For the many

The Heart, a Home

"The Heart, a Home" is my outreach in group settings: retreats, meditations, spiritual talks, and more...

Why "The Heart, a Home"? All efforts at seeking are but echoes of a longing for home. That home is often sought "out there", but "out there" only exists to point us inward, to the truest home of all that is one's own heart. My offerings are meant for just this: To bring my listeners and participants back to that sacred place that has always been theirs, and which, once found, can never be taken away.

Retreats

Retreats remind us that there is no substitute for "time set apart". We see this in the life of Jesus and all of the great saints and sages across traditions: the sine qua non of spacious time and silent encounter. Retreat themes are derived from the ancient Christian and/or Indian traditions, and tend to be quite broad in their appeal to people of different paths, or of no defined path at all. Retreats may include spiritual talks, opportunity for one-on-one conversation and guidance, meditation, guided reflections, and group satsangs or sharing.

Meditations

"Meditation" has many connotations across spiritual traditions. It is a contemplative deepening through which we connect in a more intimate and direct way with the "Sweet Absolute", and come to know our own selves more deeply. Meditation sessions are an encounter, not an exercise, and they can range from robustly and systematically guided to very silent and still. Context, request, and the needs of the group determine how we proceed.

Spiritual Talks

A "spiritual talk" or conference serves as food for thought, prayer, and meditation. I offer spiritual talks as a contemplative precursor to guided and silent meditations, and generally follow with "satsang"— group dialogue, questions, answers, and explorations of the spiritual life.

Days of Recollection

A "day of recollection" is essentially a day-retreat. Its foundation is silence, which is ridden like a wave as we rise to the surface together throughout the day in intervals: spiritual talks, opportunity for one-on-one conversation and guidance, meditation, and guided reflections are all part of these days.

Satsangs

"Satsang" means keeping company with good people; in a yet higher understanding it can mean association with Ultimate Reality. Both are true and operative when "two or more are gathered" (Mat. 18:20) for the purposes of seeking Truth and living Love, by whatever name. Satsangs are intentional group conversations in which the deeper questions and experiences of our lives can be shared and explored.

Fees and charges

As befitting a monk's life, I subsist on donations. All aspects of my service are mutually shared expressions of a Truth that has no price, and so I do not charge for my retreats, talks, and other group offerings. Donations may be given at the event itself, or through PayPal or Venmo via sahajaministries@gmail.com (for Zelle, I use a different address which I am happy to provide upon request).