My second of three 30 day semi-monastic retreats called Ango, ends this Friday morning, August 3, 2018, at 7:00. I will have sat in zazen (meditation) for 280 periods or about 140 hours. I sat every six hours around the clock on the 6's and 12's including midnight. I have met with a dozen or so members of the Atlanta Center, visited our North Carolina retreat center: Watershed, completed a six day sesshin and Annual STO Conference, and attended a day-long Zazenki at the Chattanooga Zen Center. I have studied and/or given talks on a variety of topics as requested by my teacher Taiun-roshi:

1. Way Finding Mind: Bodhicitta

2. Explored our "Chan" Chinese heritage in the 600 and 700 CE.

3. Explored Ehei Dogen Zenji's Question of "Buddha Nature and Practice"

4. Spoken on the concept of Harmony as expressed in Sangha as the "Harmonious Community."

5. Explored The Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra through the works of five authors.

6. Continued exploring the teachings of our founder Matsuoka-roshi looking at his concept of "360 Degrees of Buddha Nature."

7. Explored Taiun Roshi's ideas on the topic of "Regardless," as commentary on his teachers idea of "Everyday is a Good Day."

Ango turned me "Inside Out and Round and Round," a topic I'll explore with everyone when I return to Falmouth on Tuesday August 7, 2018... so be sure to be at our service and Dokusan that night!

Tuesday July 31, Hojo (Abbot) Taiun-roshi will speak to the Sangha from Atlanta at 8:00PM.

Please make an effort to be there for the talk and opportunity to ask questions of Roshi.