Lotus Petal weekend retreat at Quietude

“Be like the lotus: trust in the light; grow through the dirt; believe in new beginnings.” --unknown

Quietude: “A state of stillness, calmness and quiet in a person or place.”

Our Venue: Quietude (www.quietudenow.com) is a retreat center dedicated to the cultivation of mindfulness and the inner life, providing a container for awareness, introspection, and personal development. Hosted by Richard and Elizabeth Garzarelli, Quietude is rooted in the understanding that we all benefit from periodically taking time out from our day-to-day routines and responsibilities. Situated twenty minutes from Asheville N.C., the lodge and cabins at Quietude are punctuated by the sound of a running stream and surrounded by the magic of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Judith Toy is back! Having hosted Sangha practice for 17 years in Black Mountain and six years in New Hope Pennsylvania in the 90’s, Judith and her late husband Philip Toy facilitated the well-attended Cloud Cottage Community of Mindful Living. After his passing and after six plus years in the Appalachian wilderness of East Tennessee, she is newly married to Daniel Feeser and chomping at the bit to teach in her old hometown! Judith has been a Zen student since the early ‘90’s and was ordained in 1997 by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh with the Dharma Name True Door of Peace. She continues to guide online practice with her friend and Dharma teacher Roger Hawkins, Shikan Sensei. She is mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, author (Murder as a Call to Love), book editor, poet, artist, and world traveler who likes to invite her kid out to play. She is published in two volumes of Shambala’s Best Buddhist Writing, as well as The Mindfulness Bell and many Buddhist and non-Buddhist publications. Two years ago, at age 78, she enjoyed extreme ziplining over the mountains of S. Africa.

Roger Hawkins arrived in 1971 at the San Francisco Zen Center at age 22, just after the passing of the celebrated Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. Having studied for two years with Taizen Maezumi Roshi until his death, Roger received Dharma transmission from Lou Mitsunen Nordstrom Roshi after completing koan work. Roger holds a doctorate in psychology from Antioch University. Combining Zen with psychotherapy throughout the eighties, he addressed the minds of American Buddhist students in his inspiring and gentle way. In 2003, he founded the Broward (FL) Zen Group, now online, where he travels to teach twice a year. He leads three online Sanghas, including Lotus Petal Sangha with Judith. Roger is the author of two books: Great Doubt, The Desire for Self-Inquiry, a text which does “nothing less than carve out a new niche in Western Dharma in short chapters packed with the wisdom of a teacher who cut his eye teeth at San Francisco Zen Center in its glory days,” and Desire for Truth, 241 pages of Hawkins’ poems that tenderly embrace our shared being. 

If you need some quiet time, this retreat is the ticket. Through mindfulness, journaling, and artwork, we offer you a petal of the lotus flower, symbol of enlightenment. This retreat will be held (in Noble Silence) in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Ample time for Dharma sharing in small and large groups. See schedule below for our offerings. Vegan meals with veggie options. Snacks available.

Registration: Tuition $150. We are keeping the tuition low, as Judith and Roger are leading this retreat as an offering. Scholarships available. Full amount due upon registration.

Airbnb options on site: Note: if you live locally, you may need to skip the early morning meditation. We understand. Drop-in’s welcome: $50.

Use 828-669-6000 for Zelle, or mail check payable to:  

Judith Toy, 3252 Deep Draw Drive, Crossville, TN 38555