I am very grateful to have been able to stay at the monastery. One of the teachers at Insight Santa Cruz suggested it and it was perfect to visit near the start of my trip.
For my visit, I accidentally showed up a day early (got ahead of my schedule without realizing) and arrived on a day off. After some confusion, I ended up getting to join in on a jam session and then an outing to check out the fireworks for the 4th - all unexpected but fun.
It was also great to then get to participate in the normal schedule of meditation and work practice (though I was a bit over-zealous when gardening and did not do my back any favors). We had a great talk from one of the visiting teachers and I was impressed with how self-aware and articulate people were in discussions. I was happy to get to sit with the group and overall really appreciated the visit.
People:
Kisei (pictured in front of the evening sky) - Kisei is training to be a monastic. She's 29 and has lived at the monastery for four-and-a-half years. Kisei recently made a commitment to be at the monastery for another five years. She seemed stoked and positive every time I saw her. Kisei is also a fantastic dancer (see jam session photos).
Louise (pictured in front of her camper van, holding the neat peace rock that she gave me) - Louise teaches qi gong exercises and healthy eating on cruise ships. She was visiting the monastery for a week and has traveled all over. She is coming on 15 years living out of a camper van(15!). Louise had planned to do so for about 2-3 years and enjoyed it so much that she has continued to do so. We had fun discussions about camper van living (her van is set up really well - way better than my VW camper) and adventures.
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