On Sunday morning, October 12, 2025, we hosted our annual Autumn Silent Simplicty Retreat at the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies, Wesleyan University, in beautiful Middletown, Connecticut. It was 2.5 hours of listening and quiet sitting (zazen) and walking (kinhin) meditation, lead by our guiding Dharma Teacher, Rev. G.R. Lewis. The retreat started…
Posts by G. R. Lewis (Page 2)
“To live as a Buddhist is not to wear doctrine but to embody dharma, in speech, mind, and deed.” To live as a Buddhist is not to collect doctrines, wear labels, or decorate ourselves with symbols. Rather, it is to let the teachings of the Buddha become flesh and blood in our daily lives. In…
This is a short article by Dharma Teacher G.R. Lewis who explores “Let your life be the teaching luminous, ordinary, and free.”
Our field trip to the Tibetan Cultural Festival 2025 in Redding, Connecticut was awesome. From eating traditional momos (dumplings) with fried rice, and drinking warm traditional butter and sweet teas to shopping for unique Tibetan items in the market place, watching the animal blessing, listening to the monks from Tibetan and Theravada traditions chant ancient…
This morning’s Mindful Bike Ride experience along the beautiful Hop River Trail was such a refreshing experience! The weather was perfect. A heartfelt thank you to Ruth for the wonderful ride, her thoughtful exchange truly enriched the journey. Grateful for the peaceful moments and connection found on two wheels today. Here’s to more mindful journeys…
This morning a few of us enjoyed a peaceful outdoor meditative experience under an ancient elm tree at the Wethersfield Green, in historic Old Wethersfield, Connecticut on August 24, 2025 We enjoyed a peaceful 30-minute seated meditation under the the open summer sky, surrounded by the shade of trees and the spacious green. This mindfulness…
Our very first Mindful Bike Ride was a success. We had a few a participants and all had a wonderful time yesterday biking from Farmington to Simsbury on July 25, 2025. Along the way, we stop at Small State Provisions in Avon for refreshing iced matcha, coffee, and croissants. Then, while in Simsbury, we had…
Our visit to the majestic Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, NY was truly memorable. The serene grounds and towering Buddha statue inspired a deep sense of peace. We were warmly welcomed and gifted a generous number of free books to take home and enjoy. The highlight for many was the traditional vegetarian Chinese meal —…
“There is no path to awakening that does not pass through the simple act of being fully here, now.” In Buddhism, awakening is not a distant goal found only in monastic isolation or after years of abstract study—it begins and ends in the immediacy of our present experience. The quote, “There is no path to…
Embrace the warmth of summer with mindful presence, deep reflection, and a journey toward inner peace July 27, 2025 – 9 – 11:30 a.m. Pre-registration is required: Enrollment to be open until July 25. (Look for Early Bird Discount Code) Our 2.5 hour mid-summer morning Silent Simplicity Mindfulness Retreat will include: basic sitting meditation instruction, conscious breathing, quiet sitting…