Creston Zendo

UPCOMING RETREATS

Denkoe - June 13 - 18

This is the last retreat at the Creston Zendo until the Fall Training Term. It inlcudes meditation and writing practice. Denkoe is a retreat that honours the lineage of teachers through which the teachings have been preserved from 5th Century AD to the present day. This retreat will be focused on the Women's Lineage that began with the Historical Buddha's step mother, was continued by the women of China and Japan and which is now being, for the first time in Buddhist History, recognized in various North American Sanghas.
Cost: Sliding Scale ($250 - $400) Includes food and a place to sleep.

Writing Home: Kootenay Lake Annual Summer Writing Retreat August 19-August 24, 2012.
Armstrong Farm Boswell, BC and Zen Hermitage

The Kootenay Lake Writing retreat is designed to nourish you -- body mind and soul -- and to take your writing to the next level. Daily writing classes take place at an eighty-acre heritage farm on pristinely beautiful Kootenay Lake. The Armstrong Farm and the Zen Hermitage will deepen, inspire, support, and refine your writing life.

Experience the joy of writing in a small and deeply supportive setting.
Nourish your body with sumptuous meals.
Designed for beginners and experienced writers and meditators alike.
Farm fresh food will form a large part of the menu.
Private sandy beach, canoes, swimming, fishing and hiking available.

Wednesday evening will be a literary reading with invited guests

Instructors
Luanne Armstrong, MFA, PhD, is an award winning novelist, editor, and teacher. Luanne is the author of eighteen books, including a memoir, novels, and children’s books. She is an adjunct professor of Creative Writing, teaching online for the University of British Columbia low residency MFA Creative Writing program, where she teaches Creative Nonfiction, and Teaching Creative Writing. She mentors many writers on an ongoing basis. Currently Luanne lives on her organic heritage family farm in the Kootenay region of BC.
Kuya Minogue, MA, MEd has been teaching Zen practice since 1989 and writing practice since 2003. She has studied with Natalie Goldberg, founder of Zen Writing Practice and author of the Zen Writing Practice primer, Writing Down the Bones. She is resident teacher at Creston Zendo, an independent Zen Centre in the Soto Zen tradition.
Accommodation: Tenting spaces with picnic tables and fireplaces. Campsites are level, beside the lake and accessible by car. Small trailers are also available. There is a charming motel nearby. Beds available in the farm house and in the Zen Hermitage. High speed Wi Fi is available in the main house. The retreat class is limited to twelve members but individuals who would like guidance from Luanne for their writing, or who would like guidance from Kuya for a private Zen Writing Practice retreat can also be accommodated.
Registration: $400 - $450 depending on lodging choice. (includes instruction, meals, one-on-one sessions) Email luannearmstrong@wynndel.ca or call 250-223-8203.

Please let the organizers know of any dietary issues. Each meal will have a vegetarian option.