On January 11, 2026, practitioners gathered from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. for our Beginning Anew Silent Retreat, held overlooking the serene Shoyoan Teien Zen Garden in Middletown, Connecticut. Participants shared that the retreat offered a meaningful way to begin the new year with intention, clarity, and care. In the closing reflection, many spoke of the…
'Buddhism middletown connecticut' tagged posts
In a World of Division, the Middle Way Late in autumn, as the last leaves had fallen and only a few lingered on the branches above the Shoyoan Teien Zen garden, I found myself speaking words that arose extemporaneously. They were shaped by a reading, the season, and the stillness of that moment. During a…
In the Buddhist path, suffering (dukkha) is often seen as an unavoidable part of life—something each of us meets again and again in different forms. Whether it appears as frustration, loss, or confusion, it often feels like a solid wall blocking our peace. Yet Buddhism teaches that this wall is not as real as it…
Our Sunday morning field trip to Wadsworth Falls in Middletown, Connecticut , on October 19, 2025, was filled with soothing meditation practice next to the beautiful cascade, and the breathtaking beauty of a warm New England autumn. Our gathering began with silent sitting meditation by the magnificient waterfall, enhanced by the faint sizzle of ionized…
“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.”
“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…