IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
As I was thinking about what to write for this introduction I thought a lot about numbers, namely how we use numbers to track the passage of time. Time is named by numbers. Sometimes we even name a group of numbers with an actual name - in the case of this writing and according to the Gregorian calendar, the 24-hours are collectively named “Tuesday”. The collective 28 days this month are called both “February” and “Black History Month”. On the lunisolar calendar, the days comprising twelve new moons will be called Wood Snake.
The last time it was the year of the Wood Snake it was 1965, and we Americans were quite busy - Selma/Montgomery, Harlem, LA, Vietnam, college campuses, space - just to name a few places where we were itching and writhing and snapping at each other in the process of trying to shed old ways of thinking. Sixty years later and we’re still trying to cast off that old skin.
While thinking about numbers, inevitably I thought about the number 0. The origins of the word zero are possibly connected to the word sunya, the root word in sunyata - “emptiness”. When things start to feel heavy, I think of the analogy of sunyata as a net of multi faceted jewels, each jewel being reflected in all the infinite number of jewels. This visual of emptiness is a timely reminder of my commitment as a practitioner to stay engaged with the world, most especially in the process of shedding where a creature is in a most vulnerable state. Since things are not as stable and fixed as I think they are and thus are interconnected, there is spaciousness.
Our friends at Dorje Denma Ling will host a series on The Heart Sutra, which addresses sunyata and the interdependence of everything. Please take a look at this and other offerings from us and our other partner programs.
Al San Valentin
Notes from Bill
We have some new recordings for you this month!
A new podcast episode is up, which is from our mindful gathering discussion on Drala: Listen here
Our most recent mindful gathering with Jacqui Merrell titled "The Unexpected Path" is available to watch here: Video Page Link
Lastly, our registration for the 2025 Wisdom Seat Retreat is now open - check it out below in this newsletter.
take care,
Bill from The Wisdom Seat
Yurt Building Project at Tashi Gatsel Ling
In 2023, The Wisdom Seat, led by Ethan Fox, began working closely with Tashe Gatsel Ling to raise funds for building a monastic yurt for their teacher and spiritual friend, the Venerable Tenzin Dazel and we are pleased and excited to see that our shared efforts are bearing fruit!
Please join The Wisdom Seat in thanking Ethan for his leadership and for those who would like to make a contribution to this inspiring project, please visit Tashe Gatsel Ling’s website.
We would like to remind you to take some time and visit our Instagram page, @wisdomseat_stevemccurry. Here, you will find an array of enlightening teachings and breathtaking images that are bound to inspire and awaken your mind and spirit. We have curated these posts with utmost care and diligence to provide you with a source of inspiration and learning.
We are thrilled about our collaboration with Steve McCurry Studios, a partnership we believe will bridge our communities. Through the combined power of beauty and wisdom, we aim to create deep and meaningful connections among us all. We look forward to your continued support and engagement with our content.
Wednesday Meditation
Ongoing offering: Online meditation every Wednesday evening 6:15 to 7:30 PM EST
Worldwide Wednesday evening online sitting meditation practice.
We, at The Wisdom Seat, invite you to meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:15 – 7:30 PM Eastern Time to practice the sitting meditation discipline as taught in the Buddhist & Shambhala tradition of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Nyinthun: Everyone is welcome!
Ongoing offering: Nyinthun (in-person and online)
The first Sunday of every month.
All day sitting interspersed with walking meditation. The word nyinthun*, is Tibetan for “day session.”
In understanding dharma, Trungpa Rinpoche placed a strong emphasis on mindfulness/awareness meditation practice. This community practice of Nyinthun - all day sitting interspersed with walking meditation - gives us the opportunity to experience the full spectrum of our mind, make friends with our immediate experience and rediscover our natural sanity.
Please take a look, and sign up to join us for some nyinthun retreat days. It is ok to join for as much of the day as you can.
Collaborative practice undertaking with The Wisdom Seat & The Profound Treasury Retreat
The Wisdom Seat encourages as many opportunities for practitioners to engage in the discipline of mindfulness/awareness (shamatha/vipashyana) as one can engage in. We are happy to invite the Profound Treasury Retreat (PTR) with their offering of Sunday sitting.
PTR community is hosting a 2-hour sitting session from 9:30am to 11:30 am EST
There will be meditation instruction every third Sunday of the month, given by a qualified meditation instructor.
Dates: Jan 12th, 19th, & 26th
Here is the Zoom link for this session: Sunday Sitting Zoom Link
All are welcome to attend.
The Wisdom Seat Retreat
October 25 - November 2, 2025
We invite you to join us for this in-person Autumn retreat at the Karma TriyanaDharmachakra monastery in the delightful upstate New York Catskill Mountains. Michael Carroll, cofounder of The Wisdom Seat will be leading this 8-day practice intensive, supported by members of The Wisdom Seat staff. This retreat is designed to help us deepen our mindfulness-awareness meditation and integrate it into our daily life. The retreat will include:
6 - 7 hours of daily shrine room meditation alternating sitting and walking during each session
Breath and body relaxation practices
Outdoor walking meditation
Periodic group meditation instruction
Readings from Buddhist texts
Dharma talks and discussion
Individual meditation instruction upon request
An hour+ of helping hands
Participants will be asked to observe “functional silence” throughout most of the retreat, limiting verbal communication to a minimum.
Vegetarian breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be offered, with access to snacks, coffee, and tea throughout the retreat.
Since the retreat will be limited to 30 participants, those attending will be expected to participate in all 8 days of the retreat.
Local Commuters may participate 8 days or less.
Location: Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
Woodstock, NY
WESTCHESTER MEDITATION CENTER
The WMC Annual Retreat at Garrison Institute
February 7-14, 2025
With Judy Lief and the WMC Senior Teachers
Open to all, and includes a separate track for vajrayana practitioners.
Scholarships are Available!
Meditation is meant to transform our experience not only "on the cushion," but throughout our entire life, encompassing the difficulties of the so-called real world. To do this, we cultivate an attitude of acceptance and imperturbability which is flexible and open, not tight and fixated. This year we will focus on fine-tuning our meditation practice to sustain us in all aspects of our experience, cultivating warmth and openness to bring to a world increasingly in need of those qualities.
The focus of the track for vajrayana students will be on the practice of Mahamudra, supported by studying the wonderful, famous and pithy Song of Mahamudra by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye.
An immersive retreat is a powerful way to settle one’s mind, deepen one’s practice, attune to one’s innate well-being, and open one’s heart. Surrounded by natural beauty and far from the clamor of our busy lives, Garrison Institute offers the ideal environment for contemplative practice.
Philadelphia Shambhala Center
Dying Matters: End of Life Planning for Buddhists
Death is a journey into the unknown. Like any journey, it goes better if you’re prepared.
Sat, February 8th | 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Please join us for an all-day workshop: End Of Life Planning For Buddhists, exploring “Death & Dying: A Guide,” a manual developed by the Philadelphia Shambhala Center.
The Guide is a practical and comprehensive resource, addressing the experience of
dying and death, and the preparations Buddhists might make to ease stress and to
enhance the experience, both for the one who is dying and for those who have the
honor and responsibility of caring for them.
The workshop will provide a survey of the guide, with emphasis on the Spiritual
Directive, clarifying your values and making your wishes known. Workshop activities
and discussions are relevant to Buddhists, as well as their family members, friends,
healthcare workers, chaplains and caregivers.
People of all religious traditions, as well as those who do not follow a particular spiritual path, are welcome.
The workshop fee is $45, which includes morning coffee/tea, and a catered lunch.
Dorje Denma Ling
The Heart Sutra - Everything You Wanted to Know About Buddhism But Were Afraid to Ask
with Pamela Bothwell, Adrienne Chang, Rhea Colmar, Blaire Martin, Daniel Nguyen and Mark Nowakowski
Exploring the Heart of Prajna-Paramita Sutra
Thursdays, February 13 – March 27
This seven-week series offers a profound journey into the teachings of the Heart Sutra, one of the most celebrated and essential texts in Buddhist tradition. Each session will provide an in-depth exploration of key concepts and practices that illuminate the path of wisdom and compassion.
The program is open to all, regardless of prior experience, and is designed to offer insights that are both accessible and transformative.
Each session will be led by experienced practitioners and teachers from our community, creating a supportive and inspiring environment for study, meditation, and dialogue.
“A monk asked, “What is meditation?”
The master said, “It is not meditation.” The monk said, “Why is it not meditation?”
The master said, “It’s alive, it’s alive!””
- Zen Master Chao-chou
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