Autumn Retreat at Won Dharma Center (Oct. 6-13)

We are happy to announce a week-long retreat at Won Dharma Center in upstate New Work (Monday, October 6 – Monday, October 13, 2025). The retreat theme will be “Gratitude Awakening.”

You can sign up here: Gratitude Awakening Retreat

Gratitude Awakening (October 6-13, Monday-Monday, 2025)

Come and experience the joyful essence of our true nature at the Won Dharma Center, which invites you to its 426 acres of rolling hills, fields, and walking trails with panoramic views of the majestic Catskill Mountains! You will also enjoy nutritious meals made with the freshest natural and local ingredients—some from the center’s own organic gardens.

Rev. WonGong and Rev. Ginger will lead this week-long autumnal retreat on the theme of “Gratitude Awakening.”

To walk into our inner calm, we will observe Noble Silence, while practicing many forms of meditation—sitting, movement, nature contemplation, journaling, meditative breathing, lying-down relaxation, and more.

To cultivate equanimity, hone our wisdom, and practice gratitude, we will contemplate through silence as well as through conversations and dialogues at designated times.

During this retreat, we will deeply explore the fundamental philosophy of gratitude through the Fourfold Grace of Won Buddhism—Grace of Heaven & Earth, Parents, Fellow Beings, and Just Laws. This dharma opens us to find an inexhaustible wellspring of gratitude amidst difficulties and challenges, transforming anxiety and fear into hope and resilience.

Our daily practice will be enhanced through equanimity (meditation), insight (dharma talks), and mindful living—the Threefold Practice of Won Buddhism. Our meditation and contemplation will flow between practice at rest and practice in motion through walking, qigong, and Taichi.

In harmony with the interconnectedness of all things, we will practice both indoors and outdoors (weather permitting), bathing in the crisp energy of October. Free time for hiking and rest will complement group and individual teaching and sharing.

Through this retreat, may we connect and restore our joyous, numinous awareness, re-discovering grace within!

Please sign up only if you are committed to participating throughout the entire retreat. The retreat will provide generous personal time, but please be aware that your full participation in group activities is essential. This retreat requires prior multi-day residential meditation retreat experience or permission of the teacher. (Rev. WonGong’s email: WontempleNC@gmail.com).

Rev. WonGong (affectionately known as Rev. Wow!) is a lifetime dedicated dharma teacher. She was ordained a Kyomunim (dharma teacher) in 1994 after seven years of intensive training in Korea. She subsequently served in the Gangnam Temple in Seoul and the Rockville Temple in Maryland. She obtained a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland and worked as a therapist and for Child Protective Services in North Carolina. A pioneering Won Buddhist dharma teacher, she has established temples in Chapel Hill and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Rev. WonGong leads workshops, retreats, and youth dharma camps, integrating creative forms of meditation—body movement, vocalizing and breathing techniques, guided meditation, and laughter. She is active in the international interfaith community and is a leading Korean-to-English translator of dharma teachings, serving as a spiritual bridge between East and West.

Rev. WonGong loves gardening and singing. She released two albums: Chants of Samadhi for Daily Practice and Chants for Healing.