On May 17, 2026, retreatants gathered at Buddhist Faith Fellowship in Middletown, Connecticut for our Silent Simplicity Retreat: Spring Renewal, a peaceful 2.5-hour morning retreat overlooking the beautiful Shōyōan Teien Zen Garden. The retreat focused on quiet sitting and walking meditation, beginning with basic meditation instruction including the traditional Six Points of Posture. During the…
'Thich Nhat Hanh' tagged posts
Why Balance Matters Most of our days are filled with ups and downs, happy one minute, stressed or sad the next. These emotional swings come from how we react to life, often making things harder than they need to be. In Buddhism, balance isn’t about being perfect or emotionless; it’s about finding a stable center…
Love as Our Deepest Nature In the Buddhist tradition, it is said that a future Buddha will appear in this world, known as Maitreya Buddha, the Buddha of Love. The historical Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha, foretold that this Buddha would arise far in the future, thousands of years from now, when the Dharma has faded from…
On Saturday evening, March 14, 2026, the Zen Garden Sound Bath: A Deep Rest & Healing Experience offered a peaceful and memorable gathering as participants came together at the Buddhist Faith Fellowship in Middletown, Connecticut to relax, reflect, and immerse themselves in the restorative power of sound. As guests arrived, many paused to gaze out…
Why Habits Matter Most of our life is lived through habit. We wake up the same way, think the same thoughts, react in familiar patterns, and move through the world on well-worn tracks. Habits give structure to life, but they also quietly shape who we become. In Buddhism, habits are not merely psychological tendencies. They…
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…
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…
Awakening unfolds as we orient ourselves through view, rest in awareness through meditation, and allow wisdom and compassion to express themselves naturally in how we live together. Buddhism is often described as a path of awakening, but at its heart it begins with a simple and compassionate insight: our deepest nature is already whole. Even…
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…
This is a short article by Dharma Teacher G.R. Lewis who explores “Let your life be the teaching luminous, ordinary, and free.”