Talk #1: Welcome and Orientation

Michael's opening talk lays the groundwork for the retreat, emphasizing presence, intention, and the spirit of practicing together.

“There’s nowhere else we’re trying to get—just learning how to arrive more fully to what’s already here, together.”

Talk #2: Practicing with What Is

Michael invites us into a deeper honesty with our lived experience, encouraging a gentle turning toward whatever is present. Through reflection and guidance, this Dharma talk emphasizes trust, patience, and allowing the practice to unfold moment by moment.

“The practice isn’t about fixing our experience—it’s about learning how to be with it, just as it is.”

Talk #3: Staying Close to Experience

In this dharma talk, Michael explores the practice of staying intimate with present-moment experience, especially when the mind wants to pull away or narrate. He encourages simplicity, steadiness, and a kind attention to what is actually being felt.

“When we stay close to what’s here, the practice becomes very ordinary—and very alive.”

Talk #4: The Art of Letting Practice Grow

This Dharma talk invites us to reflect on how practice deepens over time through patience, humility, and trust in the path. Michael speaks to the quiet maturation that happens when we stop striving and allow understanding to unfold naturally.

“Nothing needs to be forced—the practice ripens when we give it the right conditions.”