Retreat Reports: Other Retreats

Not all of our retreats have been Chan retreats. John Crook was authorised to teach Tibetan Mahamudra, and from time we have hosted outside teachers from other traditions.

A cup of tea

heatwave
only the butterflies
still busy

I am a chatterer, verbalising everything in my head all the time, keeping a running commentary going and…

Calligraphy for the character Chan

Extracts from a report on the Silent Illumination retreat of February 2015.

Thursday

Simon gives another amazing, and uncannily accurate, Dharma…

Calligraphy for the character Chan

Silent Illumination retreat report

I arrived to the retreat ill. Nothing really serious, just a sore throat and runny nose, but still I was a bit…

Read more of Rephrasing and Asking

Published: 2013-10-25 Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 2013 , Silent Illumination Retreat Reports , Anon

Calligraphy for the character Chan

A Silent Illumination retreat report

Similar to my last retreats I shifted pretty fast into the retreat modus, where thoughts are kept in the…

Read more of Experience

Published: 2013-10-25 Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 2013 , Silent Illumination Retreat Reports , Anon

Calligraphy for the character Chan

The following is a practitioner's report of a silent illumination retreat led by Simon Child from November 20-27, 2010. As is the custom, the…

Read more of Seeing the Mountain

Published: 2012-09-15 Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 2010 , Anon , Silent Illumination Retreat Reports

Calligraphy for the character Chan

I’m not quite sure why it has taken me until now to write this report, nor why I have decided this moment to do it. Maybe it will become clear as I…

Read more of Clarity and Confusion

Published: 2011-12-15 Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 2011 , Anon , Silent Illumination Retreat Reports

Calligraphy for the character Chan

The context for attending this retreat feels important. It was the first retreat I had sat as a participant for 2 years - I had acted as Guestmaster…

Read more of Seeing the Wonder

Published: 2006-04-15 Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 2006 , Anon , Silent Illumination Retreat Reports

Calligraphy for the character Chan

Twenty-four of us talked about ourselves, why we had come and our hopes for the coming week. 'Coming home' was a theme for many. My struggles on three…

Read more of So Much More Fun

Published: 1999-06-30 Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 1999 , Anon , Silent Illumination Retreat Reports

Calligraphy for the character Chan

This was the first occasion I had been at the Maenllwyd and from the start it had a magical feel to it - like entering a different time and space.…

Calligraphy for the character Chan

On the first evening John told us that he was going to teach silent illumination. This is a method that I have felt affinity for, and have begun to…

Read more of All Things are Teachers

Published: 1994-06-30 Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 1994 , Anon , Silent Illumination Retreat Reports

Calligraphy for the character Chan

I cannot write in hindsight, yet three days after the Retreat ending I am still in it, with a deep sense of calm and sitting sessions that pass…

Read more of The Little Nun

Published: 1993-04-30 Western Chan Fellowship CIO

Categories: 1993 , Anon , Silent Illumination Retreat Reports

It felt such a privilege to be attending the retreat with Shifu. I couldn't make the effort to go to New York, but he had come here! And yet a retreat…

Retreats

View Whole Programme