Long retreat is a test of the Dzogchen proposition that genuine happiness is a process of subtraction
On December 1, 2020 I will begin the first of a series of long meditation retreats at Miyo Samten Ling, the newly opened international headquarters of the Center for Contemplative Research in Crestone, Colorado.
I will go into my cabin, let the activities and identities that have accreted over a lifetime gradually become irrelevant, and use a rigorous, time-tested system of meditation to closely observe the habits of perception that underlie them all.
I have been working since June 2020 with other volunteers to transform this former Carmelite hermitage on 110 acres at the foot of the 14,000-foot peaks of the Sangre de Cristo range into an ideal home for long-term meditators.
I will be serving as a resident teacher for the first group of 11 dedicated meditators who will for months and years be working in solitude toward achieving Shamatha, a rare state of single-pointed attention essential for making progress toward the realizations and capacities demonstrated by centuries of legendary Buddhist adepts.
One of the unique elements of this long-term retreat at Miyo Samten Ling will be our collaboration with scientists conducting longitudinal studies of the mental and physical changes associated with progress in these practices. For a description of the potential impacts of this research to spark a renaissance in the mind sciences and to support a paradigm shift at the leading edge of physics, see the article I wrote for the local newspaper.
My plan for the foreseeable future is to spend most of the year in retreat while contributing a few months each year to help guide the development and expansion of Miyo Samten Ling. I will also travel once a year to lead retreats in places where I have established relationships.
Many of you have asked how you can help support my retreat. We retreaters will be contributing to the operating expenses of Miyo Samten Ling and I am trying to raise $1500 a month in recurring donations to cover my contribution and expenses. If I am able to raise more than $1500 per month, I will donate the balance to support other retreaters here who don’t have the network of benefactors that I do.
Make a donation.
If you can afford to help, your recurring donation of $25, $50, $100 or more will be an investment in my progress on the path, which I hope to share with you through podcasts and live retreats. The button below will redirect you to a secure PayPal site where you can use your card.
