John N. Phillips

My two favorite lamas, Lama Willa Miller and Lama Karma Chotso looking over photos during a teaching break in front of the Tara Shrine at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, New Hampshire. Both women are devoted to the dharma in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and lead retreats, teachings, and discussions on all aspects of Tibetan meditative practices.

The completed Tara Shrine at Wonderwell Mountqain Refuge. The Tara sculpture was cast in Katmandu for Wonderwell and consecrated this year. In the foreground is the bell, with striker.

Lama Coulter and Brendan Kennedy celebrating after Brendan leading a meditation retreat here in Philadelphia this past fall(2015). My wife and I were fortunate enough to pilgrimage to India with Brendan Kennedy,Terry Conrad, and a small group of Brendan's students in 2013-4. We visited the Ramana Ashram at the foot of Arunachala, Ramana uncle's house in Madurai(also the site of the Meenakshi Temple...both important places to Ramana's enlightenment), and the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, the site of Buddha's enlightenment.

See next photo.

The back of the temple seen from the third circumambulatory path. Underneath the bodhi tree at the rear of the temple is the Vajrasana Throne; the the site of the Buddha's enlightenment.

Two revered teachers, Lama Willa and Anam Thubten, during the 5 day retreat they lead at Wonderwell this past January, 2016.

This visualization of a refuge prayer was doodled out late one snowy night during a week long retreat at the beginning of the transmission of our ngondro,(preliminary practices), beginning with prostrations to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. The title above is the beginning verse of the prayer, which is said in the manifested presence of the diety associated with your practice.

Thanks to Lama Willa Miller for getting us off to a good start, and continuing on with the Margha program of Natural Dharma Fellowship.

This is a photo of the Gap between Ocean City, New Jersey, and Sthathmere. A seagull is walking by, and that is about it.

The Gap, besides land masses, refers to the space, or lack of, between thoughts. Beginning meditators, when they first become aware of their thinking mind, often report that their thoughts seem to boil by like a raging waterfall, or the chatterings of an upset monkey.

The point of meditation practice is to calm down enoiugh to experience a gap between these thoughts, and be able to rest there. Maybe for a moment or two. Another goal of practice would be to not only rest in the Gap, but then to refrain from filling it up with stuff. Any stuff. In your meditation session, just chill out, and keep noticing what comes up to fill the Gap.