Boundless Refuge
Dispatch
April 2023
Dear Friend,
I hope this finds you in good health and high spirits!
This email is the first official newsletter of The Boundless Refuge, the practice offering we began last year. This newsletter will be a periodic update on our happenings. I have added you to our mailing list, although you can unsubscribe at the bottom of this email. Welcome.
We are now about three weeks into our second annual spring three-month intensive retreat! I write to you from my little practice meeting cabin overlooking Puget Sound on a crisp and sunny early afternoon while the retreatants here are practicing walking meditation after lunch…
The Second Annual Retreat
This year’s retreat is entitled “Tending the Sacred Fire of Silence and Stillness.” Held in a field of both my own interpretation of the Buddhanature Precepts as well as the traditional Eight Precepts, and in Noble Silence, the annual retreat is centered around an intensive schedule of formal sitting and walking meditation– with a baseline of over 16 hours daily formal meditation as well as conditions supportive to developing deep and continuous mindfulness at all times. The other components of the day include regular meditation instructions and Dharma talks, individual meetings with me, and other practices such as metta, chanting, contemplating aspiration, Pranayama breathwork, and occasional imaginative ceremonies — such as our opening ceremony, where we offered incense and prayers throughout the practice spaces and land to formally bless and begin our retreat. The teachings I’ve offered in the talks and meetings this year have been a combination of direct pointing to our true nature here-and-now supported by classical practices for the development of meditation. Practitioners here are locating which of the many methods is their particular pathway to silence and stillness.
Here is a Dharma talk I gave last night, entitled ‘Buddha Is Now’.
Even in three weeks since lifting off the retreatants here are getting in touch with their deepest intention in this life and wholeheartedly practicing the Eightfold Path. The perfume of the Seven Factors of Awakening – mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy, calm, concentration, and equanimity – is palpable. It is beautiful to witness the people here bloom into greater intimacy and openness with life. While there are peaks, plateaus, and valleys in the unfolding of intensive practice their hearts’ radiant jewel of wisdom and compassion coming forward. Not only will this benefit their own lives but it will also be of great benefit to others.
This second annual retreat will be attended by 12 people (not all here for the full three months; generally about 5 at a time). I want to celebrate our second offering, and especially celebrate that we have offered it in the spirit of Dana, thanks to donations of all sizes from several dozen people. This has been deeply encouraging to everyone involved, and I pray that we are able to continue to operate fully according to Dana — which means no pressure on retreatants here to donate or any intimation of when they donate or how much. For this to be possible we will need to build a wide community of supporters. It is my aspiration to offer this three month retreat fully on a dana basis annually for as many years as I am both able and find this helpful and supportive for our world.
Looking Forward: to 2024 and Beyond
This is our last year when we are able to use my family’s property in the San Juan Islands. Two intriguing possibilities of property have come forward – one on neighboring Orcas island and one near the coast in Northern California – that we are excited about for our 2024 retreat, but neither may work out, so we want to explore other options. The need – for March, April, and May of next year – is for a large and beautiful piece of land where retreatants could camp, with a house large enough to turn into a meditation hall and cooking facilities. Any leads would be most appreciated! I’m sure there are multiple good options and we need your help to make the connections. The plan is to offer next year’s retreat for about 15 people who can come for the full 3 months, with one spot reserved for shorter term retreatants.
This coming year we plan to take steps towards establishing Boundless Refuge as a non-profit — while establishing a fiscal sponsorship in the meantime — and become more “official”, scaling up in size overall. Our core volunteer operations team at present is myself, Tasshin Fogleman, Benjamin (“B.I.”) Haynes, and Peter Xuramitra Park — a group that constantly inspires me. I am proud of the way we are better together than when I was organizing this all on my own. We also will continue to have various other volunteer opportunities, which are a wonderful way to serve the Dharma together. Click here to watch a wonderful video that Stephen Torrence made of us setting up for this year’s retreat!
The Boundless Refuge operates primarily based on close personal relationships and connections, so please do reach out with feedback, ideas, or share this with others who may be interested in sitting a retreat, supporting us, or volunteering. We are deeply appreciative of your support in all forms!
We will be making our website public in early summer with pictures and many of the recorded Dharma talks from this and last year. Nevertheless, you can view a work-in-progress website version now:
www.boundlessness.org | password: boundlesslove
There are lots more pictures on the website from last year’s retreat in the “about” section, as well as team bios, the 2024 application, details on how to make a donation, and other information.
I am excited for Boundless Refuge — what was a seedling is now a little plant — and rather than building a place of mere worship or external refuge, we are attempting to cultivate a garden of spiritual friendship and deep practice that supports people to authentically taste, establish, and integrate the boundless refuge of freedom from greed, hate, and delusion into their lives. With direct practice at the heart of our operation, and supported in tandem with Sila (ethics) and Dana (generosity) I pray a beautiful light emanates from our activity as a gift to all beings.
With love and gratitude,
North