Welcome!

My name is Ron Kidd. I am a Senior Dharma Teacher in the Kwan Um School of Zen, resident teacher of the Lincoln Park Zen community, headquartered at DePaul, and retired professor of world religions and introduction to Buddhism at DePaul. I have designed this “Busy Person’s Retreat” with someone in mind who has no or very little recent experience sitting zen, but who is at least a little familiar with zen literature and the sometimes unexpected way zen masters have of expressing themselves.

The directions which follow envision a period of about 15 or 20 minutes for the first three days, 25 minutes or 30 the fourth day and longer on the fifth.

If you currently already practice zen with a community, you know what to do to make a five day retreat: your regular practice + some other additional thing like a moment or two pondering the writings of your teacher (that’s ponder, not think about!) or five extra minutes of a mantra practice (like “Kwan Seum Bosal” or “Namu Dai Bosa”) or really being faithful to your basic daily practice or even seriously following your breath every time you wait for the bus or el or a red light. You may even find the text excerpts reproduced here a call back to where each of us really lives—only here, only now.

If you would like to get in touch with me in general, please e-mail me at: rkidd@depaul.edu. And consider joining us for zen practice at DePaul. It’s Tuesday evenings 7-9 and Saturday mornings 8-11 in the Student Center, LPC, and Thursdays 1-2pm in the Miraculous Medal Chapel (first floor of the Lewis Building in the Loop).