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Early August and it’s that time of the summer when the Spirit Rock Family Retreat takes place. Once again Ajahn Amaro, in keeping with tradition, was invited to participate as one of the four teachers leading the retreat, joining Heather Sundberg, Betsy Rose, and Julie Wester—the Family Retreat dream team—for this five-day event. For me, it was the third time that I have been blessed with the opportunity to accompany Abhayagiri elders who have taught there (Ajahn Pasanno has also participated in past years).

These retreats have been running now for ten years and have been developed and enriched through the experience of many people over that time. This year, approximately thirty-five families and twenty teachers, counselors, and support-people, gathered together for this annual retreat. Some of the activities included family meditation and Dhamma teachings, Dhamma songs, pilgrimages on the Spirit Rock land, an art tent, sport activities (for those with loads of energy), a traditional Native American sweat lodge, parent discussion groups, and a ‘water world’ consisting of pools and sprinklers. One afternoon also saw the opportunity to go on a field trip off the Spirit Rock land. Ajahn Amaro and I went with the group on a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge—Ajahn for the first time and thirty-five years since I’d ridden my apple-red Schwinn Sting-Ray bicycle across it.

Each year the retreat has a theme, and this year’s was generosity. Each full day of the retreat saw a different aspect of generosity as the focus of the day’s intent. The retreat began on Wednesday evening, and at the following morning’s communal gathering we were all encouraged by Ajahn Amaro to investigate “the gift of fearlessness.” For me this was something that, although I’d heard it spoken about before, I’d never deeply considered. Somehow being part of this retreat, and in this particular environment that was striving to create an atmosphere of safety/no-fear, this theme really struck home with me. There is so much going on in people’s lives and the fact that these families were able to gather together for these precious days was in Page 2 of 2

itself a rare blessing. But how much the richer if they could be in a place where they were fearless? So I kept (and keep) asking myself, “How can my verbal and bodily actions help create fearlessness?” (My name literally means “harmless one.”)

Friday saw Ajahn Amaro expound on the theme of “the generosity of the joy of giving,” and Saturday’s theme was “the generosity of time and presence” (or “attention”). Not only were we hearing these morning reflections, but many of each day’s activities were structured to highlight further the theme-of-the-day, giving the retreatants the opportunity to remind themselves and investigate generosity through direct action/experience and its results. For example, all of a sudden a young person would rush up with something to offer you, and you’d see the joy in their face—direct experience of the joy of giving. And then they’d witness the experience of the joy of receiving by seeing your reaction.

During the retreat Ajahn Amaro was able use his then very-recently-acquired knowledge of the latest Harry Potter book, which he skillfully used by weaving its characters (with very decent vocal renditions!), and stories into his own reflections on the Dhamma.

Saturday night, the last night of the retreat, saw the traditional campfire with singing, music, story-telling, jokes, and refreshments. Around the glow of the fire could be seen the joyous faces of this temporary Sangha-tribe, as different people offered their contributions to the evening’s bill.

On the last morning at Spirit Rock, while reflecting on the theme of fearlessness, I strongly felt that those five days had been spent in a time and place where no fear had entered my mind. My only wish is that I was not alone.