Events

The Wonders of Silence, a weekend Zen retreat October 4 through 6 will take place at Quietude in Black Mountain. Led by Roger Hawkins and Judith Toy.

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wrote that silence is a source of great strength. Quietude Retreat Center along with Lotus Petal Sangha online announce a live in-person retreat opportunity, “The Wonders of Silence,” to be led by Judith Toy and Roger Hawkins at Quietude 1130 Montreat Rd., Black Mountain, NC Friday evening October 4 through Sunday midday October 6. Six meals—vegan with veggie options—are included. Through the medium of silence, retreatants are invited to enter a deep source of peace, power, and tenderness.

Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh said, “All the wonders of life are already here. They’re calling you. If you can listen to them, you will be able to stop running. What you need, what we all need, is silence. Stop the noise in your mind and welcome the wondrous sounds of life. Then you can begin to live…authentically and deeply.”

Dharma talks by Hawkins and Toy will include the Buddhist teachings on silence. They request that participants extend the silence to meals and overnight. It is recommended that retreatants stay on site and turn off their phones or leave in their cars. There will be Saturday and Sunday early morning meditations beginning at 6:00 AM; full participation in the retreat schedule is required. No walk-ins. Registration form shows Airb&b possibilities on site. This is a rare opportunity for meditators to deepen their meditation and contemplative practice.

For information on how to register, contact Judith Toy, 828-669-6000 or Judith.toy@mail.com.

Having hosted Sangha practice for 17 years in Black Mountain and six years in New Hope Pennsylvania in the 90’s, Judith Toy and her late husband Philip Toy facilitated the well-attended Cloud Cottage Community of Mindful Living in Black Mountain. After his passing and after six plus years in the Appalachian wilderness of East Tennessee, Judith is newly married to Daniel Feeser and looking forward to time with her Black Mountain tribe. Judith has been a Zen student since the early ‘90’s and was ordained in 1997 by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh with the Dharma Name True Door of Peace. She continues to guide online practice with her friend and Dharma teacher Roger Hawkins, Shikan Sensei Monday evenings on Zoom’s Lotus Petal Sangha. She is mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, author (Murder as a Call to Love), book editor, poet, artist, and world traveler who likes to invite her kid out to play. She is published in two volumes of Shambala’s Best Buddhist Writing, as well as her articles as former associate editor of The Mindfulness Bell and many Buddhist and non-Buddhist publications. Two years ago, at age 78, she enjoyed extreme ziplining over the mountains of S. Africa.

Roger Hawkins arrived in 1971 at the San Francisco Zen Center at age 22, just after the passing of the celebrated Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. Having studied for two years with Taizen Maezumi Roshi until his death, Roger received Dharma transmission from Lou Mitsunen Nordstrom Roshi after completing koan work. Roger holds a doctorate in psychology from Antioch University. Combining Zen with psychotherapy throughout the eighties, he addressed the minds of American Buddhist students in his inspiring and gentle way. In 2003, he founded the Broward (FL) Zen Group, now online, where he travels to teach twice a year. He leads three online Sanghas, including Lotus Petal Sangha with Judith. Roger is the author of two books: Great Doubt, The Desire for Self-Inquiry, a text which does “nothing less than carve out a new niche in Western Dharma in short chapters packed with the wisdom of a teacher who cut his eye teeth at San Francisco Zen Center in its glory days,” and Desire for Truth, 241 pages of Hawkins’ poems that tenderly embrace our shared being.

For questions, or to register, contact JudithToy at Judith.toy@mail.com or 828-669-6000. A detailed schedule is provided on the registration form. Tuition is $200, not including overnight stays.