International Western Dharma Teachers Gathering

Simon Child and Fiona Nuttall attended the International Western Dharma Teachers Gathering at Omega Institute, Rhinebeck NY, USA, June 1-5 2015. This was a 4-year follow-up to a similar meeting at Garrison NY in 2011.

Nearly 200 teachers attended, with many traditions represented. The majority of those attending were American, but there were 33 teachers from 9 European countries and also some from Canada, Colombia, and New Zealand.

Our formal programme addressed topics such as inquiry in meditation, diversity issues, climate change, and secular mindfulness. These took the form of both large group presentations and plenaries as well as exercises and small group work. In addition, on two afternoons we were spoiled for choice by there being more than a dozen parallel workshops offered by participants on a wide range of topics. On the first of these afternoons I attended a session on 'Insight Dialogue', a communication exercise arising from the Vipassana tradition which overlaps in intention and experience with the communication exercise used on our Western Zen Retreats. On the second occasion I attended a session on mindfulness-based approach to chronic pain. 

The evenings were full too. On the first evening David Loy presented his views on how social justice and Dharma practice each need the other, developed further in his latest book A New Buddhist Path. The second evening offered a Nichiren compassion chanting ritual, and the third evening an impromptu 'open mind open microphone' evening with poems, songs, jokes, skits and more, offered by various of the teachers present.

An important aspect of such conferences is the networking outside of the main programme, where contacts with other teachers and other traditions are made or renewed, and stories and ideas are exchanged, and there was plenty of opportunity for this at mealtimes and breaks.

Photo courtesy of Kamalashila. Simon and Fiona are on the right of the photo, seated on chairs. The grey-robed monastic in the foreground is Chang Wu Fashi, director of the DDM Vancouver centre, and behind her is Chang Xuang Fashi. Two other DDM monastics also attended, as did Rebecca Li who assisted Simon in leading a 10-day Silent Illumination Retreat at Dharma Drum retreat centre immediately preceding the conference. David Loy is seen at far-left, wearing a red jacket.