Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘In much the same way that deep rest revives our vitality, sleep restores mental clarity, and healing brings us back to good health, meditation retreats return us to wonderful states free from stress, preoccupation, and exhaustion. In the silent environment of a retreat center, our mind, heart, and body can settle into health and harmony. While meditation states are sometimes called “altered states of consciousness,” it’s actually the fragmented, distracted, and emotionally challenged mind of daily life that is better understood as an unnecessarily altered state. In contrast, time spent on a meditation retreat can return us to a wholesome and natural mind. Our inner life in meditation may seem altered when it is rarely—if ever—experienced elsewhere.’ (from the Insight Retreat Center website)