Wilderness Retreat 2011

We’re back at Panther Branch after 3 wonderful days in the Smokies, with fresh energy, stronger Sangha connections, and some great memories! We also have photos to share. So if you’re interested, read on . . .

Find us in the wild

A number of people have expressed interest in visiting our Wilderness Retreat zendo and participating in parts of this retreat that begins on Thursday, September 15th. For those of you who'd like to do that, here are some maps of the Big Creek region.

Wilderness Retreat in the Great Smoky Mountains

The mountain landscape that holds our Sangha is a billion years old – mountains formed by a mighty collision of what later became North America and Africa. When young, these mountains rivaled the Himalayas. After formation, these mountains were covered by a forest that has never experienced a major ecological disaster – no volcanism, no ocean submersion, no scouring by the ice age glaciers. The result is an ancient temperate rainforest of unparalleled biodiversity.