I’m excited to announce that I’ll be co-leading a retreat this summer in lovely Big Sur, CA at New Camaldoli Hermitage. Along with Fr. Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam. I’ll be sharing a weekend of poetry, music, cinema, liturgy, prayer, and meditation with any and all who wish to join us. Good times will abound, the Spirit willing!
The description of the retreat is below, and you can see the Camaldolese monks’ site here and register for the retreat by following the directions here. I’m very much looking forward to spending the weekend with the monastic and oblate communities at the Hermitage.
And a quick note to thank the monks and oblates of The Monastery of the Ascension in Jerome, ID for hosting me late last year for a retreat on the deep Benedictine contemplative tradition!
Description:
“Wake Up! The Legacy of Swami Abhishiktananda in Poetry, Song and Film”
Swami Abhishiktananda (Fr. Henri Le Saux) was a Benedictine monk who spent much of his life in India immersed in the contemplative traditions of Christianity and Hinduism. By the time of his death in 1973, Swamiji had become a prophet of interreligious dialogue, an accomplished spiritual writer, and one of the twentieth century’s great mystics. Swamiji sought and desired to lead others to the realization of Absolute Reality, drawing together Christian teaching on the Trinity and Hindu teaching on non-duality (advaita).
Though he, like so many of the great mystics, called seekers to go “Beyond!” (beyond concepts, beyond words, beyond images), he also understood the necessity of words and signs in our everyday reality. In that spirit, New Camaldoli Hermitage is excited to offer a retreat focused on Swamiji’s life and teaching. While we will make space for the silence Swamiji loved so well, we will also celebrate his life and teaching in various arts: New Camaldoli’s own Prior Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam will lead us in chant and song, Benedictine oblate and poet Jacob Riyeff will give a reading of Swamiji’s newly-translated poetry, and we will view the new documentary of Swamiji’s life, *Dawn of the Abyss: The Spiritual Birth of Swamiji*.
In addition to these multimedia sessions, traditional conferences on Swamiji’s teaching will offer a more detailed encounter with his profound insights into the contemplative life. Please join us for this joyous event!
Jacob Riyeff 
I am interested in learning about Swami Abhishiktananda’s teachings.
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that’s great, martha. the last few years (right up to the last few months) are seeing a good amount of new work on swami abhishiktananda/dom henri le saux. my translation of swamiji’s poems with a full introduction is available at resource publications (link on my website’s main page along the right side).
monkfish publishing has just re-published swamiji’s “his life told through his letters” (a big book but really one of the best intro’s to his experience and thinking).
and the swami abhishiktananda centre for interreligious dialogue just re-published his “in search of ultimate understanding” (which is a collection of swamiji’s essays, if you want his more formal thoughts on things).
the bede griffiths trust also has the documentary “an interior journey” on youtube for free now, which is a great way to see the places swamiji lived and walked and get a sense of his lived atmosphere.
if you’re interested in the specifically christian aspects of swamiji’s teaching, fr. cyprian consiglio, osbcam’s books press on in similar ways.
if you want to contact me thru the website, i can say more and share some things. either way, blessings and peace! pax/shanti
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