Retreat Reports: Other Chan Retreats

We have not always designated a retreat as being for one specific practice alone. The following reports relate to retreats designated simply as “Chan”, and which may have included teaching and practice of general Buddhist meditation as well as of Silent Illumination, Koan (Gongan) or Huatou practice.

The silence becomes very palpable, solid. The quality of experience has been turned up. My koan becomes very distant. What first seemed like a fence,…

This was my first Chan retreat and I was so excited. My life felt calm and stable and I hoped to be able to work through whatever the Universe…

When the plane began to descend on Heathrow I was wondering how I should explain to the immigration officer the purpose of my trip to the UK. Would…

Lurching up the steep approach road to the Maenllwyd, I liked the feel of a cottage tucked up in the hillside - a Zen mountain temple. Perhaps, not so…

I have practised for quite a number of years, receiving help from various people in different traditions. My practice has tended to be erratic,…