a comfortable gathering place in a safe and secluded mountain environment removed from the distractions of everyday life.

Justin (Dave) McKay has trained monastically for the past sixteen years and currently serves as a senior monk at the Zen Monastery Peace Center in Murphys, CA. He is a full-time student and teacher of awareness practice. Justine facilitates workshops and retreats at the Monastery and around the country.

Chris Larson has been a lay practitioner with the Zen Monastery Peace Center in Murphys, CA since 1988 and has facilitated workshops and retreats for the past eleven years. He lives with his wife and daughter in Asheville, where he serves as guide for Mountain Zen Practice Center.

Both Chris and Justin have studied extensively with Cheri Huber and practice a unique style of Zen Buddhism that is easily accessible and readily applicable to daily life in western culture.

To register or for more information:
www.southerndharma.org