Buddhist Poetry: Reading and Writing Buddhist Poetry as Practice (Residential Only)

With William Edelglass

April 11 - 14, 2025

Date and Time Details: April 11-14, 2025. Check-in at Wonderwell is between 3:00 and 5:00 pm on the day of arrival. The retreat ends at noon on the final day and a light lunch may be offered. We ask that people leave Wonderwell by 2:00 pm so staff can finish their work and get home themselves.

Contact: register@naturaldharma.org

WAIT LIST: If the type of room you require is sold out or no rooms are available, please email register@naturaldharma.org to be placed on a waiting list in case there are cancellations. You also might consider our commuter option. For a list of nearby accommodations (including some with sangha members), click on the More Details link under the Commuter option on the registration page.

GETTING TO WONDERWELL: If you are not driving to Wonderwell, please scroll to the end of this page on our website for our travel suggestions and information about our shuttle service from local public transportation locations. This service must be scheduled well in advance, as we will have difficulty accommodating last-minute requests.

HEARING ASSISTANCE: A limited number of hearing assistance devices are available. Please indicate in the comment box on the registration form if you would like to reserve one. Devices reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • Benefactor's Suite – $813.00
  • Private room with queen bed and ensuite bath – $657.00
  • Private room with queen bed and hall bath – $597.00
  • Private room with twin bed and shared ensuite bath – $657.00
  • Private room with twin bed and hall bath – $597.00
  • Shared room with ensuite bath – $417.00
  • Shared room with hall bath – $357.00
  • Dorm - Women – $327.00
  • Dorm - Men – $327.00
  • Commuting – $267.00

This retreat will be devoted to the careful and collaborative reading of Buddhist poetry and will serve as an introduction to some of the major themes of Buddhist traditions and their poetic practices.

We will attend to these poems as works of art, historical documents, Dharma teachings, and personal expressions of the challenges and refuge of the path.  We will also write our own Dharma poems, inspired and informed by the poetry and practices we explore together, giving voice to our own experience and insight.

Please join us to:

  • Experience ancient and contemporary Buddhist poetry
  • Explore your creative side writing poems inspired by your path
  • Meditate inspired by songs of insight

Buddhist teachings often present the deepest truths as inexpressible, beyond the realm of language. Teachers and practitioners, however, have long turned to the language of poetry to express their experience and wisdom and to help others along the path. We see this already in the Therīgāthā and Theragāthā, songs of insight, aspiration, and loss composed by the early generations of Buddhist monastics that were included in the Pāli Canon. Buddhist philosophers, alongside sophisticated rational treatises also wrote poetry expressing their sense of devotion and wonder that moves their readers beyond the limits of reason. Poetry was at the heart of much of East Asian Buddhism, where the beautiful play of language was cultivated as a practice. Today, Buddhist poets in Asia and the West have become some of our most skillful teachers, inspiring us on the path, presenting objects of meditation, revelation, and beauty.

Please bring pens and paper for writing poems.

Suitable for all experience levels.


Typical Retreat Schedule

(All times are Eastern time zone)

First Day — Orientation at 6:45 pm. Opening session begins around 7:00 pm.

Full-Day Schedule — Morning meditation 7:00 am; Breakfast break 8:30-10:00 am; Lunch break 12:00-2:00 pm; Dinner break 5:30-7:00 pm. Evening session 7:00-8:30 pm

Last Day —The closing session end at 12:00 pm.

These times are just for reference. An expanded schedule will be provided in pre-retreat information emailed during the week prior to the event.


Important Health Information

The NDF Health Committee continues to monitor evolving public health conditions and trends, as we keep the safety of our Sangha at the forefront of our decision-making. At this time, COVID-19 testing is no longer required. Masks are optional and encouraged if you are at higher risk. We encourage you to stay at home if you are symptomatic to protect others.


Scholarships and Fellowships

Natural Dharma Fellowship strives to offer retreats in a manner that is inclusive and accessible. If the full retreat cost would create an undue financial burden, we encourage you to apply for a scholarship. Please visit this page on our website to learn more about financial aid options.

Please do not apply for financial assistance until after you have registered for the retreat. If the required deposit would be an obstacle, please contact register@naturaldharma.org.


Cancellation Policy

We understand that personal circumstances may require you to cancel your registration. In these cases, please contact us right away at register@naturaldharma.org. Cancellations affect our ability to offer rooms to others and create additional work for our staff, therefore we charge the following fees to help mitigate these costs.

For cancellations (based on program start date):

  • > 45 days: 100% refund minus a $75 admin. fee.
  • 31-45 days: 50% refund of the required deposit; or 75% refund if registration paid in full.
  • 21-30 days: 50% refund of total registration cost
  • < 21 days: nonrefundable

If you must cancel due to an emergency or extenuating circumstances, please contact us at register@naturaldharma.org.


Access to Recordings

NDF offers unlimited access to recordings, which are accessed in your user dashboard (more information about user accounts provided in a pre-retreat letter). If you have a user account, please register with the same email you use to log into your dashboard. If not, an account will be created for you using your registration address.

Availability will vary depending on the type of event and the backlog for our precious resource volunteers. Thank you for your patience.


Wonderwell Mountain Refuge Full Calendar

 

About the Teacher

William Edelglass

William Edelglass is Director of Studies at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.  He also teaches at Smith College, where he is Director of the Five College Tibetan Studies Program in India and teaches regularly at the Central University for Tibetan Studies in Sarnath, India.  His scholarship explores questions in Buddhist studies, environmental humanities, and […]

Learn more about William Edelglass

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