Dearest Flowering Lotus Sangha Members,
The Board Members of Flowering Lotus Meditation have made the very difficult decision to hold our next retreat online only. We had hoped by this time we would be able to gather again in person for a weekend retreat. Unfortunately we will be pushing that back to a time when we can ensure safety for everyone involved. We would never want to harm anyone by gathering to practice and study the dharma together.
We are extremely grateful for the responsiveness to our in-person retreat interest survey and for signing up to pre-register for an in person retreat. What we are seeing is that we need respite, we need one another, we need practice and the dharma and of course sangha (us being together). We are aware people want and need to get away from home after all this time. We want that too. If any of this resonates with you then please try an online opportunity.
Could you set aside or examine the resistance of this experience? After hosting and attending multiple styles of online practice, we want you to know it helps. It's not the same, of course, but it is still powerful and beneficial. One student who attended last weekend had gone away from home to create a retreat environment for herself elsewhere. We understand this is not ideal but we want to share how others are adapting. We acknowledge that we all are experiencing many different emotions and suffering right now. We are here for you, in this alternate way and we would love for you to join us.
If you are interested in contributing to the dialogue around this and want to be more involved in the leadership/planning roles here at Flowering Lotus Meditation we would love your help and input. Please sign up here : In Person Retreat Team
If you are interested in Flowering Lotus Hosting a daylong event in your city then please sign up here: Daylong Event Team
Please reach out via email if you would like to chat about this.
Deep bows of respect to you all,
Beth Herzig
Interim Board President & Retreat Director
A message from Lisa Ernst, the teacher of our next online retreat
With so many in person retreats cancelled over the past year and a half because of COVID, I knew as a meditation teacher I had two choices: offer retreats online or pause until Covid eased up. I chose the former and have been quite pleased at how connected the groups feel meditating together online multiple times a day. These retreats cultivate a feeling of solidarity and connection in the practice in a way that sitting alone doesn’t.
Online retreats help practitioners relax the barriers between retreat practice and everyday life. As we bring our retreat practice more deeply into our home lives, the penetrating wisdom of the dharma sheds a light on parts of ourselves, and the way we function day to day, which may be obscured otherwise. It opens additional capacity to choose, with compassion and wisdom, a more responsive and aware relationship with ourselves and others. These online retreats also give our nervous systems a badly needed respite from the ups and downs of this very challenging time. I believe online retreat practice is here to stay, even when there are in person options.
With the support of community, a flexible practice schedule and teacher guidance, I hope you’ll join us for this weekend of practice!
Lisa Ernst
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