The meditation instruction at the Monastic Academy strives to combine aspects of old school, industrial-strength Asian monastic training with modern, pluralistic, and conceptually clear pedagogies.
Soryu Forall, our guiding teacher, did most of his training in Asian traditional monasteries, We do one-on-one interviews between teacher and student, a focus on practice in motion (e.g. while doing chores or walking), and a strict tone during retreats (This tone comes not from stiffness and disdain, but from elegance and a profound love and belief in the student’s – perhaps unrealized – magnificent abilities.).
The modern, pluralistic influence is seen in many aspects of the training, including: permission to explore a wide variety of meditation techniques from all spiritual traditions (e.g. breath practice, noting, compassion, non-dual practice, yoga, and Native American ceremony); opportunity to engage in creative activities such as art, music, and dance; extremely clear conceptual frameworks for what mindfulness is, how to practice mindfulness, and why to practice mindfulness; Dharma Talks that cover both traditional Buddhist topics and non-traditional contemporary topics (such as psychological research and funny stories).