Last weekend I visited a relatively new forest retreat center called Liberation Park in Norwalk, Wisconsin. This is run by Santikaro (formerly Santikaro Bhikkhu, long-time student of and translator for the famous Thai monk Buddhadasa Bhikkhu). Santikaro lived in Buddhadasa's monastery, Suan Mokkh (which in English means liberation park) for many years and has come to the U.S. to implement this forest monastery/retreat center model.
Liberation Park is open for retreatants and volunteer labor. So if you are in the area and looking to gain some merit, check out the website and Santikaro's blog.
Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor tradition; nor rumor; nor what is in a scripture; nor surmise; nor axiom; nor specious reasoning; nor bias towards one’s beliefs; nor upon another's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, 'The monk is our teacher.' When you yourselves know: 'These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness,' enter on and abide in them.
I stopped by to comment on the Four Corners post. Did you decide to take it down? It showed up in my Reader this morning. I was just going to say that I grew up in AZ so I was pretty aware of the Four Corners, and as a kid I was always pretty indignant about it - it's not a REAL LINE, people, get over it! Maybe it was one of those mini-formative experiences preparing me for Buddhist philosophy. :) (Thanks for this post as well; I forwarded it to a friend who lives in the area.)
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